Children Lifting Weights?

blonde71

Hi. I have a pre-teen son (he's in the 5th grade) who is diabetic and wants to lift weights. It's all he talks about...I guess my success with lifting has peaked his interest. As far as his diabetes goes, he would have to check his blood sugar after a workout and have an extra snack.

But putting that fact aside for the moment, how young is too young to start lifting weights? I've heard a lot of different things about what age kids should start. He's going to see his doctor in 3 weeks so I plan to ask him but I wondered if anyone here had pre-teen or teenage kids that lifted weights. For reference, he's ~ 4'9" and 80 lbs. He's kind of clumsy, all arms and legs so I would think that the weight lifting would help with that and his overall self-confidence too. TIA.

blonde71

bump

piebird79

I know "Starting Strength" by Mark Ripptoe has a section about children lifting weights. I haven't perused that part yet, so I don't know what his suggestion is. You might pick it up though if your son is interested in weight lifting.

hooperkay

usually ortho doctors do not recommend lifting weights until around age 13 or after puberty for kids. He could do body weight exercises though. Show him pics of people with big muscles doing cool body weight movements. He would like that.

Troll

as long as he learns correct form i dont see why it would be detrimental. my nephew is 11 and started recently, because he saw me lifting.

ashlinmarie

I don't know how much it would help. Our bodies aren't prone to developing muscle like that until we hit puberty and I don't know of anyone that lifted before puberty. Not saying they don't, but the kids who do sports in my town aren't in the gyms until then and usually most gyms won't let you in until you are 16 and even then you have to be with an adult.

californiagirl2012

I did an internet search and found this:

http://www.power-systems.com/readnews.aspx?showarticle=317&SEName=what-age-is-the-right-time-for-my-child-to-start-lifting-weights&gclid=CL-45Nv2l7ICFQXhQgodKAQAZw

MessyLittlePanda

The general consensus is that kids can start lifting weights from the age of around 7-8, with the caveat that it must be ok'd by the child's doctor, and that the child is started on an age appropriate routine, and taught the right technique to avoid any injury.

Where I live, the local council gyms offer "teen gym" for 11-17 year olds, where they can get taught how to use machines and weights safely and also do circuit training classes, zumba things like that. It might be worth seeing if you can get anything like that in your area.

JoanneStone

No, at his age you can do permanent damage to the growth plates in his bones. Encourage him to be active and built muscle through sports and other activities. Save the weight training for when he has finished growing.

glenette1

What I usually tell people in my practice is to use caution. During a growth spurt, bones determine the growth and it takes time for the muscle length to adapt. The discomfort felt during this adaptation period is commonly referred to as "growing pains". Therefore, if a teenager/pre-teen is doing a significant amount of weight lifting they are at a greater risk of tendonitis due the strain on tendons from growth and lifting. This causes inflammation at the tendon attachment on the bone and in some cases, such as Osgood-Schlatter disease, can cause excessive bone growth in response to excessive force. Muscles should be flexible during this age and not "tight". It is certainly reasonable to stay fit and aim to become stronger, but it should be appropriate. If strengthening causes discomfort, decrease the weight or repetitions until it no longer causes discomfort. There are not a lot of definitive answers or protocols for lifting in this age group that I have seen. I don't expect to see randomized controlled testing in this subject due to its potential implications. Hope this helped!

ravengirl1611

the only weights he should be lifting are his own body weight - get him doing those types of exercises and skip the actual weights until he's closer to finishing growing trying to fix the damage caused from lifting too soon would so not be worth the small gains he might see now.

glenette1

the only weights he should be lifting are his own body weight - get him doing those types of exercises and skip the actual weights until he's closer to finishing growing trying to fix the damage caused from lifting too soon would so not be worth the small gains he might see now.

