What age to start training

[Dr Squat]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-he-kids-weightlifting-20110110,0,7084859.story

Intersting article about the age children should start lifting weights. Seems to be a range of views.

13 is the current limit at Eastside but I would be prepared to allow younger children in the gym if they were mature and supervised. Obviously, safety is the priority.

[jimjim83]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-he-kids-weightlifting-20110110,0,7084859.story

Intersting article about the age children should start lifting weights. Seems to be a range of views.

13 is the current limit at Eastside but I would be prepared to allow younger children in the gym if they were mature and supervised. Obviously, safety is the priority.

I always find it a bit concerning when I see young ones in the gym I have the veiw that they should be out and about kicking a ball around, especially since the ones I have seen look like they just want to drop a bit of weight.

I guess sport specific strength training doesnt worry me as much. I think a place like Eastcoast would be more family orientated than the big chain gyms if that makes sense.

The PTs always seem to be just going through the motions with the kids looks like they are just taking the parents money and are bored shitless with little chunky charlie.

[Dr Squat]

Jimmy I think you raise an excellent point. I would rather they were outside too. But if it's a choice between PS3 and the gym?

My bro did some research with obese kids in Oz a while back. It worked well for these kids who were big for their age but didn't fit in with the traditional team sports. The gym allowed them to develop some strength and conditioning with equipment like light dumbbells and sandbags.

[PeterDolan]

If they aren't already involved in sports and aren't struggling academically, then the gym would be a great idea.

But the main point of the article was about dispelling the myth that resistance training was bad for adolescents and actually proved it was beneficial for them

[Dr Squat]

But the main point of the article was about dispelling the myth that resistance training was bad for adolescents and actually proved it was beneficial for them

Yup you are right. But it is probably old school thinking which keeps them out of the gym.

[PeterDolan]

How often does old school thinking hold society back

[thatwaslight]

PD did you start training when you were 10? is that why your 5'3 lololol

[PeterDolan]

PD did you start training when you were 10? is that why your 5'3 lololol

Oooooo motherfucker haha

[thatwaslight]

Hahaha only having you on bro i had to do it! :grin:

[Dr Squat]

PD did you start training when you were 10? is that why your 5'3 lololol

Oooooo motherfucker haha

Fark, here we go again! Rookie must be serving up onion bhajis otherwise he would be having a crack lol.

[PeterDolan]

Hahaha only having you on bro i had to do it! :grin:

I knew i'd cop it eventually, if it wasn't you, it'd be tom. I ain't mad

PD did you start training when you were 10? is that why your 5'3 lololol

Oooooo motherfucker haha

Fark, here we go again! Rookie must be serving up onion bhajis otherwise he would be having a crack lol.

He can't handle it though haha

[Hellokitty]

my stepdad has a "home gym" (read bench, old rusty bars and weights several dumbbells etc but does the job) and when he is out there working out naturally my 8 year old brother is curious so he got him some 1 kg dumbbells and they work out/ spend time together.

However they also live round the corner from the park, go for bike rides and he plays rugby etc so I think if safety is paramount and the child enjoys it and it is part of an over all balanced lifestyle why not?

[Dr Squat]

How often does old school thinking hold society back

I suppose you would need to careful if you had a bunch of 6-14 year olds in the gym. Probably would not be appreciated by the corporates. But most gyms are usually quietish round 3.30-5 pm.

[PeterDolan]

When they are supervised, they're fine, it's just when a fuckload of jersey shore wannabe's are in that people get pissed

[musclenz]

Maybe another myth buster in progress. Has been always thought that early strength training was detrimental to linear bone growth. I note though in the research paper that the study was more based on the influence of physical activity on bone mineral accrual during the adolescent years although it would seem that there is some correlation between this & bone density & longitudinal growth. But I can still sight Lee Priests stunted growth due to early strength training I guess

[Dr Squat]

Maybe another myth buster in progress. Has been always thought that early strength training was detrimental to linear bone growth. I note though in the research paper that the study was more based on the influence of physical activity on bone mineral accrual during the adolescent years although it would seem that there is some correlation between this & bone density & longitudinal growth. But I can still sight Lee Priests stunted growth due to early strength training I guess

Can you do an "Aranui" summary for me when you post cuz? I'm battling.

