Can I do fitness exercises when I’m young?
Unless you were synthesized in a laboratory or forged by the hands of the gods themselves, you most likely have parents. Even though I can hear a lot of young people think “gosh, my parents are like, super annoying”, having parents is pretty awesome. For starters, you wouldn’t be walking this earth if it weren’t for them, but you also don’t have to worry about paying rent, insurance, cooking your food and if you’re lucky, cleaning your room and washing your dirty underwear. That sounds like a sweet deal to me.
However, parents can and will have their annoying moments. A good example is when you want to start going to the gym. Most parents will think you’re on drugs when you have a delicious, chocolate flavored protein shake, so going to the gym is the equivalent of committing a serious crime to some. “You just don’t go to the gym when you’re young! Go play with your toys!”
“Mom, I’m sixteen, I’ve been in a relationship for three years, I don’t have toys.”
A lot of that fear is based on concern. Parents are concerned that doing any form of resistance training is bad for their children’s health. The most common concern is that it will stunt their growth.
Enough about parents though, what does science have to say about this?
Multiple studies have been done on the subject. Not only is there no good reason to be concerned about negatively influencing your growth, there seem to be quite a few benefits to resistance training on a young age, just like it benefits adults. A wide variety of benefits have been observed: increase of muscle mass and strength, improvement of general motor performance, reduction of body fat and improvement of lung capacity.
The fear that resistance training will stop or slow down your growth is simply not supported by research, nor has it shown any other physiological downsides.
However, there’s also the psychological aspect to consider. While resistance training can improve willpower, general wellbeing and boost your confidence, you don’t want to develop any obsessions over your body when you’re young. When you’re seriously overweight, it’s safe to say your parents are too and you’re most likely not to blame. If you’re not, worrying about your image too much, in your pre-teen years, will likely result in a negative self-image when you’re older, so please consider that side of the coin.
What about injury?
What about injury? Injury is and will always be a risk of resistance training or any other fitness exercises. Whether you’re an adult or a five year old, if you’re going to do something without an instructor, coach or supervisor, you’re going to risk injury if you’re uninformed about the subject.
The best way to avoid injury is to simply find yourself someone who’s able to show you the ropes and reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries.
Keep in mind injuries aren’t exclusively set aside for people who go to the gym. Soccer, tennis and even bowling are sports that deal with injuries, so it doesn’t matter what you decide to do, if it means you have to leave the house and move, you risk injury. Completely eliminating sport-related injuries is unrealistic. Get a good supervisor or coach and use your common sense so you don’t end up on the Akward Gym Moments* Facebook page.
