Buff Bones®: An Intelligent & Somatic Movement System For midlife women & beyond. Specialist Osteoporosis & Osteopenia Classes in Birmingham, Shrewsbury, & Online via Zoom
The specialist system for the optimal health of your bones & joints. Classes and 1:1 coaching safe for osteoporosis, taught in the chair, on the mat, in the Pilates Studio on the tower and reformer.
Taught in Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Shropshire and Virtually via Zoom.
More choices than you may have initially thought of…
Optimal Bone & Joint Health for midlife women and those with osteoporosis and osteopenia:
The Buff Bones® System available in Birmingham, Shrewsbury and Virtually via Zoom
As the Buff Bones® UK Faculty, I provide medically-endorsed movement strategies for women in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Birmingham and the West Midlands seeking to future-proof their bone health and perfect for the needs of midlife women.
The most positive and empowering movement experience for those wanting to improve their bone health and develop more strength, better balance and functional movement for a healthy and happy life. A a medically-endorsed bone health system using Pilates, somatic movement, strength training & therapeutic exercise that can take you from very little to developing your strength, vitality and wellbeing. And safe for Osteoporosis.
It is true somatic system that should be your centrepiece of any integrated system for bone and joint health.
I am the UK Faculty for Buff Bones® led by its creator, Rebekah Rotstein and am an Advanced Buff Bones® Instructor. Apart from managing my own clients I help train, examine and tutor Buff Bones® Instructors within the United Kingdom and Internationally.
“I have been working with Sarah since being diagnosed with osteoporosis. Sarah has been able to ease my associated fear of movement, especially falling. Over time Sarah has been extremely helpful in increasing my overall strength and fitness in several areas where the impact of osteoporosis may be most severe in the future. This includes identifying the causes of my back pain and teaching me exercise programmes using Buff Bones® to reduce it. Sarah is an excellent and kind teacher and her attention to detail continues to be of great benefit in my day to day life and gives me both motivation and hope for the future.”
So proud to be working in this wonderful system from Instructor to UK Faculty! And so very proud of all our instructors, and most of all my clients who inspire me!
Myself, sitting with the creator of Buff Bones®, my teacher and mentor Rebekah Rotstein, following the 2024 annual instructor training at Polestar Pilates UK in London.
Come and experience it for yourself…
For 1:1 sessions please contact me directly. You can work with me in person using mat based Buff Bones® programming in Shrewsbury, Shropshire or work with me in the Pilates Studio in Birmingham, or if you want to experience Reformer and Tower based Pilates Studio classes you have come to the right place as you can be sure you are working not just keeping safe but working on key areas you need to target in your body!
You can work with me virtually from home via Zoom.
If you want to work on the mat or join me when I am offering group class you need to be able to get up and down unaided from the floor.
I also can do seated sessions for those of you unable to get to the floor.
I’m hoping to open up different styles of Buff Bones® classes that help people that prefer working at a very slow pace, and one for those who cannot get up and down from the floor unaided in the future. If this interests you please email me directly as I am gathering a small list!
Sometimes, it may be necessary to work with me 1:1 for a while before transferring into class - this is the case when there has been a fracture to ensure you have more knowledge about your body within this movement system before moving to group class - when in doubt please just get in touch and see my 1:1 Coaching page for more details.
If you are a teacher wanting to discover more about the system please visit the Buff Bones® website directly!
Why healthy bones and joints matter
In the UK 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will break a bone and 3 million are estimated to have osteoporosis (Source, NOS). That's not an excuse to do nothing, in fact exercise has so many positive aspects to your life and it is recommended that you do exercise! But how to exercise not only safely but effectively? Is your movement system really addressing the needs that you have?
The award-winning, medically-endorsed Buff Bones® system for bone and joint health is now available in Shresbury, Shropshire, Birmingham and virtually on Zoom. The system uses varied and specific bone-strengthening and balance techniques for a safe option for people with osteoporosis and arthritis.
Buff Bones® has been recommended in the USA by the former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., calling Buff Bones® “an excellent resource to continue to improve America’s bone health.”
Created by my teacher, Rebekah Rotstein, a globally renowned bone health and exercise expert who was just 28 when she was diagnosed with osteoporosis, a condition of excessive low bone mass and fragility. She found that people with osteoporosis and osteopenia (its precursor) were often uncertain of what type of exercise to do and concerned about safety.
About Buff Bones®
“The Buff Bones® system is based on a research-supported design and combines Pilates, strength training, functional movement and therapeutic exercise,” says Rebekah. “It also uses techniques to align the joints, enhance posture and balance and prepare the body for optimal loading of the bones, which is how they strengthen. I recommend the Buff Bones® system for anyone who has osteoporosis or wants to prevent it."
According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, exercise is one of the most essential strategies for building and maintaining strong bones and preventing falls and fractures: “Targeted exercise is especially important in that it helps to build muscle strength, improve balance and posture, and maintain bone mass.”
Empowering movement delivering results
Build Confidence - Overcome the fear of movement and feel more like you again.
Regain Strength and Control - Feel stronger and more capable in everyday life.
Future Proof - Invest in your bone and joint health for the long term.
