While weight training was once considered unhealthy for children, it is now thought to be beneficial. Strength training builds healthy muscles, joints and bones and can teach kids the importance of health and fitness early in life. When embarking on a weight-training program, children should be taught proper technique, lift age-appropriate weights and be supervised at all times.
Benefits
Children can reap benefits from weight training if it is done properly. These include increasing muscle strength and endurance, helping protect muscles and joints from injury and strengthening bones. If your child plays other sports, weight lifting can help protect them from injuries, according to MayoClinic.com. Some of the benefits to weight lifting are psychological. Weight lifting can improve a children's self-esteem, as well as teach them to be healthier and more focused on fitness.
Age
A child can begin weigh training around 7 or 8. You should determine when your child is ready, but typically, if he or she participated in organized sports, it is OK to begin weight training.
Technique
Kids should learn proper form when weight training. It gives them better results and reduces the risk of injury. Also teach them the importance of warming up and cooling down--about five to 10 minutes of each per session--because it also reduces the risk of injury. If you are not an expert, consider seeking instruction from someone familiar with youth strength training who will teach your child how to properly lift weights.
Getting Started
Start the child out by performing exercises either with no resistance or little. As the child learns, add small amounts of weight, ensuring that it does not overwork their muscles or increase risk of injury. Encourage proper rest for muscles. Focus on different muscle groups during each workout and avoid exercising the same muscles two days in a row.
Injury
You and your child should not confuse weight training with bodybuilding. Trying to lift too-heavy weights can put an unhealthy amount of strain on young muscles and the growth plates, or areas of cartilage that have not turned into bone, according to MayoClinic.com. The most common injury in youth weight training is muscle strain. This typically occurs because of lack of proper technique or too much weight.
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