The 5 Best Weightlifting Exercises for Children
No, resistance training doesn’t stunt growth. It does the opposite!
Weightlifting is for everyone. Period. Throughout my high school years, I was always told to avoid lifting because it would stunt my growth and leave lasting damage. It only took 10 years for me to realize that this wasn’t the case at all. While kids have been excluded for decades, there’s more than enough evidence to show us that it’s in their best interest to do weight-bearing exercise.
The ironic thing is that those who avoid this type of activity are more prone to injury and health complications down the road. This is another great example of how powerful word of mouth and biases can be for the health and wellness community. It’s not too late to turn this ship around, however, as schools and communities everywhere are starting to implement a safe approach to weightlifting for children.
Are you ready to hop on board?
We’ve Been Believing a Myth for Decades
In one study by Faigenbaum & Myer, it was shown that sports such as football, soccer, and rugby all have higher injury risks than well-supervised weight lifting for 11–14-year-olds. Furthermore, it states that even finding one’s 1RM (one rep max) is completely safe if…
