Health Updates

Weight Lifting for Teens: Age-Appropriate Programs

Bob Silber can still recall as a teen visiting his father's health club. "I'm sorry," he remembers the manager telling his father. "The age limit for working out is 18." The manager went on to explain that lifting weights can permanently damage growing bones and muscles.

That was 25 years ago. Today Bob owns his own health club–and his two teen sons, Ron, 16, and Max, 14, are welcome. "This is not to make up for my own disappointment at getting turned away," Bob says. "Times have changed. Health experts say that weight-lifting for kids is ‘in'."

Pumping Up Safely

Bob Silber is right. A study on teenage strength training recently appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. According to the study, a properly designed weight-training program carries little risk of injury for teens. In fact, the report notes, with proper precautions weight training can be effective exercise for children as young as 7.

What is a properly designed weight program? Experts say it's one that takes into account the age of the child, as well as his or her size. Two more parts of the equation are experience and the sport the individual is training for.

Yet another important factor that is too often overlooked is supervision. As Bob Silber can tell you, it's not enough to simply go out and buy resistance-training machines for a school or commercial gym. A qualified individual must be on hand to:

• Teach the basics of weight training. Like most sports, weight lifting has rules and is guided by principles. Most fitness experts today agree that good technique is more important than the amount of weight lifted. A trainer might be your coach at school or an experienced neighbor.
• Be sure instructions are followed. This is especially important in home gyms. In a professional setting, there is a trainer. There should be a responsible adult to take on this responsibility in a home gym.

Weight-training experts also advise teens to have a physical checkup before starting a weight-lifting program. It is important for you to be both physically and psychologically ready.

Ready, Set, Lift

Teens serious about weight training will, of course, have to shoulder some of the responsibility for their own safety and well being. Here are some tips to remember.

• Start slow. Don't try to lift too much at first.
• Set realistic goals for yourself. If your goal is to strengthen your shoulders so you can hit a baseball farther, expect your progress to be slow but steady. Making changes to your body takes time.
• Stay within your abilities. Always use weights that are comfortable for you to lift. To pros this means weights you can lift 8 to 12 times for each of three sets without totally exhausting your muscles.
• Increase weight gradually. Add no more than 1 or 2 pounds of weight at a time.
• Avoid power lifting and squats. Working muscles in back of the legs while holding a barbell behind the shoulders creates too much of a strain. These activities are dangerous even for adults.

Remember above all else that strength training should be fun. If it's work, you're less likely to stick with it. One way to make the experience enjoyable is to work out with a friend.

Just the Facts

1. Identify at least three characteristics of a well-designed weight-training program.
2. What pointers should teens themselves keep in mind when beginning a program of resistance training?

Beyond the Facts

3. Compare and contrast the view of weight training today with the view held when Bob Silber was a teenager.
4. The article mentions that teens should have a physical checkup before starting a weight-lifting program. Why do you think this piece of advice is important? For what kinds of individuals and/or health problems might resistance training be a poor choice?

Applying the Facts

Speak with a physical education teacher in your school or a professional trainer about alternatives to weight training that can be done with little or no equipment. One possibility is isometric exercises. These are movements in which one muscle group is pitted against another. An example of an isometric exercise is pressing the palms of the hands together with all one's might for a count of 10. Learn proper technique for one such exercise. Demonstrate the exercise for your class, and describe its benefits.