Weightlifting At Home: Is It Safe For Kids?

There is a common myth that weightlifting is bad for children. The myth states that children’s muscles and bones are not developed enough for the stress of weightlifting; that’s simply not the case. While it is true that children have underdeveloped muscles and bones, they are still capable of lifting weight in controlled circumstances. As with adults, the weightlifting needs to be careful and controlled. If you are not careful when lifting weights, anyone can be injured. You need to make sure that if you are working out with a child that you go slowly and help that child through the proper motions.

Proper Technique

The most important thing about working out is to use proper technique. Weightlifting is all about placing stress on your muscles, joints, and bones; however, that stress needs to be careful and controlled. That is the purpose of proper technique. For example, squatting is a great way to boost strength in your lower body. Squats have become one of the most popular exercises for people around the world. That’s because squats are a dynamic motion that exercises large muscle groups as well as stabiliser muscles around those groups. However, if a squat is not done properly, it can lead to serious pain in the shoulders, back, and knees. Lower back problems are a common issue that occurs if you lift improperly. To reduce that chance, you need to carefully walk your child through the different elements of squatting.

With exercises such as squats and bench presses that have such a high chance of injury, it’s probably best to begin with body weight. A bodyweight squat teaches the child the motion of a squat without the bar that increases his or her risk of getting injured. Furthermore, a bodyweight squat is likely a challenging exercise for someone who hasn’t worked out before.

Age

The age at which you start weightlifting and exercising with children is different. There is no magic age at which a child becomes ready for weightlifting. Typically, he or she will be interested in your home lifting equipment because he or she sees you using it. That is the start of a great health regimen for an entire lifetime. You don’t have to police the technique used by your children very carefully but you do need to be careful about the amount of weight that you allow your child to use.

He or she will likely become interested around age four or five. You should let him or her explore with very light weights that are maximised to appeal to children as fun. He or she will also likely become very bored after only a few minutes. As he or she grows, he or she will become more interested in the weights and likely begin to take it more seriously.

Children’s growth will not be stunted if you are a responsible parent and monitor your children while they use weights. Make sure that they are safe with the weights and teach them how to use them. You should let them have fun with very light weights that will help them grow into lovers of fitness.