With Supervision, Children Can Greatly Benefit From Strength Training
Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 05:05PM Yo Max,
Recently my 10-year-old daughter was watching me lift weights and asked if she could join in. I thought, why not, and started introducing her to several exercises using lightweight dumbbells. But I've started to wonder if this is ok? What can a young, growing body handle? What is potentially risky or unhealthy?
Michael, Blue Bell
Yo Michael,
There was a time when the ‘experts’ were opposed to kids doing strength training, listing joint and muscle damage, even stunted growth as possible side effects. This is a silly, totally unfounded theory and, except in certain extreme cases, absurd.
A small, undeveloped, child could, conceivably, be at some risk because they might not be able to control their body’s movement and compensate for the momentum involved with resistance training. But, a coordinated and healthy kid, who has firm muscle control and understands that strength training is not a game and that free weights are not toys to be tossed around will certainly benefit.
That being said, kids do require supervision, and there is no real need for them to go heavy, (light to moderate resistance will do the job). The key is to teach her solid technique and to help her build a strong foundation with core and standard movements - squats, crunches, pushups, pull-ups, curls, etc. Most of a kid’s muscular development occurs naturally though play and athletic pursuits.
I currently am working with a young girl who also happens to be 10 years old. Amelia lifts weights, uses complex machines, and even develops her athletic skills with the aid of an agility ladder, and medicine, Bosu, and Physio balls. She’s mastered many challenging movements, and has made significant progress since we began. I can see the positive results in her strength increases and in how much better she plays both soccer and basketball.
My advice? Teach your daughter, make sure she learns proper form, and let her lift weights to her hearts content.
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