Is My Child Too Young to Lift Weights?

Fitness Tips

Aug 10

Written By Thunder and Lightning Athletic Club

*Lifting weights properly does not stunt kids’ growth.*

This is the single question we hear the most from parents and it almost always comes with the same concern underneath it.

Will lifting weights stunt their growth?

So this is a complete fabrication and it goes against what the research says. Given how much lifting weights can do for a young person, both physically and mentally, it's worth taking a proper look at what the science actually says and what a kids strength program actually looks like.

The Growth Myth

The concern about weights stunting growth comes from the idea that loading the growth plates, the areas of developing cartilage near the ends of bones in young people, could damage them and interfere with normal development.

The concern has a specific origin. In 1964 a study was published examining children in remote areas of Japan who performed heavy physical labour and were observed to be notably short in stature. The conclusion that got drawn was that the physical loading had interfered with their growth. That interpretation spread quickly, got absorbed into conventional wisdom, and has been repeated by parents, coaches, and doctors ever since.

What the conclusion missed was fundamental. These children weren't following a structured, supervised training program. They were performing relentless physical labour in conditions of chronic malnutrition and poverty. Their shortness wasn't caused by lifting. It was caused by hardship.

Here's what the research actually shows. Properly supervised resistance training does not damage growth plates or stunt growth in children or adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and virtually every major sports medicine body have reviewed the evidence and reached the same conclusion. Youth strength training, when coached correctly, is not only safe but actively beneficial for developing bodies.

What does carry a risk of injury is unsupervised, improperly loaded training where kids are attempting maximal lifts without adequate technique or supervision.

What the Research Actually Says

The evidence on youth strength training has shifted significantly over the last two decades. What was once discouraged is now actively recommended by sports medicine and pediatric health organizations around the world.

Here's what the research shows:

Strength training improves bone density in children and adolescents. It improves body composition. Lean muscle mass increases. More muscle, less fat = more better! Not a lot of discussion needed on this. Being stronger is one of the best health indicators we have.

Lifting weights reduces injury risk in sport. Kids who have developed foundational movement patterns and basic strength are significantly less likely to suffer common sports injuries than those who haven't. Strong muscles and connective tissue protect joints in ways that cardiovascular training alone simply can't.

It improves focus, discipline, and confidence. This one doesn't show up in a lab study but we see it with the kids we coach. Learning to do something hard, progressing at it over weeks, and feeling stronger than you were before does something to a young person's sense of themselves that carries well beyond the gym. It creates confidence. That goes a long way.

The Sport Crossover

This is the angle most parents don't think about until later, but it's one of the most compelling reasons to start early.

Every sport at the high school level involves a weight room at some point. Hockey, skiing, soccer, basketball, volleyball, track. When your child gets to that environment, there are two types of kids. The ones who know what they're doing and the ones who don't. The ones who don't either avoid the weight room entirely or end up following whatever the loudest kid in the room is doing, which is rarely the right thing.

A kid who has been strength training since they were 8, 10 or 11 walks into that weight room knowing how to squat, how to deadlift, how to press, how to brace properly, and how to load progressively. They're not intimidated by the environment. They're not susceptible to peer pressure around ego lifting because they already have a foundation and they know it. Imagine a kid whose been skiing their whole lives meeting someone who watched a video on Tiktok about skiing and have them try to tell them about skiing. They would laugh. This is the same thing. They can focus on getting better rather than figuring out what they're supposed to be doing.

That foundation pays dividends for years. And it's significantly easier to build it at 10 than at 16 when sport demands and social dynamics are already competing for attention.

Lifting weights not only makes kids stronger, but it improves focus, discipline, and confidence.

*tructured coaching, progressive loading, and a small group environment produces results that show up fast and stick.*

What the Kids Program at Thunder & Lightning Looks Like

We have been running a strength program for kids that started with 8-10 year olds and has progressed to the 11 to 14 age group. What we've seen consistently is that kids get noticeably stronger and more focused over the course of a term. The combination of structured coaching, progressive loading, and a small group environment produces results that show up fast and stick. In September we are relaunching the program with two age groups.

8 to 10 year olds will train on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm. This group focuses on foundational movement patterns, bodyweight strength, and an introduction to barbell, kettlebell, and dumbbell work in a fun, age-appropriate environment. The goal at this age is building movement patterns, body awareness, and a positive relationship with training that will serve them for the rest of their athletic lives.

11 to 14 year olds will train on Mondays at 4pm and Saturdays at noon. This group builds on those foundations with progressive barbell training, structured programming, and the kind of coaching that prepares them specifically for the weight room environments they'll encounter in high school sport. Both groups run in a coached group class format with experienced coaches who understand how to work with young athletes specifically.