Weight Lifting/Strength Training - When is it safe for young people to start? Or is it safe at all?

By Coach Ernest Allen founder of Atlas Pro Training LLC

You can’t be soft your whole life especially when you are a young person who wants to feel confident and comfortable in your own skin as you grow into a teenager and then into adulthood.  There is an age-old question that goes back as far as I can remember, I tried to find out where or who came up with this myth, and google failed to give me the definitive answer. But that is not important, what is important is that we are going to look at the benefits of learning to lift by briefly looking at the process of LEARNING to lift weights, which is based on two important principles. The first principle is developing the young person’s Relative muscular strength, which learning to perform basic bodyweight movements like a push-up, bodyweight squat, and lunge Pull-Ups, etc. with proper form and body control. In developing youth strength training programs for beginners exercises should in my opinion be limited to the use of specific types of resistance equipment like dumbbells, rubber bands, and tubes, with minimal intensity (lightweight) after they have learned how to properly execute the basic exercises that improve their Relative muscular strength. Developing relative strength varies and depends on the commitment of the individual youth, and their parents. After a solid foundation of relative strength has been developed, start developing their Absolute muscular Strength. This is when Free weights and resistance machines are added to the training program, examples of Free weight movements are:

Dumbbell and Barbell Bench Press

• Dumbell and Barbell Squats

• Trap Bar and Barbell Deadlifts*

• Olympic Lifts*

  * High Skill Lifts - require additional Skill development

With all of that said in my professional and personal experience learning to lift weights is essential to the development of young people. And in the case of developing youth athletes, learning to lift correctly and consistently will help the youth athlete take their game to another level and possibly improve their productivity on the field or court of play. Weightlifting can also improve their self-confidence, and self-efficacy, definition: the ability to produce a desired or intended result in young people, which in turn develops and fosters self-discipline. So now I will address the age-old myth that I mentioned earlier in more detail which is the myth that lifting weights “too early” will lead to stunted growth or injury for young people.

This is a false statement and has led in my opinion a few generations of adults that have no clue of the benefits of weight lifting until they are in their 30’s or even 40’s, which has led to an epidemic of overweight individuals and an avalanche of health problems over the decades such as diabetes, heart disease, and depression to name a few. Now let’s look at the benefits of learning to lift weights and participating in a resistance training program.

Coach E. Allen’s Top 5 Reasons Why Learning to Lift Weights Early… and often is great for Young Athletes! 

#1 Increase Bone density

        Which helps protect from injury and provides a foundation for a healthy skeletal system

#2 Improved joint health-Strong Ligaments, Tendons, and cartilage

          Which is important for youth athletes

#3 Improved Neuromuscular conditioning

            Which is essential to improving body control, reflexes, and endurance

#4 Improves Strength Balance as the body changes and grows 

Strength imbalances Anteriorly(front) and Posteriorly (bank) is major cause of mobility and stability issues as the body develops and grows. i.e. ACL injuries-

Check out the AP ACL infographic

#5 Increased Muscular size and Strength

This is the #1 reason most young people want to lift weights, this is where self-confidence and performance are improved.

A complete training program created by a certified experienced coach/trainer should also include mobility and flexibility component, this will be an added benefit to the program and prepare the body to train progressively and help to decrease the risk of injury while maximum effort work which I will expand on in future posts.
-TRAIN WITH A PURPOSE-