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thegmenxlii: Im not sure if some said this, but i always heard that weight lifting at a young age can stunt your growth due to bad form, and the amount of pressure on your spine.

glennpendlay: Even if we take OL out of it, and talk about regular weight training, lets say squats and bench press, the point still stands.  Lets say that a 7 year old can comfortably do 3 sets of 10 with 40lbs on the bench press, yet weighs 80lbs, and can do say, 3 pushups.  Can you think of a reason why bench pressing 40lbs would be more “stressful” than doing pushups?

Do you know the magnitude of difference in the stress level on the knees between lets say, jumping off a swing from 2 feet in the air, and squatting a comfortable set of 10 with say, 60% of bodyweight, a normal and doable task for most 6 year olds?

And to answer your last question, if you want to get to the absolute highest level possible for your genetics, you have to start, IMO, by about age 12 at the latest.  That doesnt mean you cant be really good if you start later.  I have a lifter on this years world championship team that didnt start till age 20.

Starting young helps you reach your full genetic potential.  What that potential is determines how good you will be.  Besides a very select few, most people never get anywhere near their potential, so I would say that how near you get to your potential is the most important thingh

glennpendlay: llulko,

First of all, I would like to ask you if you know of, or have ever heard of, even ONE instance of a growth plate damaged from lifting weights.  I ask this because a few years ago myself and Dr. Lon Kilgore and Dr. Michael Hartman were trying to find such an instance and could find NOT ONE documented case in any medical literature.

Second, if you are concerned about growth plate damage or damage to bones, why arent you leading a crusade against participating in cross country in middle school and high school?  I assume you must know that cross country has the highest incidence of any sport for these types of injuries.

And last, I believe you have stated that weightlifting is more stressful to a young persons body than wrestling or gymnastics?  Could you please explain how on God’s green earth this could possibly be?

Bones, tendons, ligaments not fully developed?  Well, they are fully developed enough that you can do handstand pushups, regular pushups, etc.  Fully developed enough that you can crash into another human being at full force, fall to the ground, etc.  What is odd is that the stress to the bones, tendons, and ligaments in all of these and most other situations in sports that are “ok” to do when you are 6 are not controlled by your strength level, it doesnt matter how strong you are, developed you are, etc, what controls the resistance is your bodyweight, gravity, and possibly the bodyweigt and speed of another person.  But even if you can only do 2 pushups, and in doing a pushup you are basically doing a 1 rep max, or close to it, then that is ok because its “your bodyweight”….  and your bodyweight couldnt possibly hurt you, right???

Compare this to a 7 year old who is learning how to snatch.  We have infinite control over the resistance.  We can, and usually do, start with a wooden dowel or piece of PVC pipe.  IF they are strong enough and able, we can progress to a 10lb aluminum bar.  IF and WHEN they are strong enough and physically ready, we can move to a 20lb steel bar.  We can slowly add weight to the bar through weeks and months WHEN THEY ARE READY.  They will probably eventually lift their bodyweight and more.  It will happen within months, or maybe not for several years.  It will happen when they are READY to do it.  When they are strong enough to do it safely and with good positions.

I will not only say that OL is safe for kids, I will say that it is probably THE SAFEST sport for the 5-8 year old group of ANY SPORT THAT I KNOW OF.  Much safer than soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, etc.  Because these sports are not adjustable.  Stress is placed on the body by bodyweight and gravity, and not with the athletes capabilities determining the precise amount of stress via an adjustalbe barbell.

My son does soccer, weightlifting, and wrestling.  He is 8.  He has a MUCH higher probability of getting hurt in soccer or wrestling than he does in weightlifting.

And by the way, he competed in his first weightlifting competition (Kansas State Championships) when he was 4 years old.  And won the 11 and under catagory at the Junior Olympics when he was 6.

Now at 8 years old he is 5’2” and weighs 110lbs.  I dont think it has stunted his growth.  God help us if he takes up cross country though.

llulko:  I am sure kids will excel with their Olympic lifting careers if they started at a young age however (me personally) I would not allow my child to do weight bearing lifts until his growth plates and muscular development matured.  Learning technique and proper form with little to no weigh is another story. 
 
I just think there are too many risks involved with starting at a young age.  Gymnastics, wrestling, and martial arts are completely different then Olympic lifting, They are mostly body weight and resistance movements,    

roadhouse327: I think that weight training at a young age to improve performance in a sport is different than weight training to become an olympic lifter. I was never aloud to lift until I was around 14 because as I was still growing and exercises such as squats would have had a huge impact on my spine and knees in the long term. However I was doing pushups, sit ups, and pull ups all of which helped with my overall performance. I do think that weightlifting at a young age is not a wise thing to do just because it can alter how your body develops…