Growth In Weight Lifting Children

Resistance training for children was once discouraged by health professionals because of a perceived potential injury to growth plates. However, a growing body of evidence shows that a well-designed, professionally supervised weight lifting program can provide many health benefits to children while posing no threat to normal growth.

Growth During Childhood

Growth in children takes place in the bones at the epiphyseal plate, commonly called the growth plate; it's located near the ends of long bones. Until children stop growing, the growth plate is vulnerable to injury. A long-standing fear in the health care community that weight lifting could damage the growth plate and cause stunted growth has been deemed a "myth" by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American Council on Exercise.

Weight-Bearing Exercise and Bones

Weight-bearing exercise has long been known to increase bone density in adults. A clinical research review published in the February 2011 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Medicine Research" found evidence that weight lifting has a positive impact on growth plate development. Dr. Avery Faigenbaum of the National Strength and Conditioning Association notes that no reports have been made of growth plate fracture within youth weight training.

Benefits of Weight Lifting

Many health professionals now acknowledge that the health benefits of resistance training may outweigh the risks of growth plate damage. The Mayo Clinic enumerates the many benefits of strength training for children, including improved strength, stronger bones, healthy blood pressure, improved physical performance and improved self-esteem. The American College of Sports Medicine affirms that overweight and obese children benefit from resistance training by increasing lean muscle mass and reducing body fat.

Safety Guidelines

To ensure that growth plate damage and other injuries do not occur during weight lifting, fitness expert Dr. Avery D. Faigenbaum has developed guidelines for designing safe and effective youth weight training programs. Competent and caring supervision by fitness professionals is essential; children should also understand the risks and the benefits. Young people need a safe exercise environment, a dynamic warm-up and safe workloads. Dr. Faigenbaum encourages static stretching of the worked muscles after each training session.