I have a question!!!

[Big Danny]

I have a question. I have been asked by many parents and youngsters what age is a proper one for starting working out in order not to afect growth.
As you have probably heard before, there is a general belief that lifting weights too young could stop growing process. It is right?
Please share your view about the issue.

 

[Troll]

rule of tumb 15 and younger work out useing no more than body weight to keep from messing up the growth plates. 16 and older start slow and keep getting up.

 

[thebrick]

rule of tumb 15 and younger work out useing no more than body weight to keep from messing up the growth plates. 16 and older start slow and keep getting up.

That's a good general rule, but remember all teenagers grow at a different rate. I'd wait with the weights until they have reached their complete adult height.

 

[flexmaster]

where i work

we have a general rule that kids 6-9 can only go on cardio equipment, kids 10-11 can use some of the safe leg press machines and the cardio rowing machine, kids 12-14 can use all machines but no free weights. 15+ can use everything. for the kids 10-14, who are allowed to use some machines for weightlifting, we tell them they must use a weight they can get at least 15reps with. if they cant get 15 reps they need to lower the weight. i think there is a little room for exceptions to be made but for the most part this is what we stick to.

here's a funny story though, while i was working one day this kids walks up to me and asks if i can show him how to work out. he was 7 years old. i had seen him doing karate a few times and was really impressed at how quardinated and powerful he was...despite weighing 55lbs. so i asked him what he wanted me to show him and he walks me over to a incline chest press machine. since his range of motion was so small, i set the machine to make the first initial part of the lift the hardest(because thats where his range of motion would be). he put it on 40lbs and did 50 of them. my jaw dropped. he had perfect form, and did not seem tired at all. then he asked me to show him the lat pulldown so i took him over there and we put it on 30lbs and he did 100 of them, again with perfect form. of course the wheels started turning and i got to thinking i could have a world class athlete on my hands.LOL next we went to tricep extentions with the ropes...and again he floors me and puts 25lbs on and does 100 of them. it happened with every exercise we did, pullups (12 reps), dumbell curls (12lbs 25reps), db bench press (15lbs 33 reps). so i started asking him who taught him how to work out, and he said he just looked at his dads magazine. so iasked about his dad and come to find out he was a professional football player and now coaches somewhere (dont know where). his mom came up a few minutes later and told him its time to go so he goes and grabs his bag and takes off his karate gi top and puts on a t shirt. when he took off his shirt it confirmed everything i was thinking about him...at 7 years old, he had the beginings of an amazing physique...triceps, pecs, delts and upper back we all starting to develop. it was one of the weirdest things i ever saw. his name was calvin, and i only saw him a few more times, but man the kid has some crazy genetics!

 

[BOOMSHAKER]

Children as young as 7 yrs old can do "some" form of exercising. Push up, sit ups, jumping jacks, things of this nature. Some youngsters have better genetics then others and can do some "very lite" weighted exercises.

Most parents are just not informed when it comes to their children and exercising. It has been a huge myth about how it stunts their growth and such. In fact it is the opposite. Children that start on some form of exercising at a younger age(then those starting later in life) have a better chance of making their sport their interested in. They will be that much further ahead on the training and conditioning phase of it. And will tend to be a fit adult.

 

[Paddy2]

My son was diagnoised with percocious puberty; started puberty at age 8!! we went to a very good endocrinologist he put him on some specific medications and they worked wonders with is growth process. ( I can give details if your question requires more information)

One important aspect of overall height and growth plates closing early has to due with the amount of body weight that a person has. Added weight can cause a person (some) height to be reduced by the excess body weight. The more body weight that a person has the thicker ( cross section) that is required to support the added weight. Now obviously this situation is different for everyone and is only applicable during a childs natural growth process; and the aforementioned situation of early puberty onset can cause reduced height.

This is directly related to the medication that allowed my sons hormonal system to create cortisol, which his was not; which inturn cause an enormous accelerated growth period of 8 inches and 38lbs in 7 months!!

My son is presently doing cardio and very light lifting ay high reps. he is 12 and is 178lbs and 5' 7" tall and very lean and long.

Now this is only with reference to my own individual experience.

 

[iron fist]

Well i started lifting weights at age 12 5' 2"
Now im 36 6'3" just think, if i had waited longer to start i might be 7' tall.

