There is a debate whether kids should lift or not but there is a better question how do we develop a healthy relationship with exercise. There are different ways to teach kids to have a great relationship with exercise. The first one is play. Just allow your kids outside the house and play. They can even jump in the house, just let them play. By them just being active they will want to continue being active. The second way is put them in sports or extracurricular activities. It could be football, karate, gymnastics or cheer but by them being active in a young age they will want to continue with their personal health long term. Another plus is they can participate in something they like and won’t see it as work. The third way is to be the example. For instance, because our kids see me workout and that I am stronger, they want to lift too. At the end of the day most people who have a positive experience early in life, are more likely to continue to live a healthy lifestyle. They are also more likely to have a healthy relationship with exercise. Whatever you do, don’t force kids into exercise. Just like if someone forces you to do something that you don’t truly enjoy. That’s when rebellion happens. This will lead kids to see exercise, how many adults see exercise today. As a punishment. First and foremost, allow them to enjoy movement. Play is vital.
Now let’s get into should you allow your kids lift weights. The answer is yes and no. This is all dependent on your kids’ level of movement, growth spurts, and will they have someone to teach them proper function. Some kids just have better movement patterns than others because they actively play all the time. For example, with my kids, my son and oldest daughter have stability in their movement where adding load will not affect them as much. But my son’s twin sister even though she is active does not have nearly the stability to warrant weight training. We would start with body weight control. As the kids age, growth spurts happen, we will have to continue to adjust their training as they get older. They will have moments where we will have to reduce the weight, then must add stability back into the movement. Even as an adult who works out consistently I do this. Its not just true for kids but for everyone when they become out of alignment. But overall kids can lift weights it depends on the individual kid and goal.
My suggestions
1. Understand where your kids are with movement.
2. If you decide to have them lift weights do so under supervision of a trainer who talks to you about movement patterns and not just working your kid out
3. Finally listen to your child if they are tired and feel aches and pain. All because something hurts or causes soreness, doesn’t mean its working. This holds true for adults as well.
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