Parents ask us all the time about weightlifting for their child is it okay for them to get in the weight room if they are only 10, 11, 12 years old. The answer is yes! However, there are right ways and wrong ways to do things. A young child just starting out first and foremost should receive professional advice before starting any kind of weightlifting program. Now, no credible trainer is going to have an 11 year old max out on the bench press their first day to find out the child’s one rep max. Instead, if the trainer is any good, they will test balance, the ability to run and jump with proper technique, the ability to perform a basic squat with good form, and probably ask the child to attempt a proper push-up or hold a plank. These would all be signs of a good trainer/coach.
Until the child fully develops they should not try heavily loaded exercises. Instead the child should be completely and utterly focused on Form and Balance and body weight exercises. All “Unloaded” balance exercises are a great for young athletes, as well as body weight lifts such as push-ups, pull-ups, body weight squats, Single leg pistol squats, hip thrusts and planks.
If you want to get your child into weightlifting at a young age, PLEASE!!!! Make sure you do it the right way and do your research. The benefits and risks are extremely high depending on if the program is designed and administered in the right way.
Check out the following articles an web pages for more material on the subject!
- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson38.htm
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445252/
- http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/strength-training/art-20047758
If you read these articles you will come to an overwhelming conclusion that ….Yes children can lift weights and workout, BUT and it is a big BUT, it has to be a well thought out, strategic plan that is administered by a professional in the field of Exercise Science.
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