I totally agree. I see too many kids in the clinic with sports and training injuries that usually result from improper techniques and trying to edge out the competition. Those types of injuries can take months and even sometimes years to resolve. Remember, the body is still developing and maturing. It's not ready for stress in the form of heavy loads.

uglyhobo

I wouldn't have him start until he's obviously started puberty.
But it's safe to have him lifting at that young, but he'll be in the best environment to gain muscle while about 15-21 years old.
The only way he's going to damage his growth plates is if he ends up breaking a bone on the growth plate while lifting, and that's very rare.

Supervision (making sure he uses very good form), making sure he warms up by doing warmup sets, and uses higher reps (NO 1 rep maxes). Also make sure he uses free weights and not machines since force you into fixed unnatural movement patterns.
Lifting weights actually increases the amount of Growth Hormone produced by the body and some people believe it can cause increases in height because of increases bone mineralization (stronger bones).

Here are some injury rates of sports.

Sports Injury Rates (Hamill 1994) Sport
Injuries (per 100 hours)

Soccer (school age) 6.20
UK Rugby 1.92
USA Basketball 0.03
UK Cross Country 0.37
Squash 0.10
US Football 0.10
Badminton 0.05
USA Gymnastics 0.044
USA Powerlifting 0.0027
USA Volleyball 0.0013
USA Tennis 0.001
Weight Training 0.0035 (85,733 hrs)
Weightlifting 0.0017 (168,551 hrs)



Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength program is actually great for kids. The only problem would be teaching him correct form, which is why it would be a good idea to omit the Power Clean from the program and maybe add in some barbell rows, chinups, and dips.


edit: Look at any high school football team. Plenty of those kids are very tall and still manage to grow tall despite lifting weights all the time.

SPNLuver83

I'm not a doctor but as a mother of 2 boys it's not something I agree with. At least until they hit puberty.

T34418l3angel

I actually stumbled across a video today of a 10year old girl competing powerlifting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5noObrJ4zC4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I honestly have no opinion a far a if it's safe cuz I have no clue. I just really thought it was cool too see someone so young lifting weights way heavier than she weighs!

Jynus

usually ortho doctors do not recommend lifting weights until around age 13 or after puberty for kids. He could do body weight exercises though. Show him pics of people with big muscles doing cool body weight movements. He would like that.

thats because docs are idiots. don't lift weight they say, but by all means, play football, soccer, and cheer which have 100x the injury rates. o.O

There is zero reason for a child to not lift. If he wants to, by all means, teach him.

Jynus

No, at his age you can do permanent damage to the growth plates in his bones. Encourage him to be active and built muscle through sports and other activities. Save the weight training for when he has finished growing.

no... you can't. the idea you can damage growth plates with lifting, but somehow playing football with 2 forces smashing into each other at speed doesn't cause stress fractures is hypocracy of the finest degree.

The growth plate stunting is something that has yet to ever be proved, of for that matter produce a single case of from lifting. It works great to scare people who are clueless, but for practical applications, it's like telling someone they shouldn't go outside because of metorites hitting them.

Jynus

I'm not a doctor but as a mother of 2 boys it's not something I agree with. At least until they hit puberty.

do u deny your children lots of things based on how you feel about something vs say evidence?? or just lifting?

kiachu

I'm not a doctor but as a mother of 2 boys it's not something I agree with. At least until they hit puberty.

do u deny your children lots of things based on how you feel about something vs say evidence?? or just lifting?

I'm a parent and yes I deny my child a lot of things based on how I feel about it.

TArnold2012

Gets her water and snack and pulls up a chair as this debate begins once again.

glenette1

Bottom line, you are going to get many different opinions on MFP and they are just that: opinions. The best thing to do is ask your doctor. As an orthopedic physical therapist I see many injuries related to lifting and they are not growth plate injuries but usually tendonitis or bone deformity due to excessive stress. It depends on what type of weight lifting you are talking about.... general weight training within reason won't hurt him but anything extreme can certainly cause problems. There is a difference between weight training and weight lifting. Again, this is just my professional opinion and you will see many variations even among health professionals. Consult with your doctor and in the end, do what you and your son feel comfortable with. There is also something to be said for you motherly instinct.

firstsip

I wouldn't have him start until he's obviously started puberty.
But it's safe to have him lifting at that young, but he'll be in the best environment to gain muscle while about 15-21 years old.
The only way he's going to damage his growth plates is if he ends up breaking a bone on the growth plate while lifting, and that's very rare.

