My son, 9 years old, wants to do some weights to build himself up a little. He is ultra-thin, but eats a fairly healthy diet, and is very active - Karate 2-3 times a week, swimming and Swimming Club league meetings 2-3 times a week, lots of bike rides, football, golf, etc - and we've got to find time to do weights as well! maybe twice a week to begin with. Anyway, for practical reasons it's dumbells only for now. Has anybody got any ideas for a session? I'm not too bothered about the weight of the dumbells, we will build that up over time, and I expect him to be doing sets of 12-15 reps of each exercise. So, what exercises should he do to cover the main muscle groups? Many thanks.
Why? Theres no real evidence against kids lifting weights. I don't think the routine should be much different from an adult? Maybe stick to compound exercises instead of ones that isolate muscles, to avoid straining certain joints/muscles. And avoid him doing squats/deadlift type ones were bad technique could do back damage.
I think you should avoid making your son lifting weights higher than his head as well, as this could affect his spine as he is very young.
Johnny, I'm glad to here this, this is something you and your son can do together for good father and son time. I can't wait until my son is old enough and wants to start lifting (and flipping the tire but that's an entirely different subject) I'm pretty much with KE on this one. I might start him on something like this- Day 1- 1 arm db snatch/overhead squat db bench press db shoulder press bent over db row Day 2- db cleans/front squat farmers walk Romanian deadlift ---note:the RDL is not a stiff leg deadlift (read BeWater's link on From the Ground Up thread). The rear comes back and the db's will slide down the thigh. Your base should start with 1-3 sets w/10-15 reps. After 3+ weeks if his form is good and he's adapting well, lower the reps to the 6-10 range (but never maximal lifting, such as the 1-4 repetition). I know I've included the 1 arm db snatch and db cleans and I'll try and find a link with some video of those two exercises but keep in mind these two points- With the snatch, the point is to get the db overhead in one smooth motion (performing a little hop as the db is lifted off the ground-this almost usually assures explosive movement). Once overhead, the child will squat down and then come back up-this is one repetition. With the clean, it's nearly the same as the snatch-the db's come from the floor to the shoulders (with the hop) and he will squat down with the db's on the shoulders and then come back up-this is one repetition).
Why? You just said it. At his age where the bones and spinal column in particular isn't full developed heavy weight training could have a bad effect on him. Like blessed said, never maximal lifting because that can have a real bad effect. No real evidence? In cadets we watched the documentary bout Richard Sandrak. A CI whos been bodybuilding for quite a while said 'Look at that, on those leg presses his knees were nearly buckling' because of the stress put on them. Im not saying heavy weights are necessarily good or bad BUT they could potentially have a detrimental effect on bones. I doubt you would wish your child to have squinted bones or to be paraplegic by 25 for the sake of you enforcing your ego and opinions.
The problem that we see is children and adolescents subjected to elite athlete/collegiate training programs and this is just wrong. While I wish I could go back to 8 years old and pick up O lifting (echoed by Dan John also) we can seriously minimize risk by using smart parameters. We have to start with the higher end of the reps to get form down and there's just no point in going "heavy" when an individual has no strength base to start with, let alone adaption to resistance training. We can then increase the intensity depending on the childs progress but a child should never (I hate that word) lift maximal or near maximal percentages.
I didn't say anything! You need more evidence than one person who's knees looked iffy. What damage will lifting weights have on the bones? A child will only lift relatively light weights anyway. And consider the weight that goes on the legs everyday when walking!? Doesn't leave the child with stunted legs.
My hunch is that the heavy resistance will actually increase bone density. That's the way it works with older lifters. In any case, we're not talking about anything resembling a heavy program. Just something to get a kid started.
I really wouldn't have a child do a Romanian deadlift. Your workout has a lot of squats and other alround exercises which will give a very good workout but I'd worry too much about potential damage to the spine to recommend them myself. A child may lack the discipline to keep proper technique. A lot of the older bodybuilders were I train including the gym owners are very wary of deadlifts due to the long term stress it places on the spine.
I wouldn't bother with weights, not necessarily because of the potential damage (if there is any), but rather how much strength can you expect a 9 year old boy to gain with no testosterone?
More than you'd expect. After all, women don't have much testosterone, and they can make pretty good gains. If you're THAT worried, try gymnastics. Although frankly, you're still dealing with heavy resistance so I fail to see how it's any 'safer'.
dumbells + growing bones = misallignment and possible deformity Is it really worth the risk? Get ur son to try gymnastics, MA or boxing, convince him thats the real way to build muscle
Where on earth do you get your information from Maybe that would happen if he had his son squating 400lb I'd say doing gymnastics or boxing could be potentialy more dangerous!
IF you get the kid to start squatting hundreds of pounds, THEN you MIGHT have problems. Learning olympic lifts and doing a few presses isn't going to hurt him. Far from it.
OK - possibly stupid observation I dont see a problem with kids lifting weights provided the poundages are well within their capabilities AND THEY ARE WELL SUPERVISED. Kids tend to suddenly drop things if its too heavy But..we know bodyweight resistance builds strength. It's also probably safer (you cant drop a press up on your foot)..and won't the body control learnt by doing say pistols or planches have a greater carry over to sports and be a great party piece? Wish my parents had taught me things like that. My kids love showing off their high kicks and splits and press ups ...
Good post. As long as the gym workout is for functional strength instead of a bodybuilding routine then it can be carried over to sports.
Don't worry about introducing your lad to weight lifting; running, jumping and hitting often put alot more stress on the body and these are activities that all children do. Children who do competitive weightlifting have higher bone densities than children who don't, so he should be less likely to get injuries during his childhood. Make sure you keep the weight light to begin with and concentrate on perfecting his technique. With proper supervision he shoud be safer than playing many other sports.
