Kids and weights

I agree that if you let him do it, he'll be bored in 10 minutes and he'll be off to something else. And that body weight exercises are excellent for kids.

I think a pullup and chinup have the hands the opposite way on the bar, right?

Can someone explain how weight training would stunt a child's growth?

My boys' favorite thing right now is to carry around my 5lb medicine ball (they're 2, that is roughly 25% of their body weight), should I stop letting them?

Can someone explain how weight training would stunt a child's growth?

My boys' favorite thing right now is to carry around my 5lb medicine ball (they're 2, that is roughly 25% of their body weight), should I stop letting them?

From a linked article someone posted above:

The American Academy of Pediatrics position on strength training supports the implementation of strength and resistance training programs, even for prepubescent children, that are monitored by well-trained adults and take into account the child’s maturation level. The only limitation the AAP suggests is to avoid repetitive maximal lifts (lifts that are one repetition maximum lifts or are within 2-3 repetitions of a one repetition maximum lift) until they have reached Tanner Stage 5 of developmental maturity. Tanner Stage 5 is the level in which visible secondary sex characteristics have been developed. Usually, in this stage adolescents will also have passed their period of maximal velocity of height growth

The AAP’s concern that children wait until this stage to perform maximal lifts is that the epiphyses, commonly called “growth plates”, are still very vulnerable to injury before this developmental stage. It is repeated injury to these growth plates that may hinder growth. For this same reason, two of the leading researchers in the field of youth fitness, Fleck and Kraemer, agree that maximal lifts should be avoided. (2) However, Fleck, Kraemer and the AAP agree that a strength training program that doesn’t include maximal lifting is beneficial for prepubescent and pubescent youth.

Our pediatrician said that the children should not weight train. She said girls can begin about 2 years after they start their periods, and that boys should not start before at least 15 because it can damage their growth plates.

THIS!

My son injured his shoulder. During therapy, he asked about lifting weight. Doc said that he would exercise if he was lifting his OWN body weight but not to lift weight as it could damage his body. They said that once he hits puberty, he can start with low weights and work his way up.

Can someone explain how weight training would stunt a child's growth?

My boys' favorite thing right now is to carry around my 5lb medicine ball (they're 2, that is roughly 25% of their body weight), should I stop letting them?

From a linked article someone posted above:

The American Academy of Pediatrics position on strength training supports the implementation of strength and resistance training programs, even for prepubescent children, that are monitored by well-trained adults and take into account the child’s maturation level. The only limitation the AAP suggests is to avoid repetitive maximal lifts (lifts that are one repetition maximum lifts or are within 2-3 repetitions of a one repetition maximum lift) until they have reached Tanner Stage 5 of developmental maturity. Tanner Stage 5 is the level in which visible secondary sex characteristics have been developed. Usually, in this stage adolescents will also have passed their period of maximal velocity of height growth

The AAP’s concern that children wait until this stage to perform maximal lifts is that the epiphyses, commonly called “growth plates”, are still very vulnerable to injury before this developmental stage. It is repeated injury to these growth plates that may hinder growth. For this same reason, two of the leading researchers in the field of youth fitness, Fleck and Kraemer, agree that maximal lifts should be avoided. (2) However, Fleck, Kraemer and the AAP agree that a strength training program that doesn’t include maximal lifting is beneficial for prepubescent and pubescent youth.

Thanks! They're fine then lol They just pick it up and pass it back and forth and sometimes walk around with it (a little bent over because it's heavy for little guys!). We don't do any actual weight training, they just like heavy things.

Can someone explain how weight training would stunt a child's growth?

My boys' favorite thing right now is to carry around my 5lb medicine ball (they're 2, that is roughly 25% of their body weight), should I stop letting them?

Gary Coleman. That's what happened to him. It's true. I saw it on the internet, so it must be true.

OMG srsly???

Webster too. I want to milk the child stardom out out my kid, so I'm starting her on a powerlifting routine now and waiting for a call from the TV networks. Should be any minute now.

Can someone explain how weight training would stunt a child's growth?

My boys' favorite thing right now is to carry around my 5lb medicine ball (they're 2, that is roughly 25% of their body weight), should I stop letting them?

Gary Coleman. That's what happened to him. It's true. I saw it on the internet, so it must be true.

OMG srsly???

Webster too. I want to milk the child stardom out out my kid, so I'm starting her on a powerlifting routine now and waiting for a call from the TV networks. Should be any minute now.

Good luck! I am trying to sell my kids to Disney like Zack and Cody, I have blond twins too. Your kid could be like that little Hercules boy who is on the daytime talk shows!

I don't have anything relevant to add but the knight argument is cracking me up. wtf

Just a couple of generations ago, before cars, the internet and desk jobs were common place didn't kids wake up before dawn and help out on the farm, tending animals, helping with harvests, lifting food and fertilizer and other stuff?

My kids help bring in the groceries. My 5lb weights aren't much heavier then a gallon of milk or a bag full of canned goods. They also carry baskets of all their toys at the end of the day up the stairs to their rooms. I can see how serious weight training might cause problems but not just playing around or really simple stuff, like the AAP and the Mayo clinic said. My daughter (7yo) will play with my weights while we are doing 30DS and doing the stuff that doesn't use them. She usually uses holds on to 1 5lb weight with both of her hands, but we probably wouldn't let her do sets and reps and anything serious. Her and my 4yo also like carrying them and my hubby's 10lb weights around the house and stacking them up and stuff.

I would say you should check with YOUR son's pediatrician for a final answer if he is looking into seriously using them for the same workouts you're doing.

But my dad said that the reason my younger brother grew taller than me was because he put a brick on my head when I was a kid. How much more proof that heavy weights stunt your growth do you need?

LOL you really are trolling aren't you!

I would definitely not start him on weights until about 12-15 years old because that will extremely hinder their growth so good job there. I would just have him do some push-ups, sit-ups, and other exercises that do not involve weight training but involve the development of their muscles.

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you there. Knights in the middle ages started their training about 6 years earlier than that and if you compare historical knightly armor to munitions grade armor, knights were, on average, at least a foot taller than the common soldier.

To go a little more modern, all scientific research that's actually been done supports weight training for children. No age restriction, just careful monitoring. There have been exactly ZERO recorded cases of any child damaging a growth plate due to weight training. No scientific evidence of growth being hindered by weight training, at any age.

It's a myth, plain and simple.

Interesting myth since I personally know two baseball players who have cracked growth plates just from overpitching a baseball (one shoulder, one elbow). And considering my information comes from a pediatrician (who recommended I speak to a professional), a sports medicine orthopedist (who is the one who x-rayed the bones), and a physical therapist (we found out he had shin splints and has also had tendonitis) I think I'll have to follow their professional advice over someone posting on a website.

So again, let me reiterate, I think you should call and ask your pediatrician. He knows your kid and they are generally pretty good at knowing what a child can and cannot do. And if the ped is like my ped, there is no charge for a 2 minute phone call.

hi clara ,as a kid i started boxing and we used weights at least once a week ,it done me no harm and helped me out in other sports .also when my son started rugby he came to me about getting stronger for the scrum .he did weights twice a week with me at 9 years old ,he is now 19 and 6 foot so did not stop him growing