Is it safe for children to lift weights and does it stunt growth?

The age-old notion is that training with weights can hinder a child’s development and height, as there is a negative connotation and stigma attached to starting training at early stages of life.

Current research shows the efficacy of resistance training programs to reduce the risk of sport-related injuries, enhance motor skills, and develop muscular strength. The societal concern that weightlifting and resistance training in youth has a significant negative impact on growth is fabricated. Advanced training methods that include loaded movements, teach kids biomechanics, and incorporate plyometric activities are now being recommended to those as young as 5 to 8 years old. Particularly in the case of youth athletes, weight-based training has been shown to negate injuries related to body-to-body contact and injuries related to bodyweight control (i.e. non-contact injuries).

Not only are they generally considered safe with low injury rates reported, epidemiological evidence and medical and fitness reports suggest that under a well-supervised training program with proper instruction, resistance training and even maximal effort testing can be safely engaged with adolescents as long as there is “appropriate loading” (demand) based on a child’s capacity. There is no sound evidence correlating a reduction in physical attributes due to adhering and performing a well-constructed resistance training program.

There is evidence across the board, from anecdotal evidence to meta-analyses, that kids should be exposed to systems that encourage their force development (the input phase), so they can have a higher output in primary actions of running, throwing and jumping. We refer to this concept as increased muscle (motor unit) activation and neural drive (signaling from the nervous system).

How do we determine what is ‘appropriate’ when it comes to kids?

Dr. David Frost (University of Toronto) – Performance Redefined

The forces and loads, 5-7 times bodyweight, being repetitively applied to children’s bodies through sprinting and other explosive movements seen in sports is far greater in both duration and magnitude compared to resistance training. Some adolescents have training and practice volumes in their respective sport that are similar to those of adults.

The majority of injuries reported in youth athletes developed from improper coaching, where there was a lack of consideration for progressive overload, low-quality attention to exercise technique, supervision, and untracked or excessive training loads/parameters. Incompetent coaches who clearly do not have the expertise to properly adjust training volumes and intensities based on observation of technique are the real culprits.

We hear the fallacy being spread by parents that weighted resistance and loaded movements can cause disturbances to child growth, i.e. stunted growth. For that to happen, there would need to be damage to the growth cartilage in youth.

Literature reviews and research show most youth injuries to growth plates stem from poor exercise coaching and unqualified coaches incapable of identifying technical proficiencies. Other injuries noted were due to unsupervised training where youth athletes trained alone in a home gym and performed activities coined as “horseplay”, basically they were fooling around! Weights, in any form, are part of tools in a gym space; they are not toys; this includes resistance bands, pulley machines, and so on. Children should always be highly supervised by highly trained professionals when engaging in high levels of physical activity.

“Of note, injury to the growth cartilage has not been reported in any prospective youth resistance training study that provided professional guidance and instruction. Furthermore, there is no evidence that resistance training will negatively impact growth in height during childhood and adolescence. The risk of growth plate injury may be greater when young athletes perform jumping and landing activities during competitive sport play that induces ground reaction forces of up to five to seven times body mass.”

There is a clear reason why LPS is not everyone’s cup of tea. The training is rigorous, demands attention, and puts pressure on children to compete at high levels against one another. The times have changed, kids are becoming softer and substantially weaker due to increased screen time and sedentary behaviour. Some parents are not setting a prime example, and quite frankly, many youth athletes are lacking basic physical strength, general physical preparation (GPP), and daily play that encourages the development of such physical characteristics.

What we notice after employing our Remapping™ assessments is that our youth are not coordinated, can’t even control or manage their own body weight, yet want to participate in high-level sport, typically requiring serious contact or maximal physical exertions. We address postural deficits, focus on restoring balance and symmetry where needed, and attack weak points noticed in the athlete.

So does that mean athletes can’t have fun in a training environment?

Absolutely not. At LPS, we encourage the use of strategic play, and often it’s disguised in the exercises and it keeps our younger athletes wanting to come back! We employ games like dodgeball, capture-the-flag, and push-up competitions amongst others that force our athletes to become more reactive, psychologically fit, and adapt to the competitive nature of the training. They need to be ready for the demands of their respective sport. We simply increase the capacity they can handle.

