what age for children to start weight training?

Options
2

Replies

  • _Wonder_Woman_
    _Wonder_Woman_ Posts: 218
    Options
    Lifting at that age is way too young. Get them moving, let them run around, play sports, help around the house instead.

    My kids have always been in sports. Daughter in cheer, which is pretty demanding. My son in Football, baseball & basketball.

    My son is now 14 and 6'3. He's still in baseball, at this point he does lift weights.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    Options
    That age is too young to use added weights. Have her do body-weight exercise. My son has crazy arms at 7 years old.. all from lifting himself (push ups, literally, just lifting himself up onto things..) he can scale fences and climb trees without worrying because of his strength.
    He does TKD, so he does a lot of strength moves and cardio. He's 7, JUST hit 60lbs and is in great shape!!

    **Edit - adding him in.. haha he loves looking at himself lol his arm looks fake to me!
    383330_10151157188748684_1526265221_n_zpsb095367c.jpg
  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
    Options
    I'd say 16+ because I've heard that it can stunt growth in young'uns. Not sure how true it is, though.
  • milf_n_cookies
    milf_n_cookies Posts: 2,244 Member
    Options
    My 10 year old triplets do bodyweight exercises with me every other day (squats, hip extensions, burpees, mountain climbers etc) but I don't let them use weights other then the occasional kettle bell swing or weighted crunch ups. They have done a mini-Strongman Sunday with me, and done weighted runs, swung light sledge hammers and chucked sandbags (they also rolled a Honda across a parking lot, but we helped them to get it started LOL).
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Options
    When they are ready and they want to.
  • aj_31
    aj_31 Posts: 999 Member
    Options
    I think it's great that kids as young as 6 yrs old want to be fit and healthy but lifting weights at that age is way too young. Whatever happened to sports, riding bikes, or playing with friends outside to stay in shape? I know at a lot of gyms offer kids yoga or cardio and things like that and I think that's a great way to introduce fitness but I think lifting is going to far with it. I really don't think kids should be lifting until they are in their early to mid teens. I think using body weight and doing push ups, sit ups, and things like that is all they need.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Options
    id advise just getting her into lots of sport and build up muscle through like own body weight and cardio

    ^^^THIS^^^ Because a child's bones are still actively growing, you risk damage to her musculo-skeletal system by piling on the weights too soon. Anthropologists have examined damage to what is assumed to be the skeletons of child slaves that they dug up. They note that this type of damage is done to the bones of children who are forced to lift heavy weights (while working). A girl's skeleton and skeletal muscle are more or less complete by the age of 11-12 (a boy's can take quite a bit longer). That is the earliest I would start weight-lifting were it my child. You could probably give her some one-pounders to make her feel like she is doing something but, at her age, some kind of active sport is much more beneficial for a variety of reasons.
  • FitandFab33
    FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
    Options
    I'd say talk to your pediatrician and/or a doctor in sports med. There are particular issues to consider like natural growth and development, hormone variations etc. Talk to someone who knows those effects/risks specific to children.
  • rushikareddy
    rushikareddy Posts: 604 Member
    Options
    My 6 year old is very eager to start weight training with real dumbbells and barbells (she has toy dumbbells already). I think six seems too young, especially as it's so important to get the form right. But I'd like to get information and experience from knowledgable people about what age is appropriate for starting to lift.

    I know that kids can do weight training and weight lifting from quite a young age, younger than you'd think, but what are the various issues and limitations?

    This would be purely for fitness and strength, and because my daughter's quite keen to start. I'm not even mentioning looks or body composition in relation to weight lifting, because there's so much pressure these days, especially on girls, to look a certain way, I don't want to add to that in any way. I just want her to enjoy exercise for its own sake and aspire to be fit, strong and healthy.

    thoughts?
    I cannot give a definite answer but I think you should consult their doctor! My brother was a competitive swimmer as a kid and was advised against doing weight training and said it affected growth somehow ( this was told by his trainer and not a doctor)! My advice would be to talk to one! :)
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    Options
    Any kid who wants to exercise, I say let them. It would be really great if she got in a little cardio. Kids at this age often want to be like their parents, and later on it will be other kids. She doesn't have to be anything in terms of body type; she needs to have fun.

    If it was my kid, I would keep talk of training and all that out of the discussion. Just let her use the weights and teach proper from. That's all.

    I would add, I hope you are being the same example when it comes to food at the table.
  • theCarlton
    theCarlton Posts: 1,344 Member
    Options
    As soon as they're able to hold their heads up on their own. :wink:
  • trailtripper
    trailtripper Posts: 71
    Options
    Ask her Peditrician ...

