What's a good age for kids to start lifting weights?

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leandro asks:

A friend of mine has a younger brother who has started to play youth football.
I think he's 12 years of age. He's started to do some weight lifting to help
him increase his strength. At what age is it good to start lifting weights?

In Topics: Sports and athletics

> 60 days ago

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wayne yankus

Oct 3, 2008

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What the Expert Says:

Leandro:

The words "weight lifting" can mean many things. Strength training for youth football can include exercise modalities such as push ups, pull ups, and cardiovascular activity. Free weights of three to five pounds or less used with repetitions of 10 or less every other day are generally fine for the pre-pubertal male child.

Unless puberty is advanced, twelve year olds should not bench, squat or do a Nautilus type station. The risk is a pathologic fracture of a growth plate of a bone.

The best advice is to ask his doctor what he/she thinks based on a physical exam.

Wayne A. Yankus, MD, FAAP
expert panelist: Pediatrics

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Additional Answers (4)

michaelbart... writes:

Personally I think 12 is too young. Weight lifting is different than just using weights. I would say weight lifting should not be encouraged until at least 16 or 17.

> 60 days ago

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Seann writes:

Leandro,

I think the answer if very dependent upon the individual. For some 12 year olds that are more physically developed than others, weight lifting can be a rewarding and healthy activity that set a precedence for a lifetime of healthy exercise. The best thing to do in situations like these is to talk to have the child or a parent talk to his or her pediatrician about the potential pros and cons of starting a structured exercise regimen.

> 60 days ago

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ronald writes:

I agree that one should always talk to your doctors in these matters; however, coaches have told my son that children should not lift before age 16. I agree that 12 is too young.

> 60 days ago

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Halley10 writes:

i agree that 12 years old is too young. because his muscle is not that strong enough too carry too much weight. i think the right age of gym exercise such as weight lifting is at least 18 years old. at the age of 18 your muscles are built and strong enough.

the causes if you carry too much weight at that age is that your bone might be damaged and hard to build.

other people says that if you carry too much weight regularly at the age of 17 and below you might not be able to grow tall.

> 60 days ago

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