Lifting Weights Won't Stunt a Kid's Growth

Opener

Most parents have heard it at some point: lifting weights will damage a child's growth plates and stunt their growth. The fear is decades old, and it still keeps kids off the weight room floor. The National Strength and Conditioning Association addressed it directly in its 2009 position statement on youth resistance training, written by Avery Faigenbaum, William Kraemer and five co-authors after reviewing the research on children and adolescents. Their conclusion was plain. A properly designed and supervised program is relatively safe for youth, and there is no evidence that resistance training harms growth and maturation. The real risks come from the way kids are allowed to train, not from training itself.

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1. What the statement set out to answer

Two questions run through the paper. First, is resistance training safe for children and adolescents, and does it affect normal growth? Second, if it is safe, what does it actually do for young people, and how should a program for them be built? The authors reviewed prospective training studies, injury surveillance data, case reports and earlier recommendations, then stated the NSCA's position in seven points.