Does Lifting Weights Stunt Progress in Children? What Dad and mom Must Know

Just a few weeks in the past, I shared a brief video of me deadlifting in my house 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 mother or father messaged me: “Is that truly secure? I’ve at all times heard that weight coaching can stunt a toddler’s progress.”

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

As a result of as dad and mom, we wish our children to be energetic and wholesome—however we additionally need them to be secure.

So let’s speak about that concern. The place it comes from, what the science truly says, and what to look out for in terms of resistance coaching for youngsters.

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

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

However the place did it truly come from?

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

Then there’s the picture of many Olympic weightlifters: brief, highly effective athletes who elevate huge hundreds. It’s straightforward to imagine the game made them that method—however that’s not what occurred.

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

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

The unique concern comes from outdated assumptions and a misunderstanding of what truly causes progress points.

What the Science Truly Says About Energy Coaching and Progress

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

In reality, when completed correctly, resistance coaching has no unfavourable impact on bone improvement. Quite the opposite, it will possibly truly improve bone density, coordination, and assist forestall damage.

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

Right here’s what the analysis reveals:

• A evaluation printed in Pediatrics concluded there may be no proof that youth resistance coaching negatively impacts progress plates or linear progress.

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

• The American Academy of Pediatrics helps power coaching for youngsters, so long as the main focus is on method and never maximal weights.

• A examine within the Journal of Energy and Conditioning Analysis discovered that damage charges in youth weight coaching are considerably decrease than in lots of well-liked sports activities.

How Protected Is Youth Weight Coaching, Actually?

Let’s check out damage 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 completed 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 truly can be dangerous for teenagers.

Like something, it is determined by the way it’s completed.

Weight coaching turns into an issue when:

• Children elevate weights unsupervised

• Nobody checks their kind or method

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

• Tools isn’t suited to their measurement

• There’s no development or sufficient 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.

The right way to Make Energy Coaching Protected for Children

Right here’s the right way to maintain it secure, sensible, and useful:

✅ Supervision by somebody educated in power coaching strategies and progressions
✅ Give attention to method—not the quantity of weight
✅ Age-appropriate programming with correct relaxation
✅ Tools that matches their physique
✅ Preserve it enjoyable, skill-based, and fascinating—particularly for youthful youngsters

When these issues are in place, lifting weights turns into not simply secure—it turns into a basis for future motion expertise 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 sturdy, energetic, and assured. However we additionally need to defend them.

As a substitute of avoiding power coaching or creating concern round it, let’s educate them to do it proper.

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

And that’s one thing value 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