The Truth About Childhood Weight Lifting | Dr. Andy Galpin
In a Nutshell
The myth that weight lifting stunts kids' growth originated in the 1960s from a flawed Japanese study linking hard manual labor—not strength training—to shorter adult height, confounded by malnutrition and toxins. By the 1990s, emerging research from the NSCA showed it safe; major policy shifts in 2008 and 2020 confirmed substantial benefits across health areas. Strength training is highly recommended and not dangerous for children.
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People think it's bad or dangerous for kids to lift weights, especially the belief that it stunts growth. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. The myth started in the 1960s. Exercise science wasn't a field until the 1960s and didn't take off until the 1970s and 1980s. Pediatric medicine also wasn't established then. Prior to the 1960s, there was no data, so it was reasonable for parents and leaders to be cautious and assume it wasn't safe until proven otherwise.
The first paper that started this was a renowned study from Japan in the 1960s. It found an association between kids involved in high amounts of hard labor and being shorter as adults. Confounding factors included malnutrition, environmental toxins, and other issues. The study was not on strength training but hard manual labor. With no other information, they assumed it stunted growth.
The myth persisted for decades due to lack of research. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was little research on kids, especially strength training. By the 1990s, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) advocated for it as the research emerged. Culture shifted to accepting it's not dangerous, though not strongly promoting it outside NSCA.
Things changed dramatically in 2008 with enough positive data, leading to updated policy statements. In 2020, a big update confirmed benefits are large, robust, and cover many areas. Strength training is a fantastic activity for kids.
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