For a long time, parents and coaches were told that kids shouldn’t lift weights because it could stunt their growth or damage their growth plates.
But does research actually support that?
Not really.
When strength training is done correctly and supervised by a qualified professional, it can be a safe and valuable part of a young athlete’s development. The key isn’t avoiding the weight room, it’s teaching young athletes how to use it the right way.
Start With Movement, Not Heavy Weight
When a young athlete first starts strength training, the goal shouldn’t be seeing how much weight they can lift. The goal is learning how to move well.
That means starting with the basics: squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, hinging, jumping, landing, and controlling their body through different movements.
Bodyweight exercises and lighter resistance are great places to start. Once an athlete can consistently perform a movement with good technique, resistance can gradually be added.
There’s plenty of time to get stronger. Building good habits first gives athletes a much better foundation to build on.
So, How Much Should Kids Actually Lift?
There isn’t one perfect program for every young athlete.
For beginners, the research suggests starting around 1–2 sets with lighter resistance — roughly 60% of their maximum or less. As technique and experience improve, athletes can gradually progress toward 2–4 sets of 6–12 reps with more resistance.
More experienced teenage athletes may eventually train with heavier loads and lower rep ranges, but that should come after they’ve developed good technique and have appropriate supervision.
In other words: earn the weight before adding the weight!
How Often Should Young Athletes Strength Train?
For most young athletes, 2–3 strength-training sessions per week on non-consecutive days is a great starting point.
But more training isn't always better.
If an athlete is already practicing and competing in multiple sports, strength training shouldn’t simply be piled on top of an already packed schedule. Sometimes a lifting session should replace another training session rather than becoming one more thing the athlete has to recover from.
The goal is to help the athlete perform better, not run them into the ground.
Strength Training Doesn't Stunt Growth
This is probably the biggest myth surrounding kids and the weight room.
The 2014 International Consensus on Youth Resistance Training found no evidence that properly designed resistance training stunts growth or reduces eventual adult height.
Injuries can happen in the weight room, just like they can happen in any sport. But many lifting-related injuries in young athletes are associated with poor supervision, inappropriate loading, or improper technique.
That’s why coaching matters. A well-designed program should match the athlete’s current ability, experience, and maturity rather than simply giving them a smaller version of an adult workout.
Age Isn't the Whole Story
Two athletes can both be 13 years old and be at completely different stages of physical development. That’s why training shouldn’t be based on birthday alone.
A young athlete’s program should take into account their movement skills, training experience, strength, coordination, biological maturity, sport demands, and ability to follow instructions.
Some athletes may be ready to progress faster. Others may need more time practicing the basics. Both are completely normal.
Strength Training Can Help With More Than Strength
The benefits of a good youth strength program go beyond simply lifting more weight.
Research has shown that untrained young athletes can make meaningful strength gains within just a few months of resistance training. Before puberty, many of those improvements come from the nervous system becoming better at coordinating movement rather than simply building bigger muscles.
Strength training may also play an important role in reducing sports injuries.
That can be especially important for young female athletes. During adolescence, strength and neuromuscular training can help athletes develop better control during movements like jumping, landing, cutting, and changing direction — all things that matter when we're thinking about lower-extremity and ACL injury risk.
The Biggest Takeaway
Young athletes don't need to be afraid of the weight room.
They need to be taught how to use it properly and effectively.
Start light. Learn good technique. Progress gradually. Give the body time to recover. Keep training fun and varied. And most importantly, build the program around the individual athlete rather than their age alone.
Strength training isn't about turning a 12-year-old into a powerlifter.
It's about giving young athletes the strength, movement skills, and confidence they can carry into their sport, and hopefully for years beyond it.
Interested in helping your young athlete get stronger, move better, and train safely? Hoops Physio can help build a plan that fits their sport, experience, and goals.
Source
Lloyd RS, Faigenbaum AD, Stone MH, et al. Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 International Consensus. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014;48(7):498–505. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092952
