Strength & Conditioning >> Lifting weights for 12 year old?

Squatdog - Back on the shelf?

Leigh - Well, he says specifically that he wants to bulk up. Bodyweight exercises will not do that. Don't you remember being fed that lie as a kid? "Weights will make you slow. Stick to push ups and pull ups." Yeah except I could do over 20 pull ups and 50 pushups when I was 12, plus probably a thousand squats. Funnily enough, I was still very small.

I'm not sure what stress you think will be put on a 12 year old's muscles, tendons and ligaments with sensible weight training. As I stated earlier, there is no difference between a fat kid doing bodyweight exercises and a skinny kid using weights, except weights give you more control over your program. And its not like he's going to start off with a 400lb deadlift. How much stress do you think jumping off the climbing frame and playing pee football puts on the body?

MattB ATC - GSDFan,

No need to apologize. You never once used the word bulk in your previous posts. To directly quote your first post you stated:
"My son is 12 and, although very athletic, is also very small. He's starting Pee Wee football and I'd like to get him putting on some muscle and strength as right now he is just simply too small to be very effective."

Spartan started his argument stating his opposition to weight training, and then his focused changed to "bulk", which I am assuming he did after he realized that his argument against a youth weight training was lacking.

I will say that it is possible to get stronger without adding size, but the protective qualities of additional hypertrophy/muscle mass are very beneficial for football players, even at a young age. No need to forcefully try to add on too much mass too quickly, which from your last post you aren't trying to force. But if he easily adds on weight/size, don't be alarmed as at that young age growth spurts can be common and the weight training will only supplement the natural growing that is occurring.

Chocolate Shatner - 

Squatdog - Back on the shelf?

riiiight. I'm sure the shelf was "in the closet" as well.

Just go home. You're an uneducated turd who has no clue on how to analyse. Go back to getting your information from myths and old wives' tales. Here is some free workout advice - getting squatting to help with your jumping.......to incorrect conclusions.

Just happened to be surfing Reddit and I stumbled across this quote from Mark Rippetoe

"Kids can lift safely at any age if technique is correct, and has been addressed in all of my books. I feel that childhood should be enjoyed, and a father that forces a kid to lift weights is as bad as a father that forces a kid to play football. Children are not here for us to live vicariously through. Let them train if they perceive it as fun, and make them do the movements correctly. When they want to stop, let them stop."