Youth Weight Training

In this article, I want to explore the many benefits of weight training for youth athletes and dispel some common myths in this field. I'll discuss what happens to pre-pubescent and post-pubescent bodies as they begin training, share insights on injury prevention and statistics, highlight recent research, and draw from my decade of experience coaching youth athletes.

Dispelling the Myths

I grew up in a time when it was considered common knowledge that lifting weights too young would stunt your growth. Gymnasts, often short and stocky, were frequently cited as proof of this so-called fact; a belief that went unchallenged for fear of injury or ending up shorter than expected.

Extensive research has since debunked this myth, with more data and compiled studies showing that weight training has no hindering effect on height. In fact, lifting weights in a controlled environment with qualified, attentive coaching can be highly beneficial for growing bodies (Pierce KC, Hornsby WG, Stone MH. ).

The gymnastics comparison is a classic example of survivorship bias within the sport. Shorter, more compact athletes have a biomechanical advantage when performing the skills required in gymnastics. Taller athletes, with their longer levers, face a mechanical disadvantage. While some taller athletes do stick with it, most transition to other sports, leaving the shorter, stockier athletes to rise to the elite level.

The reality is that growth plates in the body are often subjected to drastically higher forces during sports than in the weight room. Sport-specific activities like sprinting, cutting, throwing, or landing from a jump place an immense load of stress on the joints, requiring them to absorb and transfer that energy. An untrained joint in these scenarios is far more likely to sustain an injury compared to a knee joint that has been strengthened and stabilized through lifting and plyometric training (Faigenbaum AD, Myer GD.).

When looking at injury rates in sports, weightlifting injuries occur at a much lower rate than any of the contact sports (Keogh JW, Winwood PW.). Weightlifting movements such as the squat, clean, deadlift, and overhead press are far less risky when performed with proper guidance. This underscores my point that, with qualified coaching, lifting weights at any age is actually safer for the joints than playing sports like football, soccer, or rugby.

While parents may delay training out of fear of injury, the truth is that starting early is much safer and better for long-term development. The benefits to a growing body are vast, providing a strong foundation that can maximize an athlete's potential during their more competitive high school years.

How The Body Adapts

Pre-Pubescent Gains

Before puberty and the surge of hormones, there are numerous beneficial adaptations that can result from regular training. The body, as a system, is constantly responding to the external demands placed upon it, which means those demands can be carefully curated to enhance specific athletic qualities.

In these early years, attributes like balance, proprioception, movement quality, and even strength can all be developed and improved.

Training for younger athletes looks different compared to sessions with more mature athletes. Most of the gains occur at the neural level, with improvements in recruiting motor units that enhance strength, stability, and body awareness. Areas of focus such as sprinting, jumping and landing mechanics, med ball throws, and agility training place demands on the nervous and fascial systems, encouraging them to adapt and learn.

Foundational movement patterns such as squats, lunges, hinge variations, pulling, pushing, and even carrying can be taught and mastered by young athletes before heavier loads are introduced. While strength gains are slower during these years, athletes still build strength through improved motor unit recruitment. More motor units mean a higher firing rate to the muscles during contraction, laying the groundwork for future progress.

These are invaluable assets for young athletes to develop. With time and consistent exposure to these stimuli, the athlete becomes like a fully fueled rocket on the launchpad, just waiting for hormones to ignite the engine. Each time I’ve witnessed this with an athlete, the gains across all areas truly take off. My goal as a coach then is to maximize the young athlete’s potential while also setting guardrails to ensure safe and effective training.

Post-Pubescent Gains

When athletes who are already familiar with lifting hit puberty and start experiencing those rapid strength gains, they often want to skip straight to the heaviest weights, max out every session, skip warm-ups and movement prep, and show off their strength. This is where the guardrails I mentioned above come into play.

Educating these athletes on the importance of proper warm-ups, breathing mechanics, and workout structure can reduce risk of injury by orders of magnitude. When their buy-in to the process matches their awareness in these areas, the gains during this period become a steady and consistent upward trajectory.

Even athletes who start training after the maturation process has begun can still quickly make gains in all the areas mentioned earlier with consistent exposure. The learning phase remains the same, focusing on grooving quality movements and proper positioning. However, if their technique is solid, the loads they use will increase at a faster rate.

Loading the body during this "window of opportunity" offers incredible benefits for long-term athletic development (LTAD) and overall growth.

Consistent weightlifting can lead to improvements in:

● Body composition

● Bone density

● Cardiovascular fitness

● Hormone response

Training programs can become more individualized during this stage. With a higher training age, the body can handle a greater workload, allowing work capacity to increase over time. As the athlete progresses:

● Plyometric exercises become more advanced, with the body better equipped to handle the higher forces, improving tensegrity within the joints.

● Power output rises as strength and stability levels continue to improve, supporting overall athletic performance.

Strength exercises can remain fundamental, gradually progressing in difficulty as the athlete's training literacy improves. However, the core exercises don’t need to change significantly for continued progress. The real key to unlocking these benefits is simple: consistently showing up week after week. That’s the big secret.

My Experience as a Coach

I’ve been training youth athletes for about 12 years, and in that time, I’ve witnessed some amazing transformations. I’ve been fortunate to work with some athletes for 6 to 8 years, seeing firsthand just how impactful consistent training can be during these critical developmental years. Here’s a cool example of this with one of my clients.

I’ve seen small, frail athletes transform into powerhouses. I’ve watched younger, smaller athletes with a few years of training under their belts outlift upperclassmen while maintaining excellent form. I’ve seen kids come in moving like they have bricks tied to their feet, only to learn, adapt, and grow into light-footed, agile athletes.

I’ve also seen matured athletic freaks with little training history struggle to maintain structure under load, highlighting deficiencies in motor unit recruitment, proprioception, joint stability, and core control.

Needless to say, with a little guidance, these athletes tend to quickly figure it out and evolve into the best athletic versions of themselves.

While building bigger, stronger, and more powerful athletes is rewarding, one of my favorite parts of working with youth athletes is watching their self-confidence grow. Seeing the pride they carry after hitting a PR is very cool to see, especially if their first couple of sessions were filled with a nervous, timid energy.

Hitting PRs in the facility stokes the fire, while seeing improvements on the field ignites it in an entirely different way. Athletes often come into strength train after a weekend of games, bursting with excitement to share how hard they hit the ball, how fast they felt on the bases, or how strong their arm felt during play.

Hearing these stories brings me so much joy. It’s awesome to hear your clients perform well, but it’s even more rewarding to know they’ve made the connection between their hard work in the gym and their performance on the field. This tangible experience gives athletes clear evidence of the power they have over their own athletic performance and growth.

Conclusion

As we’ve discussed, the benefits of weight training for youth athletes clearly far outweigh any risks. With proper guidance, weight training not only reduces the likelihood of injury but also supports growth, builds confidence, and maximizes athletic performance. By starting early, focusing on foundational movement patterns, and providing consistent guidance, we can equip our young athletes with the tools to excel both in the gym and on the field.