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

Just a few 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 along 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 dad or mum messaged me: “Is that truly secure? I’ve all the time heard that weight coaching can stunt a toddler’s progress.”

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

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

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

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

For those who 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 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 carry large hundreds. It’s simple to imagine the game made them that means—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 file 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The unique concern comes from outdated assumptions and a misunderstanding of what truly causes progress points.

What the Science Truly Says About Energy Coaching and Development

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

The truth is, when executed correctly, resistance coaching has no unfavorable impact on bone improvement. Quite the opposite, it may possibly truly improve bone density, coordination, and assist stop harm.

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

Right here’s what the analysis reveals:

• A overview 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 helpful.

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

• A examine within the Journal of Energy and Conditioning Analysis discovered that harm charges in youth weight coaching are considerably decrease than in lots of fashionable 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 executed proper.

When Weight Coaching Can Be a Concern for Youngsters

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

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

Weight coaching turns into an issue when:

• Youngsters carry weights unsupervised

• Nobody checks their kind or approach

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

• Tools isn’t suited to their dimension

• There’s no development or sufficient restoration

However let’s be trustworthy—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 prepare.

How you can Make Energy Coaching Protected for Youngsters

Right here’s easy methods to maintain it secure, sensible, and helpful:

✅ Supervision by somebody educated in power coaching strategies and progressions
✅ Deal with approach—not the quantity of weight
✅ Age-appropriate programming with correct relaxation
✅ Tools that matches their physique
✅ Hold 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 youngsters to be robust, energetic, and assured. However we additionally need to shield them.

As an alternative of avoiding power coaching or creating concern round it, let’s train them to do it proper.

As a result of when it’s executed proper, power 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