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Can Teenagers Lift Weights? Ask a PT

In last week’s email, we learned about the record fat loss results of a 400lb Scotsman named Angus, and how it applied to modern weight loss expectations. Today we’re answering can teenagers lift weights.

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Can Teenagers Lift Weights?

Question: My 15-year-old son wants to start lifting weights, but I’m scared that he will injure himself. What should I say?

Answer: The risk of injury is the number one reason why most parents don’t want their kids training in a gym. But the truth is that the risk/reward ratio is highly in favour of training, particularly when compared to other sports.

I think it is fair to say that teenagers should get regular exercise. It is also fair to say that parents should always have their child’s best interests at heart. I can completely understand why images of your prodigy crushed under a barbell may cause you to have second thoughts.

The Risk/Reward Ratio

That’s why I feel it is important to talk about the risk/reward ratio. The risk/reward ratio is a measure of whether any task is worth performing. If you are running late for work and need to cross the road then there are several things you may consider before rushing across.

Are there lots of cars? Is there a safe place to cross nearby? Will you be fired if you are late? If the road is empty, then the risk of injury/death is very low, and the reward of not being fired is very high. The risk/reward ratio favours the reward.

If the road is packed full of cars and it is raining heavily, then the risk increases significantly. Suddenly, your job security (the reward) is not as important as your safety. The risk/reward ratio does not favour the reward.

As you can imagine, any changes in this scenario will affect whether it is worth running across the road. This is the risk/reward ratio, and it applies excellently to exercise.

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Is Exercising Without Risk Even Possible?

No form of exercise is entirely without risk. There are certainly risks for anyone who enters a gym. You can overexert yourself and get an injury. You can be injured by another person’s clumsiness. Or you can get injured by your own clumsiness. Or you can perform an exercise incorrectly and get injured that way.

Put like that, the risk/reward ratio seems to point towards avoiding the gym. But we need to put these risks in context.

Gym injuries are very rare, particularly when you compare it to any form of sport.

A study by the British Medical Journal [1] found that:

* Football (soccer) had an injury rate of 6.56 per 100k participants
* Golf had an injury rate of 1.25 per 100k participants
* Running had an injury rate of 0.7 per 100k participants
* And Gym sessions had an injury rate of 0.23 per 100k participants

What this means is that golf is 3x more likely to cause you an injury than spending time in a weights room. It also shows us that football is designed for crazy people (I speak as a man who broke his wrist playing football 10 months ago).

But even that figure of 0.23 per 100k is a little high in my opinion, because it includes all of the people who injured themselves doing something stupid. If you discount people who injured themselves by using terrible form, or too much weight, or who dropped a dumbbell on their foot, the injury rate would be even lower.

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Are Teenagers Less Safe Than Adults?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that teenagers frequently do stupid things in gyms. I’ve spent way too long as a PT to pretend otherwise. But this can be easily avoided.

Get your teenager an induction with the gym staff before they begin. Hire a personal trainer if you can. Or go with them and supervise (I’m sure they’ll love that!). There are also weightlifting classes that are aimed at teenagers, though these may not be available in your area.

I should also mention that there is no evidence that lifting weights affects growth (a common myth) and that teenagers are not more likely to injure themselves than anyone else by lifting weights (another common myth).

So, a teenager attending the gym is not very risky, and any risks can be reduced significantly with proper supervision. But what are the benefits?

The Benefits of Teenagers Lifting Weights

According to a 2013 study, teenagers who performed resistance training (free weights and machines) saw significant improvements in muscle mass, but also in self-esteem [2].

I can think of few things that would benefit a teenager more than feeling good about themselves. Being stronger, fitter, and more confident can have health and social benefits for teenagers. The reward far outweighs the risk.

Now, to take things further, think about the risks of not letting your teenager lift weights. Not only will they be weaker, they will have:

* Less coordination
* Higher body fat percentage
* Less cardiovascular fitness
* Lower self-esteem
* Higher vulnerability to injury after an accident (say, getting hit by a car after running across a busy road).

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Don’t get me wrong, the risks of not going to the gym aren’t particularly high, but on balance it makes a lot more sense to encourage your teenager to train (safely and with instructions from an expert) then it is to prevent them.