Seth Hosmer
A general answer about bone growth, not an exact answer to Quenton's question...but:
"The biological mechanisms for trabecular organization (bone growth and remodeling, ed.) are multifaceted and involve gravity, muscle action, genetics, vascularity and physical properties. Physical stress from gravity is the major determinant to bone deposition by piezoelectric effect of crystal deformation. At sites where the compression stress on bone is greater, local crystals will create a relative electronegativity, which promotes calcium deposition and bone formation" (from Essentials of Skeletal Radiology 3rd Ed pp. 3)
Paraphrasing from Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning:
The components of mechanical load that stimulate bone growth in laboratory animals are: magnitude of the load (intensity), rate of loading, the direction of the forces, and the volume of loading...the greater the magnitude of the load, the greater the stimulus for bone growth; higher rates of contraction (high-power) enhance the stimulus for new bone growth; and alteration of the normal pattern of bone loading (direction of force) with other variables held constant stimulates bone growth.
So, if you assume nutritional needs are met/optimized (which is admittedly not often the case as Dr. Michaelson pointed out), it would appear that relatively heavy, fast routine with variety would be the best. In my opinion, this means resistance training (RT). Other activities might also do a good job, but it is hard to match the benefits in a short period of time with RT such as Kettlebells and other functional RT activities.
The Essentials textbook mentioned above gives specific guidelines for stimulating bone growth:
1. 3-6 sets of up to 10 reps
2. 1-10 repetition max (RM) weight
3. 1-4 min rest between sets
4. structural exercises such as: squats, deadlift, cleans, etc.
Note that this is not a "beginner" resistance training routine.
The article mentioned in a previous post about diet altering pH is interesting, but disagrees with accepted mechanisms for regulating pH in the body (lungs, kidneys). Surprisingly, the article suggests that you can check your pH at home through testing urine and saliva pH first thing in the morning. A quick google search brings up a reference that due to night time respiratory acidosis, AM urine is normally acidic. Saliva is normally acidic. It would appear, therefore, that this article is suggesting that normal pH values are actually abnormal and a cause for concern...and you need to buy a supplement to fix it...which I find questionable at best.
Seth Hosmer, DC, CSCS
HPChiro.com
blog: http://www.hpchiro.com/blog/