In your opinion, why heavy exercise is not recommended for children and what are the disadvantages of a heavy weight training program for children and teenagers?
Doing strength training and being active is suitable and useful for all people and at all ages, but be careful not to confuse strength training with weight lifting, bodybuilding or powerlifting! Heavy weight training programs are not suitable for children (or even teenagers) at all. In this article, we will go to the subject of heavy bodybuilding exercises for children and we will examine its effect on the body of children and teenagers.
Disadvantages of weight training program for children
Why heavy bodybuilding is not suitable for children? Strength training has many benefits for everyone and even children, but the most important thing is that there are many disadvantages of a heavy weight training program for children, and training with heavy weights is definitely not suitable for children and teenagers and can bring risks for them. Trying to build muscle or set heavy weightlifting records puts a lot of stress on young muscles, tendons, and areas of cartilage that have not yet turned into bone (growth plates); Especially when the weight is so heavy that the child cannot even perform the exercise properly.
Heavy bodybuilding for children can lead to many injuries and have various negative effects on their development. In this section, we briefly mention some of the disadvantages of heavy bodybuilding for children.
1. Risk of injury
Lifting heavy weights can stress muscles, ligaments, and tendons, putting your baby at risk of injury. Growth plates are prone to damage during weight bearing, and if damaged, will have a severe negative effect on the child's growth.
2. Stop growth
Heavy weight training for children can put too much pressure on the growth plates, which can potentially negatively affect bone growth and lead to stunted growth or skeletal abnormalities.
3. Pressure on muscles and bones
Excessive training due to lifting heavy weights can lead to stretching or tearing of muscles, which is not a good thing for a child! Also, the wrong technique during exercises or a weight heavier than the child's ability can affect bone density and strength and potentially lead to weaker bones and increase their vulnerability to fracture.
4. Psychological effects
Another disadvantage of a heavy bodybuilding program for children is related to their psyche. Any type of exercise that is too heavy will definitely make the child feel more stress and pressure.
This issue has a negative effect on the mental health of children and adolescents and changes their feelings towards sports and may even make children dislike sports.
Is weight training recommended for children?
No, weight training is prohibited for children under 8 years old, and weight training is allowed for children over this age and even teenagers only under certain conditions. If you are a child or teenager and want to go to bodybuilding, or if your child is interested in bodybuilding, be sure to pay attention to the following points and follow them.
Let the child love his sport!
If your 8-year-old is interested, he can do strength training with weights, but remind him that he is not yet “bulking” and that he is only allowed to strengthen his muscles with strength training.
Train under the supervision of an expert trainer!
Only if the child is under the supervision and guidance of professional trainers, he can lift weights and start strength training with dumbbells. Otherwise, you may get hurt.
The child's exercises should be appropriate for his age!
At first, children can do these exercises:
- Body weight training
- Exercise with resistance bands
- Exercise with light weights
We recommend that your child's exercises be high repetition and low resistance to avoid unnecessary stress on the growing body. When the child wants to try dumbbells, he should start with light dumbbells. Be sure to remind them of the disadvantages of a heavy weight training program for children so that they stop using heavy weights.
The execution technique and movement form should be correct!
It is very important for the coach to pay attention to the proper form and technique of the child in order to avoid any injury or undue pressure.
Exercises gradually get heavier!
As children mature and develop physically, the intensity and complexity of weight training can gradually increase. But it's important to avoid heavy weights or excessive strain. Your child's strength training program should not be a scaled-down version of an adult's fitness program!
Do strength training along with other exercises!
Weight training should be part of a comprehensive exercise program that includes cardiovascular activity, flexibility exercises, and rest for recovery.
Is it right or wrong for teenagers to lift heavy weights?
Definitely wrong! Teenagers interested in bodybuilding should exercise with light weights (or even without weights and only with resistance bands or body weight exercises) and their training program should include one or two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions with light weights. We do not recommend low repetitions with heavy weights at all.
Weights and dumbbells allowed for teenagers depend on the age, body size, sports history, maturity status and strength level of the teenager. In general, if your teen can't lift a weight easily and with proper technique at least 8 times, it means the weight is too heavy for him.
Proper and correct form and technique of movements are very important and again we recommend that it be done under the supervision of a children's sports coach.
Does lifting heavy weights affect children's growth?
Will strength training or heavy weights really stunt my child's growth? Not about strength training, but in the section on the disadvantages of the weight training program for children, we said that training with very heavy weights can have a negative effect on the child's development.
In fact, you should know that damage to children's growth plates causes problems and disorders in their growth. Growth plates are the cartilaginous areas of growing tissue at the ends of long bones (such as the femur). These plates turn into hard bone when the adolescent reaches physical maturity, but during growth, they have a softer state and are therefore more susceptible to damage.
Damage to the growth plates in immature bones can stop growth or harm the child's development in some way. Training with heavy weights unfortunately carries such a risk.
tip: Remember that strength training will not cause any harm to the child as long as it is done with the correct form, proper training intensity and under the supervision of the trainer.
final word
Exercising is suitable and useful for all people and for all ages; But doing heavy and high-pressure sports is not suitable for children and teenagers and may harm their growth and harm their body and mind. Therefore, do not go for heavy dumbbells and high-pressure bodybuilding programs in childhood. In this article, we have told all the disadvantages of heavy bodybuilding program for children.
References: mayoclinic – kidshealth
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