Youth Training: Why Weights Are Your Friend

There has always been the common question posed to coaches and parents when should a child start weight training?

This has been debated quite a bit as some people believe a child shouldn't weight train until their 18 when they are finished puberty (for the majority of kids puberty would of stopped).

Some people say due to their sport they are introduced to weight training (at whatever age) so they can compete at a higher level/improve their performance.

Others when they hit a certain age such as 14 or 16 I have heard before. Just because a child or individual becomes a certain age they can just automatically be able to lift weights is just silly.

This is part article/part rant as I can't understand why more people take part in exercise to further increase their lives and live a better/easier life!!!!

Our bodies are excellent machines and are designed to become even better machines through physical activity. If a child does no weight training or physical activity.

The reason why we use weight training as it is an outside resistance to our bodies to work against. We use this resistance to increase our muscle mass and our strength, endurance or power. No matter what you are training for by doing some form of resistance training will reduce the chance of getting injured as it helps to improve our biomechanics.

1st Point:

Weight training doesn't stunt growth period!

In fact it does the opposite:
- strengthens ligaments and tendons
- increases bone density
- reduces the chance of osteoporosis in later life
- increase muscle mass
- increase in strength gains
- improved muscle tone/definition
- improved balance
- improved coordination
- improved functional movements/biomechanics
- reduce chance of injury
- increased strength of posterior chain

I have done weight training since 13 and swam since I was 7. I grew taller than my Dad and the majority of my family. I have gone on to do well in a range of sports and in each sport what was present some form of resistance training being water, body weight or barbells.

It isn't just weight training that promotes physiological/psychological benefits but regular physical activity does the following:

- improved sleep patterns
- increase self confidence
- increased life expectancy
- reduced chance of CHD (coronary heart disease)
- increase metabolism
- reduce body fat percentage and increase in lean muscle mass

This is just to name a few of the health benefits of exercising so why wouldn't we allow our children to exercise and to use the weights room?

Reasons why people are against kids using the weights room?

- Fear of injury well anyone who does sport or training there is always the risk of injury. The likelihood that you will injure yourself in the gym is smaller than playing any contact sport. You are more likely to injure yourself in a competition scenario as you are pushing yourself to your own physical limits. Whereas in the gym you are unlikely to reach that.

- Weight Training Stunts Growth

As I have mentioned above in my case it does not. Take a look at the Chinese and Russians. Serious training being done at a young age (think at primary school p6 and above) such as the Chinese and Russian weight lifters. Here is the successful Dimitri Klokov weight training in the sport of Olymlic Weight Lifting. Here is a video of him training when he was a kid