My 11 year old Son & the gym

MelissaE1214

So my husband has been dieing to take my son to the gym with us. We clearly are so unsure if it is ok becuase he is 11 - BUT he is a 5'4 125 lb 11 year old. My husband is going to clear it with the doctor, but he thought getting opinions on here would be good too. Thoughts all around??

fougamou

What is he going to do at the gym?


I take my 10 year old all the time.

He does not lift weights, but uses the cardio equipment and the gym (basketball, running) and I am encouraging him to use the mats for stretching. I see no difference between that and the sports he plays.

As for the use of the weights, my concern would be making sure that he uses them properly and at the correct weight.

fougamou

Make sure the gym allows your son to use the equipment. Mine does, he even has his own membership card, but others don't.

lil_pulp

Well, does your son want to go the gym? If you force him to go, this could have a really long-lasting negative impact on his self-esteem and/or his relationship with you. There are a million other ways for him to get exercise that might feel more natural for a child.

Unknown

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Dianescraps

My gym allows it, and I take my 15 and 12 yr old daughters. The 12 yr old does cardio only, mostly bike. The 15 yr old does mostly cardio, but a little bit of weight training, aimed specifically at helping her with marching band performance (she is in a very competitive marching band that has consistantly won the champoinships of their divisions over the last 8 years) She also has hip dysplasia, so she can not do anything high impact.

I did speak with my daughters Drs prior to starting them at the gym.

perfectingpatti

Ask his pediatrician.

Ask the gym for their rules.

Make sure he is trained well on whatever equipment he'll be using.

Teach him to enjoy working out!