I have been reading Strong Women, Strong Bones, and I see that postmenopausal women are not supposed to do the jumping exercise. Why not?

There are several reasons why we do not recommend vertical jumping for postmenopausal women. First, the research on the effects of jumping on hipbone density has not been as positive for older women as for pre-menopausal women. Second, jumping can put a lot of force on the knee and hip joint.

Unless the muscles surrounding the knee and hip are very strong, jumping could put older adults at risk for orthopedic problems. Until there is more research on jumping, older women should not perform vertical jumping unless they are extremely fit and accustomed to participating in high impact sports like running and high-intensity strength training.