[thatwaslight]

Maybe another myth buster in progress. Has been always thought that early strength training was detrimental to linear bone growth. I note though in the research paper that the study was more based on the influence of physical activity on bone mineral accrual during the adolescent years although it would seem that there is some correlation between this & bone density & longitudinal growth. But I can still sight Lee Priests stunted growth due to early strength training I guess

Can you do an "Aranui" summary for me when you post cuz? I'm battling.

Lmao!!!!

[jimjim83]

An Aranui summary here we go,

Gyms are for fags bro I get all my strength from the street. Its where I learnt to fight. I throw a mean haymaker. Drinking woodies and smoking chronic makes me hard as. And running from the cops keeps me fast as. Ill smash you if you want bitches.

If you are reading this on your computer Im going to steal it.

[Rookie]

Hahaha only having you on bro i had to do it! :grin:

I knew i'd cop it eventually, if it wasn't you, it'd be tom. I ain't mad

Oooooo motherfucker haha

Fark, here we go again! Rookie must be serving up onion bhajis otherwise he would be having a crack lol.

He can't handle it though haha

lololol I can give it and I can handle it, someone shoots I shoot back. Don't want this thread to turn into an argument anyway. In all seriousness, myself and a bunch friends did oly lifting when we were 13/14, all my mates who kept doing it haven't grown much (both topped out at 5ft3 and 5ft 4: we were exposed to front squats, back squats, C&J, Snatches etc- using maximal loads at the time too.

I only topped out at 5ft6 while my bro's are all just under 6ft or over 6ft :?

[Grover]

Hahaha only having you on bro i had to do it! :grin:

I knew i'd cop it eventually, if it wasn't you, it'd be tom. I ain't mad

Fark, here we go again! Rookie must be serving up onion bhajis otherwise he would be having a crack lol.

He can't handle it though haha

lololol I can give it and I can handle it, someone shoots I shoot back. Don't want this thread to turn into an argument anyway. In all seriousness, myself and a bunch friends did oly lifting when we were 13/14, all my mates who kept doing it haven't grown much (both topped out at 5ft3 and 5ft 4: we were exposed to front squats, back squats, C&J, Snatches etc- using maximal loads at the time too.

I only topped out at 5ft6 while my bro's are all just under 6ft or over 6ft :?

Soooooooooooo doing SQUATS at an early age means you will be SQUAT

[tomsammce]

Hahaha only having you on bro i had to do it! :grin:

I knew i'd cop it eventually, if it wasn't you, it'd be tom. I ain't mad

Fark, here we go again! Rookie must be serving up onion bhajis otherwise he would be having a crack lol.

He can't handle it though haha

lololol I can give it and I can handle it, someone shoots I shoot back.

No homo?... lol

[cantygirl]

My husband trains at they gym on his way to work every morning. So when each of our Children started high school in the city (we live 20mins from) he gave them the choice of coming with him in the car every morning and training under a PT, (they get shouted hot breaky too), or catching the bus from home. They all chose option 1. Anyway, the deal is, under the gym insurance, no children can be in the gym until 14, so we arranged with the owner a deal involving a PT.

There are more kids in the gym now, like has been said, in conjunction with other outdoor activities, there is no problem with it, mostly they are trained using bodyweight and aerobic fitness, some fun playing stuff with swissballs etc, there is a misconception about weight training interferes with growth plate development, and to a point I agree, yes I wouldn't want my kids lifting heavy weights, they generally don't have the focus and coordination to be safe. Anyway that my 2cents.

[Chemo]

No homo?... lol

oh shit in tears ><

Some of the rugby boys who did weights seriously never grew tall, they were far advanced in terms of muscle development though.

After listening to a lecture about aminos and GH I learnt someting interesting.

You only grow at night. A study was done measuring youths at various time of the day, including before bed and upon waking. The studies came back showing that your growth plates only develop during sleep. That's probably a more important factor in the equation of growth, getting the rest you need.

The following is interesting too, it may explain while sports including lifting can effect your height.

