When it comes to building

muscle, can weight-lifting

for kids do more harm

than good? Research proves that's just a myth.

Should Children Lift Weights?

SPORTS

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Exercise and physical activity are important components of any child’s healthy development. But when it comes to training programs, there’s been some controversy as to how early is too early for kids to start weight-lifting. The pros at Absolute Fitness help shed some light.

By Jonny Parr

A lot of debate has ranged over the years in relation to whether children should or shouldn’t lift weights. A common

viewpoint is that in doing so, children can potentially inhibit or stunt their physical growth and development. I’ve worked with children both as a PE teacher and personal trainer so I find this subject particularly interesting. This is my take on it – but fair warning, I may come across as a tad biased!

The Research I’ll start this off with a simple – yet what you might find extraordinary – fact. Whether laboratory or science-based, there is no evidence whatsoever to back up the notion that weights stunt growth or hinder a child’s physical capabilities. Nothing.

Strength-training in actual fact is supported by the National Strength and Conditioning Association which recommends that children can benefit from a properly prescribed and supervised strength-training program. This is further reinforced by the late and renowned sports scientist Mel Siff who suggests in his celebrated book Supertraining (2003) that carefully controlled progressive resistance-training is in actual fact advantageous for children as it improves their muscle and bone strength significantly. He repeatedly highlights that there are no valid reasons to single-out properly administered resistance-training as being potentially dangerous.

I’ve often heard people citing exercises such as barbell squats as bad as they tend to comprise of heavy loads that compress the spine. The common belief here is that children won’t be able to get any taller. This is completely untrue. An interesting fact to back up this view are activities such as running and jumping which actually impose higher loading and force production on the body than that of squats. In fact, when children jump to win that header during a typical football based PE lesson, they’re actually imposing loads of around six times their body-weight! The next question you should probably ask yourself now is this – should

children play sport? I think the majority of us can agree on a resounding yes to that hypothetical scenario.

Recommendations For Children General recommendations set by organizations such as the National Strength and Conditioning Association tend to highlight relative strength (strength to body-weight) as more important than absolute strength (maximum strength efforts). I agree with this statement as children are at an important learning and developmental stage both physically and mentally, so the focus should be primarily on enhancing technique and developing skills and traits such as coordination, proprioception, and kinaesthetic awareness. What’s more, we want them to progress gradually. One of the main reasons for this is that muscles tend to develop quicker than ligaments and tendons and absolute strength efforts may be too stressful for those new to strength-training.

Key Points/Considerations

• Relative strength is preferred to absolute strength.

• Choose fundamental and functional exercises which require greater muscle recruitment and coordination such as pull-ups, push-ups, squats and lunges. The leg press machine just won’t cut it.

• Progressively add extra resistance (i.e. weights), but only after the child can perform

selected exercises with excellent form for around 15-20 reps.

• Make sessions as fun as possible – kids get bored easily so be sure to make sessions enjoyable and mix it up where possible. Importantly however, stick with the fundamental movements mentioned above.

• Compound exercises such as the deadlift and the military press are fine to be performed but be aware they are difficult technically. Make sure you start with light loads to begin with until technique is solid and keep this weight to no more than 75%. In other words, pitch exercises so the child can perform 10 reps without breaking form. It goes without saying that for best results you should seek a qualified and experienced trainer.

• Smash that fear of weights!

To summarize, children lifting weights has got a bad reputation over the years as being dangerous and physically inhibiting. Now, in 2014 the fact remains that no concrete evidence exists supporting this claim.

Children like adults, can benefit from a properly prescribed resistance-training program. Stick to the basic fundamentals, learn new skills, develop new traits and watch children mature into fit, healthy and confident individuals.

For more information on personal training and fitness options visit www.absolutefitness.me. n

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