Sánchez 1

Alejandra Sánchez

Dr. William Nolen

English 1302-224

24 April 2022

Children and Weightlifting

As children aspire to have collegiate or professional sports careers, they take the

measures to advance their performance. In addition to sport-specific practice, weightlifting is a

method to increase strength and performance. Weightlifting has been a very controversial

activity and its effects have been debated in the fitness field. Specifically, weightlifting for

children has been looked down upon as children are seen as in the middle of development, and

participation in such activity can result in detrimental, long-term negative effects on their

development. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics had originally ruled that

weightlifting was “an unnecessary risk” and would not improve strength in children (Myer et. al.

2054-2055). However, the literature review of eight articles has revealed and discussed the

positive benefits and effects of children in weightlifting. Some of these include lowering the risk

of injury, increased self-esteem, and improved strength and performance. Weightlifting when the

athlete and coach are informed of the proper elements can be beneficial and safe.

Some of the concerns for children’s weightlifting include the use of extreme lifting and

abnormal muscle gains, however, they are not true. In Nuno Matos’ and Richard Winsley’s

work, they define how muscle hypertrophy is the increase of muscle mass and it is unlikely to

result in prepubertal athletes from weightlifting (354). They explain how hormones play a key

factor in the increment of muscle mass, testosterone being one of these hormones. Therefore,

prepubertal children weightlifting will not result in extreme or abnormal muscle growth as seen
 Sánchez 2

in adults. Additionally, Matos and Winsley also address that lifting programs should avoid high-

intensity efforts such as performing maximal lifts or to such an intensity that can be too difficult

or extreme even for adults (355). Participation in such activity would be unsafe, unhealthy, and

unnecessary for children. Finally, stunted growth is associated with children’s weightlifting,

which is again false. Faigenbaum and Myer discuss the importance and consequences of injury

to the growth plate in children in their work: “Injury to this section of bone could result in time

lost from training, significant discomfort and growth disturbance” (59). However, they found

that there is no evidence that resistance training will hurt the growth plate growth and negatively

impact growth in children. Research has shown that resistance training in children does not result

in an increase in extreme, abnormal muscle growth, should and does not involve high intensity

and maximal lifting, and does not necessarily hurt the growth of children so long as it is done

correctly and safely. On the contrary, the literature review points to many benefits of

weightlifting only if the proper steps and knowledge are acquired.

Weightlifting and its benefits are perfectly safe so long as young athletes are taught the

importance of proper form and rest.

“As recently as the 1980s, resistance training […] was not often recommended for

child and adolescent athletes due to presumed high injury risks with this form of

exercise…assumptions were falsely made that the injuries were due to the resistance

exercise themselves rather than poor training technique, inadequate adult supervision,

excessive loading, or poorly-designed equipment” (Kriz 204).

Supervision of proper execution of any exercise is vital to preventing injuries and acquiring its

benefits properly. Lack of supervision can result in accidental and nonaccidental injuries. There

is a misconception that weightlifting makes the athlete prone to injuries, however, weightlifting
 Sánchez 3

yields the opposite- a decrease in the risk of injury. In fact, the injuries seen in weightlifting are

mostly not from the activity itself. While a portion of injuries from resistance training stems from

incorrect form, most of the injuries from the weight room are classified as accidental injuries, not

from performing weightlifting itself. Accidental injuries are considered injuries not resulting

from lifting, and nonaccidental injuries resulting from lifting (Myer et. al. 2054). Therefore,

Myer and his colleagues suggest that in order to reduce both accidental and nonaccidental

injuries, coaches or instructors must maintain a safe training environment and emphasize proper

form (2058). If the athlete follows the correct form execution to steer away from nonaccidental

and a coach provides a safe environment and instruction to prevent accidental injuries, there is

little possibility of injury (Faigenbaum and Myer 56). While there is no minimum age

requirement for weightlifting, a young athlete must be physically and mentally ready to listen

and heed coaching instructions (Kriz 204). It is not only the responsibility of coaches and

instructors to establish a safe environment, they as well as parents must consider the young

athlete’s age and maturity to be able to be disciplined to follow proper instructions and protocols

to maintain the safety of themselves and others in the weight room. Failure to acknowledge this

can risk the young athlete and others to accidental injuries. Before initiating any program, the

athlete must be mature enough and be given the foundation of proper execution to prevent any

type of injury and acquire the injury-reducing effects from weightlifting.

