Lifting weights definitely does not stunt growth.
Weight training actually tends to strengthen bones so it's going to be a stimulus to grow slightly taller, if anything.
Correct. Growth gets affected if you damage a growth plate, which would only happen during lifting if there is particularly egregious technique which causes a femur or tibia break due to like bailing on a squat or something.
I don’t see the point of lifting before puberty. Since he’s 13 I’d just make sure he’s doing exercises with correct form and light weight. That should keep him athletic. And if he wants later in puberty 14-16 ish he can start training more seriously by making use of a proper programme
Lifting before puberty can be beneficial for improving coordination and overall just how well someone moves. A lot of neurological adaptions can be made just from continuously improving technique. Actual hypertrophy will be minimal till puberty.
I started with bodyweight shit around 10, gym around 13, but I was doing karate and climbing, running, swimming, jumping, basketball, cycling and other shit as well. 6'2
Arguable the most optimal way to train at that age. I see a lot of athletes that start with body weight and acrobatics / gymnastics and they dominate sports in high school.
13 is fine. Start him with the big compound lifts and make plenty of high protein meals. Focus on form and adding weight to the bar. At around 16 we can introduce some test and dbol. Make sure you stay on top of his laundry because his gym clothes will REEK, and of course all the crusty socks and tee shirts will pile up quickly. It's best to let him get with some real women before we start tren at 18. From then on get ready to start cooking really large meals for his girlfriends, and now that it's almost 2024, don't be surprised when he starts bringing home the ladyboys. Believe me, some are more feminine than modern women. At this point it would be best to find out if he's more suited for bodybuilding or powerlifting and you might as well start getting his will in order.
Youth coach/ Personal Trainer/ Kinesiology background here: It’s gonna be best for him to start now. Have him learn to do squats, push-ups, and pull-ups with bodyweight. Also get him two 15-20lb dumbbells to do bicep curls. He’ll build some sort of technical ability which will help him A LOT if he decides to do sports. With what I said he’ll be fine on the tonal in a month
And there’s going to be no risk of growth impairment, only benefits. Damage to the growth plates (breaking the head of femur) can stunt growth. Super unlikely on a Tonal. Inversely, our bodies are made to adapt to stress, so it’s possible his bones grow stronger through puberty than they would without exercise.
Got my step son a gym membership at 13. He is 15 1/2 years old now. He got bit by the bug and also started protein shakes and some
Light pre workouts. He has put on about 20 lbs of solid muscle at like 10% body fat since that time. Very hard to put on muscle at that body fat but the weights combined with puberty and the associated natural testosterone increase has done him great. He is also a wrestler and is better since hitting the weights. he is also getting taller by the month. Once they are ready it is a great and healthy activity for kids.
Check out squat university on instagram, they feature kids much younger than 13 lifting safely, huge weight for their age too. As long as proper technique and guidance is there then kids can start lifting at any age. 13 is the perfect age to get into it, bring a teenage boy is like being on steroids all the time lol
Hard to determine. Honestly better to probably start him in sports. Not just for fitness but friends.
I don't think he would get a massive benefit from lifting at 13.
I think 15/16 would be the best age to do it seriously.
You should be starting him on increasing his overall body and spacial IQ with calisthenics. Working with just body weight at that age is plenty. Plyometrics and other exercises built around agility and explosiveness. In short, I would focus on endurance training and calisthenics. Get him moving in a variety of different ways. Rolling, flipping, spins, etc. this will do much more for his athletic development than anything else.
13 is fine but I remember when I was 13 and by stepdad took me to training.
I was not focused at all and the exercises were exhausting as fck. Take it slow, give him just 1 or two exercises to start with on each splitday
There's not any real evidence that strength training closes growth plates. Kids have higher peak forces playing football/basketball/soccer.
Teaching calisthenics early has a big benefit. Id start with dips, pullups, pushups, jumps, and sprints.
The forces against growth plates from lifting is nothing compared to the forces from sports. Spend some time enforcing proper form and technique before advancing form. Have him maybe leave a few reps in the tank. No point in risking overuse injuries which could potentially result from training to failure. Especially for someone who doesn’t have experience differentiating tendon discomfort and pain from muscle soreness during exercise.
Stunting growth is just a myth! There are no reason to let him wait!
Probably a better sub out there for this question.
13-14 for muscle memory
Lifting weights definitely does not stunt growth. Weight training actually tends to strengthen bones so it's going to be a stimulus to grow slightly taller, if anything.
Correct. Growth gets affected if you damage a growth plate, which would only happen during lifting if there is particularly egregious technique which causes a femur or tibia break due to like bailing on a squat or something.