Supervision (making sure he uses very good form), making sure he warms up by doing warmup sets, and uses higher reps (NO 1 rep maxes). Also make sure he uses free weights and not machines since force you into fixed unnatural movement patterns.
Lifting weights actually increases the amount of Growth Hormone produced by the body and some people believe it can cause increases in height because of increases bone mineralization (stronger bones).

Here are some injury rates of sports.

Sports Injury Rates (Hamill 1994) Sport
Injuries (per 100 hours)

Soccer (school age) 6.20
UK Rugby 1.92
USA Basketball 0.03
UK Cross Country 0.37
Squash 0.10
US Football 0.10
Badminton 0.05
USA Gymnastics 0.044
USA Powerlifting 0.0027
USA Volleyball 0.0013
USA Tennis 0.001
Weight Training 0.0035 (85,733 hrs)
Weightlifting 0.0017 (168,551 hrs)



Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength program is actually great for kids. The only problem would be teaching him correct form, which is why it would be a good idea to omit the Power Clean from the program and maybe add in some barbell rows, chinups, and dips.


edit: Look at any high school football team. Plenty of those kids are very tall and still manage to grow tall despite lifting weights all the time.

Yes, but they are 14 or older :P So mid-puberty/post-puberty (and generally the ones on the field hit puberty sooner, hence their physiques).

sarahrbraun

Hi. I have a pre-teen son (he's in the 5th grade) who is diabetic and wants to lift weights. It's all he talks about...I guess my success with lifting has peaked his interest. As far as his diabetes goes, he would have to check his blood sugar after a workout and have an extra snack.

But putting that fact aside for the moment, how young is too young to start lifting weights? I've heard a lot of different things about what age kids should start. He's going to see his doctor in 3 weeks so I plan to ask him but I wondered if anyone here had pre-teen or teenage kids that lifted weights. For reference, he's ~ 4'9" and 80 lbs. He's kind of clumsy, all arms and legs so I would think that the weight lifting would help with that and his overall self-confidence too. TIA.

My local YMCA has a program aimed at teens and tweens called "iron teens" where they teach them proper lifting techniques, etc before they are allowed to go in the weight area by themselves. They also have a bunch of other programs aimed at healthy kids, such as youth conditioning, the TeenLift Club (11-17yo), and even a Zumba class aimed at 4-10yo! Maybe you could find programs like that for your son after you get cleared by his doctor....

Azdak

All of the national professional organizations that are involved in this topic-- American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Academy of Pediatricians--have published position papers stating that resistance exercise can be both safe and effective for children.

The concerns about growth-plate fractures have been shown to be greatly overstated.

While younger children are not going to increase muscle mass, they can significantly increase strength.

There are several guidelines for children lifting weights:

1. Avoid maximal lifts, esp heavy overhead lifts--this is the one area that does carry a higher risk of injury.

2. Make sure the child is motivated and interested. Problems occur when children become fatigued or bored.

3. Emphasis should be on learning proper form--lifting sessions must be supervised by knowledgeable results.

4. Keep in mind that most children want to PLAY, they don't want to "exercise". Watching adults lift weights, it sometimes SEEMS like play until they actually start to do it and realize it takes work and discipline. Then, all of sudden, it's not so much furn anymore.

5. Related to #4: While physically, younger children CAN lift safely and effectively, my experience has been that few of them actually WANT to, once they have tried it for real. Our center made a concerted effort to attract younger children (and their families) by purchasing some equipment that was supposedly "child sized" and setting up a number of programs and classes. It has been a colossal flop and waste of money. I had kids come for circuit classes--they came 2 or 3 times, with their parents pushing them, and then disappeared. We had some marginal success with some of the other programs that were more "game" based, but for the most part the kids (7-10) just did not have the motivation, concentration, or physical skill to do even the most basic of exercises.

ironanimal

There's kids 11+ in my old gym. It's fine so long as they have the attention span to learn to do it properly and use a reasonable amount of weight. I started benching and stuff at 13 in school.

blonde71

Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone. I will certainly check with his doctor in a few weeks as that's what matters most. It was helpful to hear others opinions and/or experiences.

