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When should a kid start lifting weights?

By DAVID NORRIE
Published February 24, 2006

Weight training and the emphasis on a bigger, stronger physique explain why our children's sports idols look like the He-Man superheroes found on toy store shelves.

Preteens and teens are impressionable. So when young athletes see their sports heroes bulking up, it's only natural that they feel the desire to do the same.

When you combine the pressure of making a sports team with the incentives of scholarships, it's no wonder children and parents are asking: When is it okay to start lifting?

"It's hard to say. It's purely an individual thing," says Dr. Louis Theriot, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. Theriot, the doctor for his son's high school football team, has written articles about preteens and weightlifting.

Genetics have a lot to do with how well equipped a teen is to handle exercise.

Children can begin strength training when they "possess adequate balance and postural skills," Theriot said. But he recommends beginning preteens with exercises that concentrate on toning and flexibility more than heavy weight-bearing ones that increase bulk.

As a trainer, I often am asked if lifting weights will stunt a child's growth.

"If the exercises are done properly, there should not be a concern with a stunt in growth," Theriot said.

Still, proceed with caution.

"Impact exercises like squats should not affect high school athletes," he said, but "if growth plates are not fully developed and still cartilaginous, they could be susceptible to tremendous forces and could cause problems with ligaments or fractures.

A good rule of thumb is that the child should be able to complete three sets of 10 repetitions without difficulty. Hold off on "forced repetitions," or reps requiring a spotter, until skeletal maturity. Again, that time will vary. To be sure, ask your child's physician.

Raphael Ruiz, a certified strength and conditioning specialist who works with athletes in the Tampa area from Little League to the National Football League, has had clients as young as 8.

For Ruiz, what matters most is mental maturity.

"I've had an 8-year-old baseball client who was very focused, and he definitely understood what we were trying to accomplish," Ruiz said. "On the other end of the spectrum, I've worked with collegiate and pro athletes who just have no desire to work hard."

Clients are seeking Ruiz out at a much earlier age than five or 10 years ago, he said. He rarely turns away a client because of age.

Both he and Theriot believe that the decision to begin a strength training regimen should be solely that of the athlete - not that of overzealous parents or coaches.

"Coaches and parents hear about another kid or athlete's success, and they come to me," he said. "I'll ask the parents to wait outside because I have to sit down and talk and feel the kid out. If it comes down to making money or letting the kid go, I'll let him or her go first.

"I can't turn your son into Deion Sanders," he said, referring to the former football player. "But what I will do is make little Billy the best Billy he can be."

Unlike many personal trainers, who focus on building muscle and cardiovascular fitness, Ruiz specializes in the development of athletes in sport-specific training. His program is based on principles of biodynamics: posture, balance, movements between muscles and joints.

He wants athletes not simply to learn exercises but to understand why they are performing the movement. He teaches what he calls "primal movements": squats, lunges, step-ups, upper body pulls and upper body pushes, performed at first without weights.

These exercises "carry over onto the field," he said.

In working with young kids, he prefers to set goal-oriented tasks and typically works with small groups, girls and boys combined.

"Most kids won't reach the elite level of pro sports," Ruiz said, "but sometimes a little confidence can make a child excel. My No. 1 goal is injury prevention and helping that kid learn the proper way to do things. As long as their goals are realistic, it's typically a good experience."

[Last modified February 23, 2006, 12:38:08]