At the frontier of current scientific research - a highly intelligent movement system.
The system is a somatic movement system. Strength without any felt sense is worth something but is not optimal because our command centre - our brain needs to be able to co ordinate movement and make it efficient. Additionally, Buff Bones® has been developed to harness something called Biotensegrity, which is a new concept to the movement world. Our physical structures such as muscles, bones, fascia, ligaments and tendons are made strong by the unison of tensioned and compressed parts. We harness forces of pushing our limbs either through the space or using the floor to develop greater strength and integrity in our own bodies. Think of your body like putting a tent up - if one of the wires is slightly loose then the tent is more vulnerable. Our bodies operate in a similar way - we leverage our structures - our bones, muscles and fascia to gain greater integrity within our own bodies.
In short, Buff Bones® uses the theory of biotensegrity to leverage power through our bodies to carry out integrated movemetns with strength and confidence.
Buff Bones or Pilates Classes for Osteoporosis and Osteopenia?
I love both and I teach both. If you want a total body exercise system that is specifically designed for the midlife and for bone and joint health, or, if you have issues with your bone density or spine I really recommend this system as it has distinct advantages over Pilates (see my FAQs below).
Text © Buff Bones and Sarah Pritchard 2026.
FAQs & Common Questions about Bone Health
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and make a query about working with me in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Birmingham or Virtually
-
Safe: Medically endorsed for Osteoporosis.
Scientific: Uses Biotensegrity to harness strength through connection in the body.
Flexible: Join me in Birmingham, Shrewsbury, or on Zoom.
-
Yes I offer currently 1:1 Coaching within the UK and Europe for Buff Bones®. Please see my page on 1:1 Coaching for more details. I work in UK time in the mornings with my 1:1 clients.
-
You can find me in Shropshire and Shrewsbury currently at Jenna Blair Yoga in Belle Vue and Newton Meadows, Shrewsbury where I teach 1:1 sessions.
Additionally you can find me in Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham UK where I have 1:1 sessions. I alos have a waitlist for Buff Bones® on the Reformer and Tower - a class I am keen to open! So please let me know if you are interested!
I also teach Buff Bones® on my Somatic Day retreats as Buff Bones® is a highly somatic and deeply embodied system! So come and join me for an immersive retreat day and experience the system there!
-
My answer is that it really depends on the style of Pilates you practice, the movements and frequency you repeat them, your personal movement history as well as your current bone density, any previous history of fracture you have, your current health and any other issues you may be having or have had in your body. Any Pilates teacher should have a qualification to teach you, or they may choose to omit movements. But please go and work with someone who is specialist in this area and understands the unique needs of those with bone density issues. We want movement to empower you and the short answer is every single body is different and every single Pilates teacher teaches differently. Make sure you are working with a Pilates teacher who has been trained and asks a lot of questions - that is a good sign!
-
Pilates is great and I love it! However a general group Pilates class is designed to cover the general needs of all bodies in the room which are not injured or have conditions. It is not focused primarily upon the primary needs of an osteoporosis population and, for some joint issues make the matter worse not better! Investigating in the very best and most suitable class for your needs is paramount to ensure that you are able to get what your body needs.
-
Yes, it is medically endorsed by Richard Carmona, M.D., 17th U.S. Surgeon General - for those of you in the UK - this is the equivalent role to the Head of the NHS! Buff Bones® is widely recognised as the global leader in bone and joint health training. The creator, Rebekah Rotstein is sought globally for her expertise and is a leader in education for teachers who want to work with those with osteoporosis and bone and joint health issues.
-
Declining estrogen levels means that some women can experience rapid bone loss which puts them at an increased risk of fracture. Strength training can change the outcome for women in their long term bone and joint health. Buff Bones® takes you on a journey that is an integral part of health and wellbeing at midlife. It’s not just that our programming has been designed for the specific needs of those with bone and joint health, but that it recognises and includes movements that not only build strength, balance but focus on target areas in your body that change profoundly during this time. Our progressive system allows you to develop with confidence the ability to lift weights without getting yourself injured, and also provides ways to regulate your nervous system which is key in the effectiveness of midlife movement.
-
Our system works not only with bones and joints but with our connective tissue or fascia. We have specific exercises to hydrate the fascia which can reduce pain and improve movement. Our programming ensures that your body is prepared for movement by establishing regulation in your nervous system so you are ready to move. We also work with somatic components of movement and even have special exercises to build you from a low level all the way through to being able to lift weights, lift yourself and perhaps your grandchildren off the floor with ease! But the system is more than looking after problems, but preventing them happening in the first place!
-
Optimal balance is so important for everyone, but especially those with bone density issues who can have additional complications from falling. Developing balance skills in all 3 systems, as well as balance at different speeds and dynamic balance is really important. Practising balance standing on one leg is a start but rarely do we fall from a static position. We are moving beings and so we need to practice balance in dynamic ways! Buff Bones® teaches you how to do that and many of my clients have saved themselves from a fall due to their dynamic training. Another critical issue is the one of fear - training balance improves our confidence in our own skills and fear of falling becomes less of an issue, which is good not only for our body but our mind and sense of wellbeing.