is it ok for my 10 year old son to lift weights

For the last few weeks, my 10 year old son has been getting up at 5:30 am to go to the gym with me . Its been great, but he wants to actually lift while there. I have let him do like 3 different lifts each time with fairly light dumbells.

But I don't want to do something that will cause him any problems. Common senses tells me that there should'nt be any harm as long as he keeps the weights light .....in the range that he can lift at least 10 times.

Does anyone know for sure what is OK for a 10 year old.

Make sure the movements are easy for him. At that age, I think body resistant movementsd are best.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mark21087 [/i]
[B]Make sure the movements are easy for him. At that age, I think body resistant movementsd are best. [/B][/QUOTE]

Agreed. That age is a little tender yet. I'd just have him do some push-ups, pullups, that sort of thing. If using weights, I'd use low weight, high rep basic movements. It's not "bad" exactly, just be careful.

I'd stay away from it. We watched a movie in school about children and resistance exercise. Basically, the arguement is that pre-pubescent children are unable to dissipate heat during intense exercise and they are unable to produce adequate Phosphofructokinase which is essential for lactic acid removal and metabolism.

careful, he might get carried away....[URL=http://www.richardsandrak.org/home.htm]click[/URL]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cobra kai [/i]
[B]careful, he might get carried away....[URL=http://www.richardsandrak.org/home.htm]click[/URL] [/B][/QUOTE]
Yea I saw that before. This is'nt about pushing my son into something like that. It is really just that it is great having this time together each day. And he is bored just watching, he really wants to go all out, but I know thats not possible yet.

I heard it affects some sort of... plate or something, like the muscles interfere with its growth and can cause problems down the road. I only HEARD that though, i cant verify it at all. Some push ups and sit ups wouldnt hurt though.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Juggernaut [/i]
[B]I heard it affects some sort of... plate or something, like the muscles interfere with its growth and can cause problems down the road. I only HEARD that though, i cant verify it at all. Some push ups and sit ups wouldnt hurt though. [/B][/QUOTE]

Use of anabolic steriods before the closing of the growth plates are what causes this phenomenon. It should not be harmful for a 10 year old to lift weights, as long as the weights are kept very light and the reps are high (i would also not take any sets to failure), though before the onset of puberty i would not expect to make any real gains.
My biggest concern would be injury to joints, which could plague him for a lifetime.
Enjoy the time with your son, but be careful.

i say have him do pushups, situps, pullups and body weight squats. that way u dont have to worry about him screwing his body up

At his age he should stick to pull ups, chinups press ups, sit ups and dips.

[QUOTE=Verdelet;339746551]At his age he should stick to pull ups, chinups press ups, sit ups and dips.[/QUOTE]

^^^

This will help build a firm base during this growing stage, so in the future, resistance in terms of weights can be applied.

Yeah I agree that he could have injuries that could affect him forever. Wait till hes grown to handle weights so just have him do light stuff for now.

body weight exercises are def. the safer option at that age

Strong bump. His son is 17 now

have him start out with body weight exercises only would be the best option for safety.

if you want him to be lifting free weights id suggest having him do very light weight and teaching him very strict form so he doesnt get injured or mess anything up

lol don't people check the thread's date before posting?

[QUOTE=DaRk LuCiFeR;339775141]lol don't people check the thread's date before posting?[/QUOTE]

lol, well OP- hows your son been doing with the lifting?

Wonder if he has continued to workout? Could be a big 17 yearold

[QUOTE=NZDarren;339779461]Wonder if he has continued to workout? Could be a big 17 yearold[/QUOTE]

Update LOL well the gym wouldn't let him lift untill he turned 16. That was in december, in january I had major shoulder surgery and haven't been able to really lift since. So after waiting to be able to really lift together we still can't.

However we did do two major bike trips, in 2006 he and I rode our mntbikes from Canada to Mexico and then last summer he and my oldest son started in Anchorage Alaska and rode to Mexico I met up with them in Vancouver and rode the rest of the way. Mark started the trip kinda chunky but ended up losing 32 lbs along the way and started high school as quite the chick magnet.

[QUOTE=mntbikedude;861050]For the last few weeks, my 10 year old son has been getting up at 5:30 am to go to the gym with me . Its been great, but he wants to actually lift while there. I have let him do like 3 different lifts each time with fairly light dumbells.

But I don't want to do something that will cause him any problems. Common senses tells me that there should'nt be any harm as long as he keeps the weights light .....in the range that he can lift at least 10 times.