From inside the weight room to outside, it is vital for instructors to allow young athletes

to rest and recuperate, not only to allow the benefits of resistance training to take effect, but also

to prevent overtraining and burning out the young athlete. “Overtraining, insufficient periods of

rest, poor biomechanics or technique, year-round training and competition, and sport

specialization are all elements that have contributed to the increased incidence of overuse
 Sánchez 4

injuries in recent decades” (Kriz 204). Overtraining is defined as a long-term effect of decreased

performance over several months (Bell 1897). This results not only in decreased performance but

higher exposure to overuse injuries (Matos and Winsley 363). Overuse injuries are defined as

injuries from repetitive stress and inadequate time of rest to allow healing (Kriz 203). From a

psychological perspective, the decrease in performance can result in young athletes putting

themselves down for not meeting their goals. Self-pressures and pressures from their coaches and

parents can result in the young athlete pushing themselves to an unhealthy level, again, resulting

in overtraining and its negative effects. It is difficult to diagnose overtraining syndrome, and

many see this as another reason against weight training. However, this only enforces the

importance of rest, athletes listening to their bodies to be conscious of their limits, and prevent

falling into overtraining. Therefore, coaches, parents, and the athlete themselves must not

participate in extremely intense training that can expose them to overtraining syndrome to not

risk the athlete to overuse injuries and psychological problems. Because its symptoms are not

clearly defined, rest is vital in the role of preventing falling to overtraining.

Usually, resistance programs will integrate a period of overreaching to increase strength

and performance, however, the line between it and overtraining is not clearly defined.

Overreaching pushes the athlete to a healthy level that allows their body to increase in strength

and pushes them to the next level of performance. Pistilli et. al. best explains overreaching as its

“[…] goals being to ‘peak’ an athlete for competition, minimize fatigue, and prevent

accommodation to training and overtraining” (39). In Pistilli and his colleagues’ research, they

concluded that the results of overreaching showed performance improvement immediately after a

week of overreaching and the next two weeks following its completion period (40). However, as

mentioned, if overreaching is done for a longer period than recommended and proper recovery is
 Sánchez 5

not achieved, the benefits will not be seen and will result in non-functional overreaching or even

overtraining. Non-functional overreaching ruins the purpose of overreaching and results in

performance decrement (Bell et. al. 1897). As Pistilli and his colleagues explain, proper rest must

be planned to not fall into non-functional overreaching or overtraining and to gain the strength

results of overreaching (39). The main concern of prolonged exposure to non-functional

overreaching is defining when it turns to overtrain. The biggest difference between non-

functional overreaching and overtraining is that overtraining is a long-term condition (40). In

Clementine Grandou and colleagues’ work, they argue that changes in performance and recovery

time are elements to diagnose and distinguish if an athlete has fallen into these two conditions

(824). Therefore, coaches need to use performance measures for efficient and successful

programming to avoid non-functional overreaching and overtraining. While children may not

need intense overreaching for ultimate strength results, this research again emphasizes the

importance of rest to not fall into maladaptive cycles of training and see results overall. Coaches

and instructors should encourage athletes to listen to their bodies and encourage taking priority in

resting for them to avoid any type of burnout.

