Should kids lift weights?

I get asked this question so often!

The answer is YES - kids should do resistance training. Here are the benefits:

•     Increase muscle strength and endurance
•     Help protect your child's muscles and joints from injury
•     Improve your child's performance in nearly any sport.
•     Strengthen bones
•     Help promote healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels
•     Boost metabolism
•     Maintain a healthy weight
•     Improve self-esteem

This doesn't and often shouldn't be using weights though.

Until kids are familiar with the 5 B's of resistance choices Bodyweight, Bars, Balls, Bands and Bubbles they simply do not need to do weights.

Once familiar with all of these training methods and having spent time learning the fundamental movement of weight training then kids should begin.

Now I work with hundreds of kids weekly and I can tell you that no 2 kids are the same. The fourteen year old boy with 5 O'clock shadow and shoulders wider than me needs a different workout to the fourteen year old boy with the sqeaky voice that still weighs 45kg.

There can never be one rule that applies to every child so my final words of advice are always - keep it safe, supervised and FUN!