"Dear David and Trish…

My son is 10 years old. He very much wants to go to the gym, and get involved in a workout program. Is he too young to begin lifting weights? Will his exercising cause any damage or interfere with growth?

- A Careful Mother in Crofton

Dear Careful Mom…

Bravo! To you, AND your son!

Unfortunately, even in this era of knowledge where there is overwhelming information confirming the importance of exercise for adults AND children, many of our schools lack an effective fitness training and activity program. Even nutritional issues are often mis-represented, or minimized regarding their significance.

No wonder our children are suffering the highest incidence of obesity in history. And things appear to be getting worse. Unfit children very soon become unfit adults. And the problems and consequences get worse and worse. It is a spiral that we need to address, and correct!

So, enough philosophy and commentary here David (says Trish)… let’s answer the question!!! (Guys, what WOULD we do without women?)!

The vast majority of medical and sports professionals are not in favor of pre-pubescent weight training or weightlifting. The main reason for this is that there has been little controlled research on this.

In order to answer the question conclusively, longitudinal studies (studies of at least two populations over many years) would have to be conducted. In this case, the study would have to examine a group of children who lifted weights when they were very young, versus a group of children that did not. Other "linear statistical parameters" (we just made that phrase up!) would have to be met, and these would be cumbersome and require years to reach a truly valid conclusion.

The following are the main reasons that people give for children NOT being involved in weight training under the age of 14:

1. Growth plates, bones and other areas of a child's body are developing through the pre-pubescent and pubescent years, and trauma during this period can have effects on long term growth. There is certainly evidence that children who suffer traumatic injuries to their growth plates may suffer adverse affects to their growth and development. It is possible that damage may occur to those who perform very heavy work over a sustained period during their growth years, though the evidence here is very limited and speculations in this area have generally been derived from studies of heavy child labor.
2. There is the concern that children are known to take risks in their athletic endeavors, because of competitive urges, lack of awareness of their limitations, or even parental pressures. They also lack the motor skills of an adult. Consequently, children may try to lift heavy weights and sustain a serious injury.
3. It is generally believed that children will have only limited strength gains due to weight training (they will learn to exert force more effectively - a neurological phenomena - but their muscles will not grow significantly because of hormonal and other developmental factors). Consequently, the value of such training is limited, especially in prepubescent youth.

All of the above arguments have some validity. However, there are other opposing arguments.

While overloading the body of a young person can never be justified, the principle that the body adapts (within limits) to applied stimuli, suggests that the application of progressive resistance to the body may assist the developing body in growing optimally. For example, it may well be that resistance, applied judiciously, will assist the young body in optimizing the development of muscle strength, coordination, bone density, etc. during its growth.

Second, when carefully supervised, many young athletes seem to enjoy weight training (as it appears your son would). This activity can be so beneficial over ones lifetime, that early development of the weight training habit may have its benefits (if such activity is purely voluntary). It is somewhat surprising that many parents such as yourself fear weight training, yet often express little concern when their children engage in activities such as soccer (where serious knee injuries occur with regularity) or gymnastics (where spinal chord injuries present a true risk). On a comparative basis, there appears to be a significantly greater risk associated with these latter activities.

Finally, while such evidence is anecdotal, some great weightlifters began to train at a very young age and they have not seemed to suffer any adverse consequences. For example, 3 time Olympic Weightlifting Champion, Naim Suleymanoglu, reportedly began strenuous training at the age of 10. He is now over the age of thirty and not only seems to have suffered no ill effects from his training, but continues to be very effective and successful.

In conclusion, there is evidence pro and con on the issue of whether pre-pubescent athletes should lift weights (certainly, there is much evidence that after puberty, those who follow a well designed and supervised resistance training program enjoy many benefits). Therefore, only a child, his or her parents and their physician (who should always grant approval before training is begun) can decide this issue on an individual basis.

Whatever the decision, it is ALWAYS important that the very young athlete (or older one, too) should never be pushed, allowed to use maximum weights, or train very strenuously or for periods of long duration.

We suggest a program of moderate training (e.g., moderate weights, training 2-3 times per week, with a couple of breaks in training of a few weeks during the year). Remember, the training of young people (and old people) should always be carefully supervised to assure that correct and safe lifting practices are followed.

It goes without saying (but we’re saying it anyway…) that any indication of negative reactions to such exercise must be assessed and responded to immediately. As with adults, individual reactions to training vary significantly and such reactions must be carefully considered. A Personal Trainer is certainly of great value (did we say that?).

• Increase in bone density

• Reduction of anxiety

• Improvement in body image and mood

• Improved psychological well-being
• Development of physical fitness
• Increased coordination and body awareness

• Promotion of weight control through caloric expenditure. This benefit is of particular importance to children, who are experiencing the same epidemic of overweight as adults.

• Lower incidence of hypertension

• A strong tendency to be more physically active as adults, and thusly stay more fit and healthy!

EDITOR: CAN WE PLACE THIS IN A BOX WEEKLY?:

Over 11weeks, and pretty soon we will find out his or her sex (BLUE or PINK!). We continue to be very careful through this first trimester, and plan a transition to more intense workouts in the next 2 weeks. All is going well, and Trish looks cuter than ever (and she’s BLOOMING!).

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