Does Lifting Weights Stunt Development in Children? What Dad and mom Have to Know

A couple of weeks in the past, I shared a brief video of me deadlifting in my residence gymnasium with my 3-year-old toddler subsequent to me, copying me together with his personal little barbell. It was a type of candy moments I can’t assist however share—I simply love these bonding moments.

Quickly after, a father or mother messaged me: “Is that really protected? I’ve all the time heard that weight coaching can stunt a baby’s progress.”

And you recognize what? It’s a legitimate concern.

As a result of as mother and father, we wish our children to be energetic and wholesome—however we additionally need them to be protected.

So let’s speak about that concern. The place it comes from, what the science really says, and what to look out for on the subject of resistance coaching for kids.

The place Did the “Lifting Stunts Development” Delusion Come From?

In case you grew up listening to that lifting weights too early may “harm your bones” or “make you shorter,” you’re not alone. That perception has been round for some time.

However the place did it really come from?

A part of it’s linked to the worry of injuring one thing known as the progress plates—areas of creating cartilage close to the ends of kids’s bones, the place bone progress occurs. So naturally, the thought of loading weight onto a rising skeleton raised considerations.

Then there’s the picture of many Olympic weightlifters: quick, highly effective athletes who raise huge masses. It’s simple to imagine the game made them that approach—however that’s not what occurred.

They’re quick as a result of that physique sort offers them a mechanical benefit within the sport. Not as a result of lifting stunted their progress.

Enjoyable truth: The all-time world report holder in snatch and clear and jerk, Lasha Talakhadze, is a towering 6 ft 6 inches tall (197 cm).

The unique concern comes from outdated assumptions and a misunderstanding of what really causes progress points.

What the Science Truly Says About Power Coaching and Development

Let’s begin with the large one: No, lifting weights doesn’t stunt a baby’s progress.

Actually, when carried out correctly, resistance coaching has no detrimental impact on bone growth. Quite the opposite, it will possibly really improve bone density, coordination, and assist forestall harm.

Particularly as your youngster will get older, combining resistance coaching with different sports activities can cut back their danger of harm.

Right here’s what the analysis exhibits:

• A assessment printed in Pediatrics concluded there’s no proof that youth resistance coaching negatively impacts progress plates or linear progress.

• The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) states that youth energy coaching packages, when correctly supervised, are protected and useful.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics helps energy coaching for kids, so long as the main focus is on approach and never maximal weights.

• A research within the Journal of Power and Conditioning Analysis discovered that harm charges in youth weight coaching are considerably decrease than in lots of widespread sports activities.

How Protected Is Youth Weight Coaching, Actually?

Let’s check out harm charges per 1,000 hours of participation throughout completely different sports activities:

Seems, resistance training is among the most secure bodily actions your youngster can do—when carried out proper.

When Weight Coaching Can Be a Concern for Children

So now that we’ve busted the parable, let’s speak about when weight coaching really can be dangerous for teenagers.

Like something, it will depend on the way it’s carried out.

Weight coaching turns into an issue when:

• Children raise weights unsupervised

• Nobody checks their kind or approach

• They’re pushed to raise too heavy, too quickly

• Tools isn’t suited to their dimension

• There’s no development or satisfactory restoration

However let’s be sincere—that’s not simply true for teenagers. That’s how adults get injured too. It appears lifting weights safely isn’t about age—it’s about how we practice.

How you can Make Power Coaching Protected for Children

Right here’s the best way to hold it protected, sensible, and useful:

✅ Supervision by somebody educated in energy coaching methods and progressions
✅ Deal with approach—not the quantity of weight
✅ Age-appropriate programming with correct relaxation
✅ Tools that matches their physique
✅ Maintain it enjoyable, skill-based, and interesting—particularly for youthful children

When these issues are in place, lifting weights turns into not simply protected—it turns into a basis for future motion abilities and lifelong physique consciousness.

Why This Issues So A lot for Dad and mom

As a result of all of us need our children to be robust, energetic, and assured. However we additionally wish to defend them.

As a substitute of avoiding energy coaching or creating worry round it, let’s train them to do it proper.

As a result of when it’s carried out proper, energy coaching doesn’t simply construct muscle. It builds resilience, confidence, and lifelong wholesome habits.

And that’s one thing price lifting for. Wouldn’t you agree? —Marlene

References:

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/6/e20201011/76942/Resistance-Training-for-Children-and-Adolescents

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3483033/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3418954/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0949328X20301903

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5538a1.htm