Weight Training for Children

Not without controversy, resistance training for children has gained acceptance and popularity over the past 10 or 15 years.

Opponents claim that a child’s bone growth plates can close, leading to stunted growth and injuries caused by tight muscles.

But the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics all agree that children can benefit from a supervised resistance training program.

Indeed, research supports many benefits from following a properly designed resistance training program, including:

A safety first approach is a must when working with children who need to learn proper form and lifting techniques – don’t leave them unattended in a weight room. They need to have competent supervision and be given an appropriate fitness routine.

Resistance exercise should NOT start with giving your kids weights, but better with standard calisthenics – push-ups, chair dips, body weight squats, crunches and even a few assisted pull ups. Only after 3 to 6 months of this, can weights be considered.

Weight should only be used when the child can do 10 to 12 unassisted reps – nothing heavier.

Full body movements or compound exercises that work more than one muscle group should be chosen over isolated and smaller groups. Good exercises are the bench, chin-ups, squats, dips and dead lifts.

These exercises help build a strong foundation. Stress perfecting form and control rather than heavier weights. Working every day is ok and helps build a routine, but they should only work one or two major muscle groups per day – the rest of the time they should spend in some type of cardio-intensive activity like soccer, tennis, baseball, swimming or basketball.

Resistance training becomes particularly important for contact sports like hockey and football – strong muscles will help to ward off the sometimes permanent injuries associated with these activities.

Don't push a child into resistance training - lead by example. Starting any resistance training program means sticking to some basic guidelines - children and adolescents of various age groups need different programs – here’s what experts recommend:

One big advantage to being a little stronger as a child is not only does it give him or her more confidence and helps in other sports, but also helps them to defend themselves against the ever present school yard bully.

Keep in mind genetics play a strong role in how strong your child will be and how fast he or she will grow muscles. Don’t compare them unfavorably to other children and encourage them to exercise as a fun activity, not something serious – they get plenty of that at school.

School sports programs may include resistance workouts as part of the training program, so this is an excellent way for them get a start.

But in the off-season, it might be a good idea to get some home gym equipment or buy them a membership at the YMCA to keep in shape. Most injuries are caused by people- young and old – trying to jump back in to strenuous activities too quickly.

Set an example and work out with them – always complement them and stress the real value they are getting out of their hard training.

Getting them addicted to exercise is better than having them getting addicted to something else.

As you must control your own expectations about muscle growth, so must you control your children’s.

This means you must carefully explain to them that the muscle-bound guys on TV are not the norm, but very dedicated individuals with lucky genetics or serious drug users who are sacrificing future health for big muscles.

Explain that building muscle takes time and lots of it – it’s not an overnight process, but one that takes years.

It’s also worth explaining – especially to teens - that their attractiveness to the opposite sex is not based on having big muscles as much as being in good shape – studies show women of all ages prefer men that look athletic and toned, not muscle bound.

If you wonder whether it’s worth the time – time that you may consider best spent on doing homework or hitting the books - remember that 10 pounds of extra muscle will be much more useful later in life than 10 IQ points. The IQ points are hardly noticeable, but the ten extra pounds of muscle will be invaluable when it comes to dealing with the rigors of everyday living.

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