Last year, I began weight training with my two sons.
My family often makes friendly wagers on football games. In this case, I had a bet with my older son, Chase, about Peyton Manning’s performance with the Denver Broncos when he returned from neck surgery. My terms were simple. For two months, Chase would accompany me to my weight lifting sessions.
I won the bet. Three times a week, Chase and I (along with my younger son, who came along for moral support) awoke at the crack of dawn and worked on the major power lifts. Chase was 13 and Dane 11, so they used very little weight to start, barely enough to challenge them, as we worked on squats, dead lifts and bench presses.
At the end of two months, they absolutely hated it – and me, when I woke them with a hug before dawn. Chase fulfilled his payoff of the bet and I retuned to doing the early morning routines solo.
Several days ago he asked me if we could get some weights for the house. I tried to contain my smile, but it burst through. The introduction to lifting didn’t land at the time of my introduction, but that’s what being the leader of men is about. He believes it’s his brainchild to start weight training now, about a year later, and I love that.
For eons, people have believed that weight training for children was a bad idea. A study in the 1970s of Japanese child laborers found them to be shorter than their peers; researchers assumed that moving heavy objects day after day had stunted normal growth.
New research shows the exact opposite. From the New York Times:
But a major new review just published in Pediatrics, together with a growing body of other scientific reports, suggest that, in fact, weight training can be not only safe for young people, it can also be beneficial, even essential.
In the Pediatrics review, researchers with the Institute of Training Science and Sports Informatics in Cologne, Germany, analyzed 60 years’ worth of studies of children and weightlifting. The studies covered boys and girls from age 6 to 18. The researchers found that, almost without exception, children and adolescents benefited from weight training.
Children in the studies didn’t bulk up the same way that adults do. Instead, the changes happen on the neurological level. Children who participate in strength training are able to use their muscles more efficiently, a benefit that does not occur when beginning weight training later in life.
The studies also discovered that children who participate in sports and also do strength training exercises are at a lower risk of injury, due to strengthening their muscles, tendons and ligaments.
This doesn’t mean we load up the bar and throw it on their back; quite the contrary. Nor do I think we should force children into massive workout regimes for which they are not ready or interested. However, by introducing the process safely and sensibly, they will often begin to make healthy lifestyle choices on their own that will benefit them for years to come.
Come and talk to my classes/athletes sometime? I am AD at Venice. Proud of you Gabe.
Thanks, Coach!
Come to Boston and get my boys in the weight room. They’ll be willing participants! Proud of your boys…
Thanks, Susan!
Gabe,
What is the age that a child can start weight training? Is it when they ask or at a certain age? When they do start is it body weights working form or using bar so they feel some weight on them?
I don’t think there is a right time, Michael. Every child is different. My suggestion would be to check in often with your kids and decide with them rather than for them.
Thanks for the great info, Kappy! One of my daughters plays soccer and volleyball, and has already suffered some minor injuries. This was a great post to get me started investigating workouts for kids.
I’ve been looking for sites to offer workout plans for us older sportsmen, and have found yours and Laird Hamiltons sites to be the best for me.
I play Sunday rec-league baseball now (along with ice hockey, water polo, and ocean-sports). I’ve found that I need to stretch/workout a few times a week in order to stay healthy for my once-a-week games.
Thanks again!
Best of luck, DC.
This piece should be picked up by national news outlets! As a health care professional, I advocate for weight training to be incorporated into my pediatric population’s exercise regimen, particularly when kids are already involved in organized sports. Are you familiar with the crossfit kids division? It is inspiring to hear support for weight training for children when performed with correct technique and appropriate weight. We used to have the same antiquated assumptions for pregnant women; however, current research shows it’s actually healthy for them as well. It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job raising your boys.
Grateful for your kind words. Thanks very much.
Gabe:
Great site! Perhaps you could comment on the use of protein powders, creatine and other supplement intake in addition to a well balanced diet. From a calorie intake perspective, I know a lot of athletes question the amount of supplemental shakes, drinks, etc. that they should take in. Your feedback is always great. Best wishes. Mike Urner. Newport Beach.
Thank you, Mike. In due time for sure.
Great advice. I started a body weight workout at age 12. 3 times a week. It was a natural progression into weight training. I did it because I wanted to. I was never forced to do anything and I think that was key. Haven’t stopped working out for the past 20 years. Love your blog Gabe. Well done.
Appreciate the feedback, Stuart.
I am forever grateful to my Dad for taking me to the gym when I was 13. It changed my life. Parents: your child’s confidence and performance WILL go up, not just in athletics but in all areas of life and school. If you have the energy to cook their meals, do their laundry and chauffeur them around town, you can get them to gym. You will both benefit!
Love the enthusiasm on this, Eric.
Gabe, my Dad also introduced me to weight training at 13. In addition to a strong work ethic, that introduction to weight training was the biggest reason for allowing me to excel in baseball and play both high school and in college.
Keep up the great message.
This is such a great post! My 13 year old son is a wrestler and does a lot of body weight strength training work and it has been so beneficial in so many ways. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate you addressing this topic!