Weight Lifting and Kids/Teens
Being a trainer for 20+ years this is one area that even today parents seem to know very little about. I’ve gotten numerous questions and the occasional rude comment about kids/teens lifting weights.
Let’s cut to the chase and get right to it.
Q. What age is appropriate for kids to start strength training?
A. Age 5
Yep, 5-year olds can start age appropriate strength training. This would include basic strength training for starters. Body weight exercises with basic fundamental and functional movements will help with core strengthening, balance, body awareness. That being said, the basic movements start with the body weight movements (pushups, crunches/planks/ wall sits/jumping/hopping etc.) As the child gets older (6-12years) you can incorporate light weights with functional movements.
Q. Lifting weights too young will hurt my kid, or stunt their growth.
A. Just like an adult, if they train without proper instruction then yes, they could get hurt, just like anything else. As for stunting growth…seriously no. Putting the correct amount of load on muscle and bone will help to increase growth. Doing it properly is the key; hence the “proper instruction” and “age appropriate”; it also helps with growing joints, agility, stabilizer muscles. Which, in the end will actually help prevent them from getting injured later in their youth athletic years.
Q. I want my kid to get better at their sport, but how besides more practice?
A. Strength training. Again, age appropriate training. If you have a young athlete (12-16) and they are not strength training they are limiting their potential in their said sport. They are also increasing a risk of injury by not having the strength to perform at a higher level.
Q. My kid goes to the weight room at school, but they’re not seeing any improvement.
A. One common occurrence that happens with kids as well as adults, when you go to the gym is socializing. This is great for various reasons; however, it can also be the reason for poor results. When kids (and adults) get together with their peers and there’s no real “instruction” or “supervising” going on, you can guarantee there is more chatting about what’s going on tonight or who snap chatted who. So how do you track their progress to be assured they are actually DOING THE WORK!? Old school way is to hire a professional, or get them engaged with a small group/class (5-6) per class. New age way/technology is getting a customized program that is geared to your exact goals/needs. How well will this work? VERY WELL! The reason being is you won’t be wasting your time on things that won’t be beneficial to your end goal. Your progress will also be tracked and monitored. If it’s your kid that is utilizing this technology, all the better for you because you can be notified if they haven’t completed a workout or if they did, how well they are doing.
Overall, it is up to the parent to decide what they feel is in the best interest of the child. Should you decide that a strength training regime would benefit your child, do your research. Make sure whoever you hire is well versed in the age appropriate guidelines. Are they instructing, teaching, and spotting or are they just babysitting?
MABFIT OPT offers customized workout programs for all sports, all experience levels and all ages. If you’re interested in learning more about MABFIT OPT please visit www.mabfit.net/opt to view all the options. If you have questions feel free to contact me at mabfit2day@gmail.com
DO THE WORK!