Matt: Ok, let’s start at the very beginning – a very good place to start. How young is too young to start a strength training program? We’ve heard for years that weight training will stunt a kid’s growth. Would you like to put that rumor to rest now?
Glenn: There is a chapter included in Mark’s book written by Lon Kilgore that specifically deals with the misconceptions about youth training. I personally don’t see any physical problems. We don’t hesitate to put kids in soccer or gymnastics at 4-5 years of age, either of which are way more stressful on the body than weight training, and either of which are way more likely to cause injury. So I think the whole safety thing is a non-issue. I’m more concerned with a kids mental development. Just like with any other recreational activity, if the kid is mature enough to follow directions and keep his mind on task for a reasonable amount of time, he can do it. If not, he can’t. I’ve got a 7 year old girl right now who does really well. I’ve also seen kids quite a bit older who really shouldn’t be in the weight room.
Rip: I would just like for somebody to explain to me why it would stunt a kid’s growth. Do they actually think it smashes them down shorter, or shuts off the supply of growth hormone due to pressure in the skull, or that it destroys all the growth plates, or that it es off the Tooth Fairy? My god, how do these silly things get started? Here’s another good one: once you stop training all the muscle turns to fat. I like to tell people that ask me about this that the muscle actually turns to bone. That makes exactly the same amount of sense.
Glenn: One thing I like to explain to people who are hesitant to put their kids in any sort of resistance training program is the concept of adjustability. Weight training is adjustable, infinitely adjustable, while most activities are not. This actually makes it MORE appropriate than many other things for people, including young kids, whose physical abilities aren’t that great. When you do a handstand, jump up and land, or run into somebody on the soccer field, the stress that these things transmit to the body is determined by the laws of physics and the bodyweight of the partints. Gravity doesn’t give a break to the guy with weak legs. With weight training, we can adjust down to whatever is appropriate to start with, even if it’s a broomstick, then gradually add from there in whatever increments and at whatever speed is reasonable. You never have to ask someone to do something that they aren’t ready for or strong enough to do safely, no matter how young or weak they are. My 3 year old son did a pretty good set of 10 the other day on the overhead squat…with a broomstick. That’s resistance training, and it illustrates what is appropriate for that age, playing with a broomstick and copying the older kids and having fun.
Matt: So how would you train young kids?
Rip: By young, I assume you mean prepubescent. I have always just taught them the lifts, yelled at them about absolutely correct form all the time, and let them lift as much as they can for sets of 5. They go up as they are able, with very small jumps and no more than 3 workouts per week. They are not strong enough to lift enough weight to get injured. It is virtually impossible to get hurt with absolutely correct form anyway, and correct form precludes any use of more weight than can be safely handled. They are also encouraged to eat right, eat a lot, and sleep.
Glenn: Mark deals with a lot of kids in the 12 to 14 age group. The way he does it is absolutely right. By definition, if they are doing a certain weight or exercise while following his program, they are strong enough to do it safely. In my opinion, there simply is not ANY better way to handle this age group. I often work with even younger kids, right down to the 7-8 year old age group. It’s necessary, if you want to develop the very best weightlifters (the sport, not the activity) to start young. With this age group you have to pay attention to the mental side of things, the attention span. So I do more variety with these kids, and don’t have quite the set in stone program for them that either Mark or I use for older kids. More “fun” type of activities so that they are doing different types of things every week and don’t get bored.
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, wiegst ja mehr als ich, größer bist du auch!). 