PeterThompson

I think the best thing i can say about that is go ask a doctors opinion cause for me it is good that in your son case he really needs to do exercises for health reason but we should know the preventive measures that is needed
http://bestadjustabledumbbellsreviews.com/

dhakiyya

All of the national professional organizations that are involved in this topic-- American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Academy of Pediatricians--have published position papers stating that resistance exercise can be both safe and effective for children.

The concerns about growth-plate fractures have been shown to be greatly overstated.

While younger children are not going to increase muscle mass, they can significantly increase strength.

There are several guidelines for children lifting weights:

1. Avoid maximal lifts, esp heavy overhead lifts--this is the one area that does carry a higher risk of injury.

2. Make sure the child is motivated and interested. Problems occur when children become fatigued or bored.

3. Emphasis should be on learning proper form--lifting sessions must be supervised by knowledgeable results.

4. Keep in mind that most children want to PLAY, they don't want to "exercise". Watching adults lift weights, it sometimes SEEMS like play until they actually start to do it and realize it takes work and discipline. Then, all of sudden, it's not so much furn anymore.

5. Related to #4: While physically, younger children CAN lift safely and effectively, my experience has been that few of them actually WANT to, once they have tried it for real. Our center made a concerted effort to attract younger children (and their families) by purchasing some equipment that was supposedly "child sized" and setting up a number of programs and classes. It has been a colossal flop and waste of money. I had kids come for circuit classes--they came 2 or 3 times, with their parents pushing them, and then disappeared. We had some marginal success with some of the other programs that were more "game" based, but for the most part the kids (7-10) just did not have the motivation, concentration, or physical skill to do even the most basic of exercises.

Thank you for this, it's very useful.

I got my girls (aged 2 and 6) some of those plastic dumbbells that you fill with water, but they play with them empty, so there's no risk of injury. And they're pink too, which is both my girls' favourite colour. (Yes, I've found a use for small pink dumbbells that are too light for adults to do any serious lifting lol) The 6 yr old wants to learn to exercise for real, but I suspect it'll be like you said in no 4 and 5, i.e. she won't have the attention span or the determination for it and just wants to play. I see the fact that they watch me work out with dumbbells and then copy what I do with the toy ones as giving them a very positive message and when they're older I hope that they'll want to learn to lift weights properly. I'm sure before long she'll persuade me to fill the dumbbells with water and teach her some real exercises, and I'll see how it goes with that, following the above advice.

kiachu

...but for the most part the kids (7-10) just did not have the motivation, concentration, or physical skill to do even the most basic of exercises.

This is why I advise against it. I also have a concern with development issues in terms of hormones and what not. I would never let my daughter exercise in a certain manner as she does now as it causes hormonal disruptions and for a young female that hasn't hit puberty yet this could be a problem. It's already an issue amongst young female athletes. And I don't see any benefit to it for young males that haven't hit puberty because they are not yet primed for muscle building. IN the mean time normal sports and body weight strength training and conditioning SHOULD be sufficient.

But the above quote is the MAIN reason. Their attention span, motivation, concentration, and physical skills are still so undeveloped I feel like that type of physical environment is ripe for injury or stress.

Lula16

No, at his age you can do permanent damage to the growth plates in his bones. Encourage him to be active and built muscle through sports and other activities. Save the weight training for when he has finished growing.

^^^^ THIS

RGv2

No, at his age you can do permanent damage to the growth plates in his bones. Encourage him to be active and built muscle through sports and other activities. Save the weight training for when he has finished growing.

^^^^ THIS

When certirfying (CFT), it was advised that we needed to be careful with "pre-teens". They can lift, if they want, but you really needed to be careful of the weight and the form due to damage that can be done. If the weight is reasonable, they should be okay.