    THIS! and ask then about sports and such! Starting team sports at a young age has many additional benefits beside exercise (team work, common goals and leadership just to mention a few).
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Options
    Well I really have no idea about actual weight lifting, I know that gymnastics and ballet can really build up the muscle/strength in young children. Maybe you suggest she get into those?
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Options
    Think about it this way, 100 years ago, children as young as six were lifting heavy things all the time, working on the farm. I don't think it's too young if you are teaching the child correct form. As young as 5, my dad was already helping chop wood and carrying it to the wood pile.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Options
    1c02201c5c04f02c9d556ffd263f032c_zps320dcd0c.jpg
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    thanks for all the replies :)

    I definitely agree with the points about having fun, etc. She has toy dumbbells (hollow plastic, weigh next to nothing) which she uses to do bodyweight exercises like "dumbbell" squats. It probably is just that she wants to be like me. Definitely will try to get her into some kind of organised exercise club, we live in Bahrain so things like that are not so easy to find, plus we're on a budget and have transport issues right at the moment - hopefully to be resolved in the not too distant future but I can't just go and sign her up for any club I would want to just at the moment.

    Re bodyweight exercises versus weights - is there a significant difference between a child doing push-ups and bench pressing a similar weight - say for the sake of argument the child is pushing with a force of 100 Newtons when doing a push-up, then is there really a significant difference between that and the same child bench pressing with a 10kg weight (which would require a force of 100 Newtons to push it upwards)? - again this is not for now, I think she's fine with the bodyweight exercises plus toy dumbbells for now, but for future reference. And also, because she wants to do it. I'm all for encouraging kids to be active and sporty, but I also think they should get a choice of what kind of activities they want to do, and if weight lifting is what they really want to do, and if it's safe, then why not that? Yes I will try to expose her to all kinds of other activities within what's available and possible on our budget, so that she is making a choice more than just copying me.

    Also I'm toying with the idea of buying 1lb dumbbells, so she has some "real" dumbbells to use for the same kinds of exercises she's doing already, so she feels like she's lifting real weights and doesn't lose her enthusiasm, and I can teach her the correct form, so she can move on to heavier weights when she's old enough (will probably take a paediatricians advice as suggested for what age is old enough for lifting heavy). The one 1lb weights would still be under my supervision, because I know kids can prat about. The hollow plastic ones they have already for playing with, it would be really hard to do any damage to themselves or anyone's property with those lol (hence why I bought them).
  • delonda1
    delonda1 Posts: 525 Member
    Options
    If you google kids fitness equipment you will find foam bench presses and stuff to atleast start good form and training without hurting self. but honestly if you can get just 3lb dumbbells it wont do damage
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    1c02201c5c04f02c9d556ffd263f032c_zps320dcd0c.jpg

    yep both my girls do bodyweight squats with perfect form... I even told the older one that many grown ups can't do this any more because they stopped practicing it as they got older, so they lost the ability to do it. I'm hoping this encourages her to keep on doing bodyweight squats so she retains her good form as she gets older. (same for the younger one when she's old enough to understand)
  • karrielynn80
    karrielynn80 Posts: 395 Member
    Options
    I used to compete in the bench press area as a teen - but my coach would not work with anyone under the age of 13/14 - said that they body wasn't develped enough to do so. Mind you - we were lifting heavy (not doing so for sake of health & general maint.) and i'm sure that serves true b/c of some calcium levels or whatnot before you go thru puberty, or something. But i'd assume if it's not OVER stressing the body any age would be good...

    then again, you'd have to factor in size & frame, b/c even the standard bars for most lifts are 45 and would be too much for a 6 yr old, i'd think...
  • BullDozier
    BullDozier Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    Check this out:

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-weight-training-for-kids/

    The conclusion of this article states that the best exercises for kids are body weight exercises. I'd agree with that.

    The following is NOT a medical expert opinion, but I did have this conversation with a friend of mine. He is a high school football coach and is the strength coach for the other high school programs. His kids are about my kids age (10 and under, my oldest is 11). I asked when he thought it was safe to start lifting weights. He said he would not encourage kids to lift weights before high school, except for those who are physically advanced, and he would encourage it in 8th grade then. He said kids our age should be working on body weight exercises. Again, he's not a medical expert, but it does seem to go with the general consensus that kids this age should be doing body weight exercises.

Categories