Running, throwing, and jumping are the functional movements all athletes should be integrating into their training programs regardless of age! We break down these components for youth athletes and get them better equipped by simply increasing their base strength and speed (by teaching them proper squat mechanics, positional preparation, and general physical preparation). We further the training with technical sprint warm-ups and spend a decent amount of time ensuring they are frequently sprinting over shorter distances to improve acceleration. We’ll add in conditioning work by “pushing the pace” during the training session and also target what we call “special endurance” i.e. longer runs working at max or close to max intensity.

We don’t advocate for cross-country as very long, steady-state runs are actually damaging to the athlete’s ability to tap into their rate of force development/power reserves. Providing adequate rest during sprint work is crucial (1 minute rest for every 10 yards of sprinting), to preserve power output, especially for the more explosive and quick athletes.

Hence, it is important to consider all modalities of training, and how they influence the youth athlete. It remains critical to carefully monitor the youth in the gym setting, and pay attention to how their bodies are handling repetitive stressors. The key is to always be observing the athlete on the gym floor, looking at their moods, behaviours, and body language, amongst many other training variables. Spotting subtle changes when the athlete is not at their best and communicating with our athletes is a critical part of our culture.

We are selling a result, and we will arrive at those results by any means necessary.

We have compassion, but we know what needs to be done in order to see the results you signed up for. It’s hard work, and it’s not for everybody, but it’s life-lasting. Our athletes, young or old, are specimens of the highest caliber. Their physiques often showcase remarkable joint strength, connective tissue strength, tendon strength, muscle strength, fascial network fluidity, and connectivity, and the tests don’t lie. In team sports and individual sports, our athletes often rise as the cream of the crop in Strength & Conditioning testing during trials and combines and this is no coincidence.

Not only are we ready to debunk the myth, we want to put it to bed once and for all! Take a closer look at many of our athletes who have started with us at a very young age and have gradually developed into ‘Monstas’ at the university, pro, and elite levels. They have adapted to the progressive training stimulus, are more resilient than the rest of their teammates and opponents, and are looking to hit national and international standards in their respective sports. We take pride in offering a coaching service that surpasses the benchmark, advocates for the truth, and results in a much-clouded fitness industry due to social media. Backed by leadership, steadily hunting for performance, and we’ll be savage about it.

Kraemer WJ, Fry AC, Frykman PN, Conroy B, Hoffman J. Resistance Training and Youth. Pediatric Exercise Science 1989;1:336-50

“In youth there are several factors which contribute to motor control and strength expression. In children, motor control and strength may be less related to hypertrophy and more likely associated with neural development. It is proposed that integrative neuromuscular training focused on skill-related fitness (e.g. Agility, reaction time, coordination, power, speed and balance) can maximize neural development during pre-adolescence and optimally prepare youth to capitalize on the consolidated factors which contribute to motor performance following the onset of puberty.”

I have trained these athletes for 5+ years in their youth.

They have amongst the top physical attributes looked for by scouts in soccer/football, both locally and nationally/internationally.

PRO SOCCER PLAYER – DANTE LOMANGINO (From Age 13)
MASSIMO LOMANGINO (From Age 9)

CANADA NATIONAL LEVEL HIGH JUMPERS –
Birenavan (Left) and Ashvin (Middle) Balaramana brothers

Not only have they improved their jump verticality, year after year, but they are continually growing tall through puberty and maintaining explosive power in all their plyometrics whilst resistance training.

References

Performance Redefined Image (Demands vs Capacity) by Dr. David Frost (University of Toronto)

Dr. Doug Richards (University of Toronto)

Dr. Mahmoud Zaerian (Doctor of Chiropractic, Advanced Therapeutic Programs Inc.)

Channell BT, Barfield JP. Effect of Olympic and traditional resistance training on vertical jump improvement in high school boys. J Strength Cond Res. 2008;22:1522–7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Malina R. Weight training in youth – growth, maturation and safety: an evidenced based review. Clin J Sports Med. 2006;16:478–87. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Kraemer WJ, Fry AC, Frykman PN, Conroy B, Hoffman J. Resistance Training and Youth. Pediatric Exercise Science 1989;1:336-50

Myer GD, Faigenbaum AD, Ford KR, Best TM, Bergeron MF, Hewett TE. When to initiate integrative neuromuscular training to reduce sports-related injuries and enhance health in youth? Curr Sports Med Rep 2011;10:157-66.

ACSMs Health Fit J. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 Sep 1. Published in final edited form as: ACSMs Health Fit J. 2013 September/October; 17(5): 14–23.

How Young is “Too Young” to Start Training? by Gregory D. Myer, Rhodri S. Lloyd, Jensen L. Brent and Avery D. Faigenbaum