Why Strength Training is Safe for Kids (And Beneficial)
There has been a misconception about strength training for kids for many years. Myths about strength training stunting growth, causing injuries, or placing too much stress on a child’s body still makes parents worry about their children resistance training. However, new scientific evidence tells a very different story. When properly designed and supervised, strength training is not only safe for children and adolescents- it’s one of the most beneficial forms of physical activity they can do.
According to Stricker et al. (2020), youth resistance training improves overall health and fitness while helping prevent early declines in physical activity and future disease risk. Benefits include increased strength, improved physical literacy, injury prevention, and greater confidence in movement (Faigenbaum et al., 2020).
Strength training for kids is not limited to lifting heavy weights. It can include anything from bodyweight exercises to resistance bands to light dumbbells. Functional movements are appropriate for young ages and can be highly effective for building muscular fitness (Faigenbaum et al., 2020).
One of the biggest myths about strength training for adolescents is that it stunts growth. Research shows that well-designed programs have no negative effect on growth plates, height, or cardiovascular health. Children gain strength primarily throughout neurological adaptations, such as improved motor unit recruitment, rather than muscle hypertrophy (Faigenbaum et al., 2020).
Studies also show that resistance training has very low injury rates when proper technique is taught and sessions are supervised. In fact, for adolescent athletes it actually reduces the risk of sports-related injuries (Faigenbaum et al., 2020; Striker et al., 2020).
The bottom line is that with qualified instruction and age-appropriate programming, strength training is one of the safest and most effective ways to support a child’s physical development, health, and long-term fitness.
References
Faigenbaum, A. D., Lloyd, R. D., & Oliver, J. L. (2020). Myth: Lifting weights is unsafe for children and will stunt their growth. American College of Sports Medicine. https://acsm.org/mythbusting-youth-resistance-training/
Striker, P. R., Faigenbaum, A. D., McCambridge, T. M., LaBella, C. R., Brooks, A., Canty, G., Diamond, A., B., Hennrikus, W., Logan, K., Moffatt, K., Nemeth, B. A., Pengel, K. B., & Peterson, A. R. (2020). Resistance training for children and adolescents. American Academy of Pediatrics, 145(6), e20201011. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1011