Resistance training can not only be used in the sports community for gains, but for

medical purposes as well. While resistance training has been discussed for the purpose of

athletes and the increment of strength gains for better sports performance, there have been

experiments and research on implementing strength training to help children with Developmental

Coordination Disorder. Developmental Coordination Disorder “is an impairment in the

development of motor coordination that interferes with academic achievement or day-to-day

tasks (Kaufman and Schilling 456). Physical symptoms may include “dysfunctional muscle tone

regulation, reflex abnormalities […] coordination problems, poor fine motor manipulative ability
 Sánchez 6

[…]” (456). The authors take on sensory integration theory and the use of resistance training to

help the subject with Developmental Coordination Disorder. The authors explain sensory

integration states that “active muscle contraction against resistance is considered an effective

strategy to facilitate the development of proprioceptive awareness” (457). The authors

hypothesize that by putting a subject with this disorder through a resistance training program, he

would be able to improve his motor skills. After their literature review established that resistance

training is safe for children, they took all the safety measures previously discussed especially

taking into consideration the subject’s disorder. The program consisted of light free weights and

training two times a week with a full day of recovery between each session (463). Throughout

the experiment, the authors noticed the subject building endurance by taking fewer and shorter

rest periods throughout the workout (464). While before the subject was not able to jump nor run

at a speed for a child his age, after the program the subject was able to run fast with an improved

running pattern and was able to jump (456). Besides these physical improvements, the subject’s

guardians and teachers observed an increase in confidence from his new motor skills and

motivation to challenge his abilities (465). Resistance training was successful in this subject to

aid with his lack of motor skills as a result of his disorder. Through the use of the necessary and

proper elements of supervision, proper form, and rest, the program yielded beneficial results.

Additional to physical improvements, the gaining of more motor skills improved the child’s self-

confidence.

As discussed, weightlifting is a safe activity as a way for increasing strength for better

sports performance among young athletes when the proper protocols and procedures are

followed. Supervision, proper form, and rest are vital in the prevention of falling into

overtraining and risking injuries. Supervision of knowledgeable instructors aids in the prevention
 Sánchez 7

and correction of improper forms to prevent nonaccidental and accidental injuries. Rest is

essential to allow the body to recuperate and allow the effects of resistance training to take their

course. All of these elements play a part in keeping weightlifting, specifically in children, safe

and beneficial.
 Sánchez 8

Work Cited

Bell, Lee, et al. “Overreaching and Overtraining in Strength Sports and Resistance Training: A

Scoping Review.” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 38, no. 16, 2020, pp. 1897–1912.,

https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1763077.

Faigenbaum, A D, and G D Myer. “Resistance Training among Young Athletes: Safety, Efficacy

and Injury Prevention Effects.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 44, no. 1, 2009,

pp. 56–63., https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2009.068098.

Grandou, Clementine, et al. “Overtraining in Resistance Exercise: An Exploratory Systematic

Review and Methodological Appraisal of the Literature.” Sports Medicine, vol. 50, no. 4,

2019, pp. 815–828., https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01242-2.

Kaufman, Linda B, and Denise L Schilling. “Implementation of a Strength Training Program for

a 5-Year-Old Child with Poor Body Awareness and Developmental Coordination

Disorder.” Physical Therapy, vol. 87, no. 4, 2007, pp. 455–467.,

https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20060170.

Kriz, Peter. “Overuse Injuries in the Young Athlete.” Medicine & Health Rhode Island, vol. 94,

no. 7, July 2011, pp. 203–08. EBSCOhost, https://search-ebscohost-

com.tamiu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=63284136&scope=site.

Matos, Nuno, and Richard J. Winsley. "Trainability of Young Athletes and

Overtraining." Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, vol. 6, no. 3, 2007, pp. 353-367.

ProQuest, https://tamiu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-

journals/trainability-young-athletes-overtraining/docview/2295605564/se-2.
 Sánchez 9

Myer, Gregory D, et al. “Youth versus Adult ‘Weightlifting’ Injuries Presenting to United States

Emergency Rooms: Accidental Versus Nonaccidental Injury Mechanisms.” Journal of

Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 23, no. 7, 2009, pp. 2054–2060.,

https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181b86712.

Pistilli, Emidio E, et al. “Incorporating One Week of Planned Overreaching into the Training

Program of Weightlifters.” Strength & Conditioning Journal, vol. 30, no. 6, 2008, pp. 39–

44., https://doi.org/10.1519/ssc.0b013e31818ee78c.