Does Lifting Weights Stunt Progress...

Just a few weeks in the past, I shared a brief video of me deadlifting in my dwelling 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 really protected? I’ve all the time heard that weight coaching can stunt a toddler’s progress.”

And you already know what? It’s a sound concern.

As a result of as dad and mom, we wish our youngsters 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 truly says, and what to look out for in the case of resistance coaching for youngsters.

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

In the event you grew up listening to that lifting weights too early might “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 known as the progress plates—areas of growing 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 issues.

Then there’s the picture of many Olympic weightlifters: quick, highly effective athletes who carry large masses. It’s straightforward to imagine the game made them that means—however that’s not what occurred.

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

Enjoyable truth: The all-time world document 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The unique concern comes from outdated assumptions and a misunderstanding of what truly causes progress points.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 Power Coaching and Progress

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

The truth is, when finished correctly, resistance coaching has no unfavorable impact on bone growth. Quite the opposite, it may truly improve bone density, coordination, and assist forestall harm.

Particularly as your little one 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 overview 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 power coaching applications, when correctly supervised, are protected and useful.

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

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

How Secure 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 little one can do—when finished 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 depends upon the way it’s finished.

Weight coaching turns into an issue when:

• Children carry weights unsupervised

• Nobody checks their type or approach

• They’re pushed to carry 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.

Tips on how to Make Power Coaching Secure for Children

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

✅ Supervision by somebody educated in power coaching strategies and progressions
✅ Concentrate on approach—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 children

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

Why This Issues So A lot for Mother and father

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