I recently started my (almost) 12-year-old son and his friend lifting weights. Many parents question when to start their young athlete in a weight training or sports preparation program. So, I thought I might address the idea of beginning weight training for children.
It has been within the last 20 years or so that we (exercise scientists) have even begun to explore starting kids lifting weights before high school. And there still remains some resistance among coaches in some sports to have the athletes lift at all. (I had heard a story from one parent a couple of years ago about a coach who threatened to cut any players who participated in any outside conditioning.) On the other hand, there are the coaches who insist on year-around “sport-specific” training and having complete control of the athlete. I don’t have too much favorable to say for such coaches. Fortunately, the science has begun to demonstrate the benefits of preparation for youth sports. Indeed, the evidence is mounting, in my informed opinion, that it is essential.
We discuss the age at which a child can/should begin resistance training in several of my courses. My instruction is always that a child should begin resistance training from birth. Notice, I am saying resistance training. This is not weight training, per se, and not all weight training is appropriate fro children until they reach the appropriate stage of development (note: “stage”, not “age”). What I mean by resistance training from birth is that muscle responds to the resistance to its contraction—e.g., lifting something provides resistance and pushing against a limb as one is attempting to move it provides resistance. Take note of what happens when you grab a baby’s foot. What does she do? She pushes back. Resistance training. Such play is essential for building the strength to sit, stand, walk, etc. Adding weights is just a progression.
So, to the question: “At what age can a child should start ‘lifting weights’?” When they reach a stage of readiness. When they ask, and when they can maintain the level of focus and enthusiasm to perform the movements safely. (For the sake of the professional’s sanity, please, don’t force your athletes into conditioning programs.) In my experience, this comes around the age of junior high school (7th or 8th grade)—possibly younger in some. I have seen kids as young as 8 be focused and ready, but this is atypical.
So, your athlete wants to start lifting weight? Where do you start?
My preference for all beginning weight trainers is to start on machines, if possible. This gives the exerciser a “feel” for how the muscles need to contract when performing specific movements. From here, one can progress to less and less stable movements using free weights. The challenge for young athletes, however, is that, at nearly all gyms, these machines are built for average sized adults. There are machines out there that are designed specifically for kids, but good luck finding access to them.
This leaves us with body weight exercises and free weights. In my opinion, body weight exercises and calisthetics should be part of physical education from the start, and, thus, the athlete should have a foundation prior to starting with weights. (I say “should” because most kids are not getting adequate PE in school.)
Over the years, there was an unwarranted fear of free weight exercises for prepubescent children. The concern was for the risk of injuring the growth plates. While injuring the growth plates is serious (the growth plates are cartilage and cartilage takes longer to heal than bone; so, an injury could result in impaired growth in the bone), the likelihood from performing free weight exercises in proper form is unlikely. Indeed, bone is strengthened by the forces applied to it (i.e., “Wolff’s Law”). For prepubescent girls, in particular, weight-bearing exercise is important for strong bones and minimizing the risk of osteoporosis later in life. (There are a number of benefits for young ladies that I will save for another post).
So, the only danger in children doing free weight exercises is in doing them with poor form and without proper supervision. Before a child starts lifting heavier weights, he or she should demonstrate mastery of the technique. With any strength training, strength increases first come from improved neuromuscular coordination (e.g., motor unit recruitment and synchronization). Thus, I prefer to stick to the basics before getting crazy with variety. As well, the exercises can be performed with greater frequency (even daily) because the stress is to the nervous system not the skeletal muscle tissue and recovery is fast. There is some evidence that more frequent training, in beginners, will increase the strength gains. (It is not until someone is lifting really heavy weights that maximal recoverable volume becomes a more significant concern. So, don’t worry that you have to stick to an every-other-day schedule—at least initially.)
In sticking to the basics, I have settled on five exercises: squat, deadlift, bench, lat pulldown, and overhead press. For the squat, I have found the “landmine” squat to be a good start. The spine does not bear the weight, and the athlete can focus on keeping a neutral spine and sitting back into the squat. The deadlift can seem intimidating, but it is an essential exercise and learning the techniques is better earlier than later. Of utmost importance is that the athlete learn the proper hip hinge and to pull the weight with the glutes (butt) and hamstrings. Once the athlete masters these, (s)he will be ready to add some variety (but know that the notion of “muscle confusion” is a myth—stick to the basics!)
The repetitions (reps) don’t need to be high (i.e., >10-12 reps). Too high of reps is likely to lead to a breakdown in technique, which will defeat our purposes. I like to keep the squat and deadlift at about 8 and 5 reps, respectively, to start. The bench, pulldown, and press can go as high as 10. Three working sets (you might want a couple of unweighted sets to “practice” the movement and warm up before adding weight—remember we are keeping it light to start) should be sufficient. The weight used should be challenging, but not cause a breakdown of technique.
Don’t rush adding weight or expect your 12 year-old to start looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger to quickly. Keep the focus on proper form and enjoying the activity.
You might also notice that I didn’t include “curls for the girls”. First, these are considered accessory lifts. Second, the basic five will involve the biceps and triceps, so they will develop, as well. Third, curls are not athletic movements. Finally, we don’t want to develop lifters who spend their focus at the gym on bench and curls. Overall, athletic performance is the goal. Asthetics will follow with proper lifting. Later, if the athlete wants to pursue bodybuilding more refined movements will be necessary. Until then, the K.I.S.S. principle applies.
Keep it fun. Keep it simple. Above all, keep it safe.
In addition to weight training, don’t forget that there are other aspects of conditioning to consider—e.g., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, agility, speed, etc. (More on these to come.)