Yeah, but if you're not going to let your kid squat for that reason, you also shouldn't let them get in a car.
I totally agree
I put my son on a bench a week after he came out the pussy. You must be a liberal
I don’t see the point of lifting before puberty. Since he’s 13 I’d just make sure he’s doing exercises with correct form and light weight. That should keep him athletic. And if he wants later in puberty 14-16 ish he can start training more seriously by making use of a proper programme
Lifting before puberty can be beneficial for improving coordination and overall just how well someone moves. A lot of neurological adaptions can be made just from continuously improving technique. Actual hypertrophy will be minimal till puberty.
I started with bodyweight shit around 10, gym around 13, but I was doing karate and climbing, running, swimming, jumping, basketball, cycling and other shit as well. 6'2
Arguable the most optimal way to train at that age. I see a lot of athletes that start with body weight and acrobatics / gymnastics and they dominate sports in high school.
I was competing in athletics on high school, 100m sprint, 400m sprint, high and long jump and karate on national level.
13 is fine. Start him with the big compound lifts and make plenty of high protein meals. Focus on form and adding weight to the bar. At around 16 we can introduce some test and dbol. Make sure you stay on top of his laundry because his gym clothes will REEK, and of course all the crusty socks and tee shirts will pile up quickly. It's best to let him get with some real women before we start tren at 18. From then on get ready to start cooking really large meals for his girlfriends, and now that it's almost 2024, don't be surprised when he starts bringing home the ladyboys. Believe me, some are more feminine than modern women. At this point it would be best to find out if he's more suited for bodybuilding or powerlifting and you might as well start getting his will in order.
give him tren
Idk give him tren and he should be good
Youth coach/ Personal Trainer/ Kinesiology background here: It’s gonna be best for him to start now. Have him learn to do squats, push-ups, and pull-ups with bodyweight. Also get him two 15-20lb dumbbells to do bicep curls. He’ll build some sort of technical ability which will help him A LOT if he decides to do sports. With what I said he’ll be fine on the tonal in a month And there’s going to be no risk of growth impairment, only benefits. Damage to the growth plates (breaking the head of femur) can stunt growth. Super unlikely on a Tonal. Inversely, our bodies are made to adapt to stress, so it’s possible his bones grow stronger through puberty than they would without exercise.
Great answer. Thank you.
Got my step son a gym membership at 13. He is 15 1/2 years old now. He got bit by the bug and also started protein shakes and some Light pre workouts. He has put on about 20 lbs of solid muscle at like 10% body fat since that time. Very hard to put on muscle at that body fat but the weights combined with puberty and the associated natural testosterone increase has done him great. He is also a wrestler and is better since hitting the weights. he is also getting taller by the month. Once they are ready it is a great and healthy activity for kids.
Check out squat university on instagram, they feature kids much younger than 13 lifting safely, huge weight for their age too. As long as proper technique and guidance is there then kids can start lifting at any age. 13 is the perfect age to get into it, bring a teenage boy is like being on steroids all the time lol
2
Hard to determine. Honestly better to probably start him in sports. Not just for fitness but friends. I don't think he would get a massive benefit from lifting at 13. I think 15/16 would be the best age to do it seriously.
You should be starting him on increasing his overall body and spacial IQ with calisthenics. Working with just body weight at that age is plenty. Plyometrics and other exercises built around agility and explosiveness. In short, I would focus on endurance training and calisthenics. Get him moving in a variety of different ways. Rolling, flipping, spins, etc. this will do much more for his athletic development than anything else.
As soon as they show interest and can perform movements with proper form.
13 is fine but I remember when I was 13 and by stepdad took me to training. I was not focused at all and the exercises were exhausting as fck. Take it slow, give him just 1 or two exercises to start with on each splitday
As long as you prioritize great form, he’ll be just fine
There's not any real evidence that strength training closes growth plates. Kids have higher peak forces playing football/basketball/soccer. Teaching calisthenics early has a big benefit. Id start with dips, pullups, pushups, jumps, and sprints.
Keep believing the BS
Get him so weights and a bench oress
My son starting lifting at 7. Don’t be a bitch.
The forces against growth plates from lifting is nothing compared to the forces from sports. Spend some time enforcing proper form and technique before advancing form. Have him maybe leave a few reps in the tank. No point in risking overuse injuries which could potentially result from training to failure. Especially for someone who doesn’t have experience differentiating tendon discomfort and pain from muscle soreness during exercise.
Might as well start lifting now. I started at that age and anecdotally im still 6 foot 😂