 

[Paddy2]

Well i started lifting weights at age 12 5' 2"
Now im 36 6'3" just think, if i had waited longer to start i might be 7' tall.

You had a NORMAL hormonal system; whereas my son did not

 

[Big Danny]

Revived the thread to hear more opinions on that, six years later

 

[rocco]

I started lifting hard and heavy at 14 and I was 5'9" and I'm 6'2" today so that's bullshit.

 

[jm425]

I started lifting hard and heavy at 14 and I was 5'9" and I'm 6'2" today so that's bullshit.

I have to agree. My best friend started lifting heavy with free weights when he was 13 and is 6'3 right now at 21. I think it's a myth as well.

 

[Tom]

Just another ignorant myth. Started my son at 11 and now at 14 he's as tall as me. 5' 10" and he'll probably pass me soon!

 

[magnus82]

Here is a good read on this subject

**broken link removed**

 

[Queefer]

My son is 11 and has been lifting weights off and on for a few years. He now works out two or three times a week and his program looks like this. 30min treadmill, 5 sets barbell bench press, 5 sets dumbell curls, 3 sets calf machine, and he sometimes does dumbell shrugs too. I've never pushed him to workout, but he's been going to the gym with me since he was born. He does it because he enjoys it.

 

[magnus82]

My son is 11 and has been lifting weights off and on for a few years. He now works out two or three times a week and his program looks like this. 30min treadmill, 5 sets barbell bench press, 5 sets dumbell curls, 3 sets calf machine, and he sometimes does dumbell shrugs too. I've never pushed him to workout, but he's been going to the gym with me since he was born. He does it because he enjoys it.

Hey Q,

I think I found your son.

 

[jamescb77]

One important aspect of overall height and growth plates closing early has to due with the amount of body weight that a person has. Added weight can cause a person (some) height to be reduced by the excess body weight. The more body weight that a person has the thicker ( cross section) that is required to support the added weight. Now obviously this situation is different for everyone and is only applicable during a childs natural growth process; and the aforementioned situation of early puberty onset can cause reduced height.
.

These two issues have no relation to each other. Cross section width of a bone come from the reformation of the diaphasis of a bone. Where as the length of a bone is effect by the growth plate that is in the epiphisis of the bone. The are in no way correlated.

To be honest since lifting weight causes an increase in the release of growth hormone and testosterone both which effect the speed at which the growth plate will expand. If anything lifting weight should cause one to grow taller.

The old don't lift if your too young is similar to the fact that gymnastics will cause you to be short. You ever thought that maybe the people that excel and continue with gymnastics just happen to be short, and thus why most gymnasts are short and not the fact that gymnastics makes you short. The same reasoning would imply that basketball makes you tall.

 

[jm425]

These two issues have no relation to each other. Cross section width of a bone come from the reformation of the diaphasis of a bone. Where as the length of a bone is effect by the growth plate that is in the epiphisis of the bone. The are in no way correlated.

To be honest since lifting weight causes an increase in the release of growth hormone and testosterone both which effect the speed at which the growth plate will expand. If anything lifting weight should cause one to grow taller.

The old don't lift if your too young is similar to the fact that gymnastics will cause you to be short. You ever thought that maybe the people that excel and continue with gymnastics just happen to be short, and thus why most gymnasts are short and not the fact that gymnastics makes you short. The same reasoning would imply that basketball makes you tall.

Basketball makes you tall? If that's the case I should be 7 feet tall. In all seriousness though, how would basketball make you tall? I am having a hard time following your logic here.

 

[fr8lnr01]

If it were true then there would be a lot of short football players. Football practice entails a lot of anaerobic exercise that would "cause" a player to stop growing.

Androgens cause the epiphyseal plates to calcify, also the decrease in growth hormone.

 

[powerlifter1800]

I started young around 15 and never had any problems and have never had any injuries that were really bad either, i really think the lifting foundation has helped me in the long run.

 

[ErnieTaylor]

Just another ignorant myth. Started my son at 11 and now at 14 he's as tall as me. 5' 10" and he'll probably pass me soon!

I agree with you.

We certainly need to oversee a childs training. No one wants youngsters getting hurt either by poor form or stupidity (ie...flat benching).