Does anyone know for sure what is OK for a 10 year old.[/QUOTE]
honestly the best thing I think from all the literature, research, and just what I heard from profs in college is to have him master his own bodyweight first.

As in don't put a 10 years old who can't do 20 pushups under a bench press or a kid that can't do 100 bodyweight squats under a bar to do squats etc. etc.

focus on bodyweight movements like pullups, chinups, pushups, bodyweight squats etc.

The overall consensus is when they "master" their own bodyweight they can be introduced to weight training

[QUOTE=mntbikedude;339787201]Update LOL well the gym wouldn't let him lift untill he turned 16. That was in december, in january I had major shoulder surgery and haven't been able to really lift since. So after waiting to be able to really lift together we still can't.

However we did do two major bike trips, in 2006 he and I rode our mntbikes from Canada to Mexico and then last summer he and my oldest son started in Anchorage Alaska and rode to Mexico I met up with them in Vancouver and rode the rest of the way. Mark started the trip kinda chunky but ended up losing 32 lbs along the way and started high school as quite the chick magnet.[/QUOTE]

thats amazing. make sure he keeps up with the cardio and bike riding and the 2 of you will get in the gym together eventually. ^ repped for being a good dad btw

[QUOTE=msm172021121;339791411]thats amazing. make sure he keeps up with the cardio and bike riding and the 2 of you will get in the gym together eventually. ^ repped for being a good dad btw[/QUOTE]

Thanks being a dad has been amazing, for those interested here's a link to some pictures from last summers ride. Man I wish I was there right now.

[url]http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=366444812&albumId=940540[/url]

[QUOTE=mntbikedude;339793541]Thanks being a dad has been amazing, for those interested here's a link to some pictures from last summers ride. Man I wish I was there right now.

[url]http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=366444812&albumId=940540[/url][/QUOTE]

damn, saw the 1st 2 pages then got jealous and had to stop looking. i need a vacation

[youtube]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/esrqV8IVorQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/esrqV8IVorQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]

[QUOTE=mntbikedude;861050]For the last few weeks, my 10 year old son has been getting up at 5:30 am to go to the gym with me . Its been great, but he wants to actually lift while there. I have let him do like 3 different lifts each time with fairly light dumbells.

But I don't want to do something that will cause him any problems. Common senses tells me that there should'nt be any harm as long as he keeps the weights light .....in the range that he can lift at least 10 times.

Does anyone know for sure what is OK for a 10 year old.[/QUOTE]

Wish my dad did that for me at 10 lol.

[QUOTE=taytt_pasha;339822821]wait till 15 imo. 10 is toooo young[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://i40.tinypic.com/34huhd1.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Sonny;861274]I'd stay away from it. We watched a movie in school about children and resistance exercise. Basically, the arguement is that pre-pubescent children are unable to dissipate heat during intense exercise and they are unable to produce adequate Phosphofructokinase which is essential for lactic acid removal and metabolism.[/QUOTE]

I can't believe that to be true. I played soccer since I was 5 years old which obviously isn't like lifting weights, but I was running around like a race horse for nearly 60 minutes straight at that age. Also I clearly recall riding my bike for miles on end sometimes at breakneck speeds at that age without any problems dissipating heat.

I think as long as you are monitoring him and keeping the exercises very light, as someone else mentioned probably best to stick with body weight exercises for now, he'll be fine.

something i wrote on another forum:

Is weight training safe for teenagers / does it stunt their growth?
A couple of reviews sum it up well.

[quote]Despite the contention that strength training was inappropriate or dangerous for young weight trainers, the safety and effectiveness of youth strength training are now well documented, and the qualified acceptance of youth strength training by medical and fitness organizations is becoming universal.1[/quote]

[quote]Given the proper supervision and appropriate instruction and program design, children involved in resistance training do not appear to be at greater risk of injury than other young athletes who have not undergone such training. However, parents, coaches, and trainers should be aware that participation in unsupervised training or in activities involving rapid and maximal loading places prepubescent children at increased risk of injury and is not recommended.2[/quote]

Therefore, the short answer to this is no, as long as the exercises are performed correctly. There is the small chance of fracturing the growth plate (physis) of a long bone which might cause it to stop growing. However, there is much less chance of this occurring doing weight training compared to other sports (soccer, AFL, rugby) which often involve a lot of sheering forces and substantial loads being placed on the body.

References

1. Faigenbaum, A. (2000). Strength training for children and adolescents. Clinics in Sports Medicine, Volume 19, Issue 4, Pages 593-619.
2. Guy & Micheli. (2001). Strength training for children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 9, 29-36.