Does weight lifting stunt growth?

Lifting weights will not stunt your growth.

However, there are caveats you should be aware of. Read on.

What does it mean to stunt one’s growth?

Soft areas of cartilage near the end of a growing bone regulate its shape and eventual length. These regions are called growth plates. When you stop growing, the growth plates in your bones harden and become functionally identical to the rest of your bone tissue.

When an older adolescent nears the end of his growth spurt, the strength of his bones’ growth plates is often less than the strength of his ligaments. Growth plates are at the ends of bones.This is especially true in youngsters who engage in strength training activities like weight lifting and bodybuilding.

If an adult with fully ossified bones – bones which are not growing longer – suffers an unfortunate accident, it may put a joint under enough stress to cause ligament damage. When an adolescent is involved in the same sort of accident, and his bone’s growth plate is weaker than his ligaments, he often ends up with a growth plate fracture rather than a ligament tear.

An untreated growth plate fracture may stunt your growth. This sort of fracture is a serious injury with potentially life-altering consequences, but with competent medical attention it does not have to be the crippling injury that it once was. Contemporary orthopedic surgeons can successfully treat these injuries in all but the worst cases.

How is weight lifting related to stunted growth?

Strong adolescents – who might have developed their strength through weight lifting – may suffer a growth-plate fracture rather than a ligament tear because their still-soft growth plates are the weak link in the anatomy in and around their joints. It is this fact that leads to speculation regarding a link between strength training (including weight lifting) and growth plate fractures.

The US government collects data on injuries among adolescents. Its findings indicate that approximately 50% of growth plate fractures occur during sports or recreation activities. Soccer, basketball, football, skateboarding, and bicycling are the five activities most likely to result in growth plate fracture. Weight training was not directly implicated in any growth plate fractures.

It is reasonable to conclude that the old wives’ tale which states that weight lifting can stunt your growth is not only false, it is harmful. The risk of growth plate fracture from an accident during recreational activities is no reason for adolescents to be denied the many positive benefits of strength training.

If weight lifting doesn’t stunt growth, why do so many people believe that it does?

Many people confuse cause with effect.

The best weight lifters and bodybuilders are generally short. It is easier to lift a heavy weight over your head if you are short, because you don’t need to raise the weight as far off the ground. Bodybuilders, who may weigh 220 pounds (100 kg) or more, are usually also short, simply because it is difficult for taller men to eat the massive amounts of food required to fuel a proportionate amount of muscle growth to that of a shorter man with smaller muscles overall.

Tall or short, weightlifting is unrelated to height

Since the very best weight lifters and bodybuilders are short, many people jump to the mistaken conclusion that weight lifting is responsible for stature, instead of concluding that stature is responsible for success in weight lifting.

Additionally, before modern medical treatments were developed, if an unusually-strong child survived a growth-plate fracture, he often remained crippled for life. It is easy to blame the child’s strength for the injury, rather than the accident which injured him.

I’m worried that I am not tall enough. What can I do?

Many adolescents worry about their height.

If you are shorter than you’d like, there’s not much you can do about it except to make sure that you are not malnourished or undernourished.

Eat nutritious food and give yourself the chance to be tall, like the leek and yam in this picture.

If you are malnourished, you are suffering from insufficient amounts of essential nutrients. If you are undernourished, you are not getting enough calories to meet the energy requirements of your growing body. To ensure that you have enough nutrients to fuel your growth, make sure to eat a well-balanced diet while avoiding the empty calories found in junk food.

Don’t avoid strength training because you are worried about stunting your growth. A moderate level of strength training activity will benefit you in many ways and help you develop good habits that will pay dividends in adulthood.

So maybe don't rack up 1RM when your 14?

[PeterDolan]

You only grow at night. A study was done measuring youths at various time of the day, including before bed and upon waking. The studies came back showing that your growth plates only develop during sleep. That's probably a more important factor in the equation of growth, getting the rest you need

I knew staying up playing playstation was gonna f*ck up more than just my eyes!

[Dr Squat]

I knew staying up playing playstation was gonna f*ck up more than just my eyes!

I'd blame youporn for your sight issues Pete. :pfft: