When should your child start to weight train?
We’ve seen every kind of parent mentality. Those insane dad’s who make their kids do pushups for not scoring a touchdown to concerned mothers who won’t let their child touch a dumbbell due to fear of them spontaneously combusting. Maybe your kid plays Xbox 10 hours a day, maybe your kid is the young star on the football or soccer field…regardless they should start a weightlifting program early and heres why.
Misconceptions:
If I had to put the majority of parents in one group here, it’d be the side that has large misconceptions about weight lifting. That’s more based on my own observations and experiences and not exactly on objective data but I’m gonna put a 99% certainty that I’m right. To start off when I say your “adolescent” should be weight training I’m talking about the general age of 11-14 with some exceptions. If you’re son or daughter is over the age of 14, I’d say definitely engage them in some kind of weight training program. If they’re under 11 BUT are physically more mature for their age (particularly girls), you may consider starting them a little earlier.
THE LARGEST MISCONCEPTION IS THAT WEIGHT LIFTING WILL STUNT AN ADOLESCENT’S GROWTH. Just straight to the bottom line- this is not true. There are zero proven studies that adolescents who lift weights stop growing to their full potential. The myth generally states that lifting weights damages growth plates which stops adolescents/young teens from growing to their full potential. The absolute only damage that will be done to your child from weightlifting is injury from bad form which is the result of bad coaching. (I’m gonna assume if you’re reading this you’re a good parent and won’t let your child train with some random dude at a random gym). In all seriousness…make sure you have a good coach for your child.
MISCONCEPTION 2: THEY WILL GET TOO MUSCULAR TO BE FUNCTIONAL ATHLETES. This is the one that irks me the most. One, if your child is prepubescent it is physically impossible for them to achieve hypertrophy from weight training. What does this mean? They physically cannot gain muscle mass at that stage in their life because the lack of hormones they’re producing. The ONLY thing they can achieve is neuromuscular recruitment meaning they will get stronger, not bigger. Physically, they may burn some fat just from calorie deficit…not a bad thing if they have a half way decent diet. Two, if your child is pubescent or post-pubescent- yes, they will gain muscle but that DOES NOT MEAN THEY WON’T BE FUNCTIONAL. You need to realize as a parent that weight lifting doesn’t mean your kid is going to be a body builder. It will (with the correct coaching) help your child gain speed, agility, explosivity for jumping, coordinative ability/body control and yes, strength.
Why not start later?
So, why not start a little later to be safe? What difference will it make if my child starts at 15/16 and not 12/13? I’m going to break this into two sections. First, for non-athletes. Second, athletes. Feel free to read both there will be important info in each.
Non-athletes: Okay, so your kid doesn’t play sports. Whatever the reason he/she isn’t very active. They may be overweight or just a normal, average kid. Weight lifting can be a GREAT outlet for kids who don’t particularly like sports. We’ve had many young clients who were your stereotypical “couch potatoes” who quickly got bit by the weight training bug. If they are coached correctly and have a solid program, they will see themselves get stronger and trust me it IS addicting. I am a firm believer that kids/teens need to be doing some sort of activity (would’ve never guessed that reading a fitness blog, huh?) BUT also a firm believer that weight lifting is a massive confidence booster. It’s one of the few activities where you can tangibly compete against yourself (physically) and actually see yourself progress on a consistent basis. It’s important for this group to start as early as possible because it will prime their body for fitness for years to come. Obesity, diabetes and general unhealthy habits are absolutely no joke for your child and that all starts when they are young.
Athletes: Whether your kid is the star of the whole age level or the least developed…athletes need to start a weight training program ASAP to reach their full athletic potential in any sport. Athletic benefits aside (speed, agility, strength etc.), strength programs at the next level are becoming more common every year across the board. At my high school level it was essentially mandatory that you participate and complete the weight training workouts. Mandatory meaning if you didn’t come chances were you wouldn’t play. However, if your child has already been weight training when they reach that point they will be head and shoulders above the other athletes. This doesn’t necessarily mean they will be the strongest, this is ALL ABOUT FORM WORK. The first 3-6 months of that program will be all about getting the athletes to preform the strength movements correctly. If your child is completing basic lifts with perfect form, not only will the strength coach be impressed but they will get a massive jump on the other athletes. I’ve seen not-so-athletic kids surpass extremely athletic kids on the starting roster due to their dedication to weight training. I’ve seen athletic kids become incredibly athletic young adults from that same program. Don’t be mistaken…it’s important for all levels…
Injury Prevention
Okay concerned mom’s and dad’s out there, brace yourselves. Little Johnny or Sally will be infinitely less likely to get injured in whatever sports they may play IF they have a solid weight training foundation. Is weight lifting dangerous? Absolutely. So is bike riding, running, swimming, football, soccer, walking, ping pong…if done incorrectly.
Weight training’s ultimate goal is to obviously make the participator stronger. This isn’t just with “picking up and putting down” more weight. This is with increasing the strength of the body as a whole including joints, bones and of course- muscles. With good coaching and a solid program that quick cut to the left that WOULD HAVE resulted in a broken ankle could be drastically reduced or stopped completely. That stress fracture in the wrist could’ve been prevented or that blown out knee reduced to a not-so-serious sprain/strain. The right exercise program doesn’t just focus on muscular strength of athletes but the overall well being of their body. You are putting your body under CONTROLLED stress so when it experiences uncontrolled stress it won’t breakdown completely.
Self Discipline: We’ve been training for a relatively long period of time, 10 or more years, and I have no plan on stopping, ever. Weight training is the ULTIMATE form of self discipline. You don’t get better every single day, you don’t see results short term, no program will work without long-term commitment. Weight lifting is the epitome of patience, consistency and persistence. We started (seriously) weight training at 12 years old and haven’t stopped since. That discipline you learn from a well written program is something your child can take with them and apply to any task they have in the future. No matter what your kid may be into- a solid weight training program from a qualified coach will help them drastically physically and mentally.