Last updated on April 15th, 2021 at 09:36 am
That’s a question all of us have thought of at some point isn’t it?
My aunts used to always tell me not to lift any weights because it would make me short. Well I was 16 at the time and I wanted to lift weights!
But does lifting weights actually stunt your growth or is that just a myth?
Well let’s explore the research…
The Research
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends children to get a minimum of 1 hour of exercise per day. This can help children maintain a healthy weight, it can help them improve their self esteem and it even helps with sleep. (Which is why it’s a good idea to make your kid run around until they get tired and go to bed.)
To reinforce this, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) recommends that people between the ages of 5-18 aim for two types of physical activity a week which include aerobic exercise and exercises that strengthen the bones and muscles. They also recommend aiming for 60 minutes a day of exercise during the week.
The CDC also recommends that the exercise should be less structured and more fun for those 6 years or younger. Since exercises such as running around, skipping and jumping or even playing games like tag, tennis, cricket, tee-ball etc. are enough to strengthen a child’s muscles, bones and enhance their motor skills.
So we know that exercise IS recommended and the types of physical activity they recommend… let’s talk about weights.
Do Weights Stunt Growth?
Around the 1990s the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly stated “Unless good data becomes available that demonstrate safety, children and adolescents should avoid the practice of weightlifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding…”
It was thought that weight lifting could increase the chances of injuring one’s growth plates and therefore stunt their growth. In case you’re wondering… what are growth plates?
A growth plate is an area is a developing tissue that is found at the end of the long bones in children and teens. And the thing is, these growth plates are actually weaker than joints and tendons that connect the bones.
The cause for concern was that if a teen or child were to lift weights, they would increase their risks of shattering a growth plate through a joint injury which would result in abnormal growth in the injured limb.
But there has been no study at all indicating that weight lifting can stunt growth. In fact, if you paid attention the AAP said “unless good data becomes available…” which just proves that this was more of a guideline due to uncertainty and fear rather than a science backed recommendation.
To further hammer down the point (because I’m annoying like that), The Institute of Training Science and Sports Informatics in Germany ran a 60 year study of boys and girls from ages 6 to 18 and found that weightlifting added strength to almost every child (even though the elder ones added were able to add more mainly due to higher levels of testosterone being present past puberty). Their conclusion to the study was “regardless of maturational age, children generally seem to be capable of increasing muscular strength.”
However, with that said, there are actually some restrictions…
The Restrictions
See how I got you excited then took all the excitement away from you? Yeah I’m evil like that.
Anyway, as I was saying, even though weightlifting does not stunt growth, children and young adults are advised against lifting heavy weights.
“Growing children should not lift weights with the goal of lifting as much as they can. It’s safer for them to start with lighter weights and do many repetitions of an exercise.” says Jeffrey Nepple, MD, Washington University pediatric orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He also says that lifting weights can help children as young as 7 and strongly advises against weightlifting for those under 7.
As a general guideline young people between the ages of 7-18 can lift weights as long as they are light and high repetitions done under supervision and with correct form. Emphasis on correct form and Dr. Nepple even says “I cannot stress enough the importance of having a trained professional on hand”.
What Should They Do?
Again Dr. Nepple says:
- Not to force young athletes to use weights if they don’t want to
- Warm up before and stretch after exercise
- Perform high rep, low weight sets (focusing on the completing repetitions rather than the amount of weight being lifted)
- Train under supervision of a physical therapist, or certified trainer
In fact, Cross Fit Kids has a policy against heavy lifts for kids “body weight exercises and free weights to build strength, improve muscle tone and enhance performance. We do not endorse max effort lifts for kids.” There should be an emphasis on strength training rather than heavy weight training and bodybuilding. The high rep, low weight combo will help improve strength and endurance in young people.
So bodyweight and free weight exercises seems to be the consensus on this one. So under the correct supervision anyone 7 years and older could use a cardio machine, a dumbbell and even a youth barbell if they want to (as long as there is a focus on quality high reps rather than heavy weights).
I think I’ve said high rep, low weight like 50 times now.
So seems like weight lifting stunting growth thing is a myth afterall. Just don’t go crazy on the weights and go at it on your own.
And make sure to keep it fun, will ya?
Fitness doesn’t have to suck.
#####
Zak Mustapha
The Guy Who Drinks Tea
SHJ Team Member STARK
Join The Superhero Academy and start unleashing your inner SuperHuman.
References:
https://www.stlouischildrens.org/health-resources/pulse/should-child-athletes-lift-weights https://boxlifemagazine.com/kids-weightlifting-how-young-is-too-young/
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/weight-lifting-for-children-and-teens.html https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-children-and-young-people/ https://www.livestrong.com/article/528589-the-age-for-a-child-to-start-at-the-gym/ https://www.self.com/story/should-you-bring-your-kids-to-the-gym
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/strength-training/art 20047758
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/is-weight-training-safe-for-kids
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