Resistance Training and Kids: Is it Safe?

I remember getting a “Ted Williams” weight set from Sears when I was 12.  I asked my Dad if Ted Williams was a weight lifter (the answer was no). I am still not sure why Sears put Ted's name on our weight set. :-)

My Dad, brother Joe and I spent many nights in the basement  bench pressing, squatting and shoulder pressing.  Dad weight-lifted competitively as a teenager, and this was a great chance to learn.

I do not know any problems caused by those sessions, and Joe and I both became pretty strong as adults with Joe bench-pressing 400 lbs at one point and me benching over 350 lbs. This early training may have contributed to our strength development.  So I have positive experiences connected with childhood resistance training.

In the interest of full disclosure however, I also imitated an Evil Knievel jump at 12. I fell a WEE bit short, landed on my face and broke my nose.

In other words, just because I did something does not necessarily make it safe.

So let’s see seek some credible, unbiased opinions on the safety of child resistance training and examine some myths surrounding childhood resistance training: 

Myth #1: Weight-training will stunt a kid’s growth 

Facts: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) stated weight-lifting does not “seem to adversely affect growth” in children or adolescents in a 2008 policy statement. 

A 2006 broad review of exercise-related research confirms the AAP position (Malina). The evidence is strong that weight-training does not stunt a kid's growth.

Myth #2: Proper weight-training causes bone plate injuries 

Facts: To  the extent any bone plate injuries have occurred, they are attributable to improper technique, improper supervision or attempted maximal lifts per the AAP.

Malina (2006) confirms this position after reviewing the available research. 

Weight-training can cause injury if poor instruction or supervision occurs. This brings me to the crucial point about kids and resistance training:

if parents enroll kids in a resistance training program, the instructor should be a qualified, trained exercise professional. To the extent these injuries have occurred, someone has been careless. Professionals tend to be more careful and knowledgeable about the inherent risks of weight-training.

While resistance training can be very safe, the person supervising the activity must have the professionalism and maturity to realize weights can cause injury if mishandled.

I would probably support higher standards for child exercise professionals than adult exercise professionals-maybe even some governmental regulatory oversight.   That will have to wait for another article.

Another step to lessen or eliminate injury is avoiding maximal lifts.  This is pretty obvious for young kids. But how about high school athletes?   Football players, rugby players and other athletes often push themselves to the limit. This can be potentially dangerous as, by definition, a maximal lifting effort is an attempt to determine the most stress the muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones can effectively handle. 

I am not necessarily criticizing maximal lifting for teenage athletes, but it probably does increase injury risk.  Although supervised weight training injuries are rare, they could be nearly eliminated if maximal training was removed from the mix.

Myth #3: Weight training's primary benefit is building huge muscles so my child really cannot get much out of it.

Facts: Weight-training can improve strength, prevent and rehabilitate injuries, improve sports performance, enhance general health, improve body composition, increase bone mineral density, improve blood lipid ratios  and improve mental health per the Pediatricians. 

Weight-training may also lessen childhood obesity since weight-training can increase metabolism. 

By exposing kids to safe and effective resistance training, the most important benefit may be opening the door for adult resistance training.   

Adults never exposed to resistance training often feel intimidated entering a gym. They do not know how to perform the lifts or use the machines.  They are validly concerned about the potential for injury, and most fitness clubs do not provide meaningful instruction to these new members.

By introducing kids to proper resistance training, we can lessen this “invisible wall of fear” which prevents many adults from beginning.  This instruction should be a physical education curriculum priority and could reap decades of economic and health benefits.

Kids can get stronger, healthier and safer lifting weights. 

 Myth #4: Weight-training is just too dangerous for kids in general 

Facts:   “Strength training for preadolescents and adolescents can be safe and effective if proper resistance training techniques and safety precautions are followed” per the AAP.

In a review of 10 studies monitoring children injuries, three injuries were reported: two  shoulder strains and a thigh injury when a bar was dropped (Malina 2006). 

It seems unlikely the country's pediatricians would support weight-training without very clear evidence that it is safe. 

If anything, the pediatricians may tend to be prejudiced against resistance-training.

Resistance training is not a traditional medical intervention (like a pharmaceutical product), and doctors do not design weight-training programs.  Doctors can anticipate no financial gain from encouraging childhood resistance training. It is also my experience that resistance training is not in the comfort zone of most doctors. 

The Pediatricians are not the only medical group to approve resistance training for kids: The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine also support supervised training.

Skate-boarding, riding a bike, playing soccer or football, snowboarding, throwing a curve ball, and competitive swimming are some childhood activities with higher injury risk than weight-lifting. By strengthening the muscles and connective tissue, resistance training may actually reduce the childhood sports injury rate.   

Perhaps the biggest problem in youth sports is the epidemic of female ACL tears in sports where girls can have a 4-6 times greater risk of ACL tears than boys. Weight-training can increase hamstring strength and therefore help reduce the incidence of these physically and psychologically devastating injuries (Myer 2009). 

Five Practical Take-Home Points

• I favor keeping resistance-training in a structured, non-home environment.  Weight-lifting sets around a house seem to be a recipe for disaster unless an adult supervises at all times and stores the weights out of the reach of kids between sessions. There is at least one reported death from a weight-set falling on a child’s chest.
• Kids should start with body-weight type activity (pushups and squats) and advance to light medicine balls before adding more weight. Medicine balls are a great way to introduce kids to resistance training and 2 and 3 lb. balls are available.
• Kids should see a doctor prior to beginning a resistance program.  A variety of conditions (hypertension, Marfan’s syndrome, various cardiac conditions, seizure disorders and others) may make weight-lifting an inappropriate choice for some.
• Many precautions applicable to adult weight-lifting are also applicable to kid’s weight-lifting such as utilizing a proper warm-up and cool down. 
• Kids should be able to understand and take instruction before beginning resistance training.  If the child is not able to do so, he or she should not undertake resistance training.

With the proper precautions and supervison, resistance training can provide physical and psychological benefits for kids.

Posted Jan 15, 2010 by Jeff Blair.
This entry is filed under Los Angeles personal trainer, Los Angeles weight-lifting, Los Angeles exercise training, Los Angeles strength training, and Los Angeles kid's fitness.