Opinion Piece
Weightlifting and strength training has been beneficial to thousands of people without a doubt, we see all sorts of athletes spend countless hours at the gym, gymnasts, maybe cheerleaders and we also see other type of communities like law enforcement officers and firefighters. The reality is that any person can lift weights and strength train and not only see positive results but also benefit from it. Weightlifting is healthy for you just like running, cycling, swimming and other sorts of exercise. Of course there is a chance for injury but it mostly only happens when improper techniques are used and/or someone is fooling around while working out. Despite the proof of the benefits, thousands of kids are prohibited the act of weightlifting.
When I was a kid in middle school, I remember I walked in to the weight room and almost instantly I was kicked out by the coaches. I wasn’t the only one who was neglected from the gym, I had other friends who experienced the same thing. Since I wasn’t able to lift weights at school I asked my father to buy me weights, and sure enough he did. I started weightlifting since about age 10, (obviously I didn’t do bodybuilding exercises like I do now) but I sure enough weightlifted and grew muscle. Not once did I ever injure myself. I can personally out of firsthand experience say that weightlifting will not impair you from growing, I am 5 feet 10 inches tall (of course it’s not like I’m a giant but I am averagely tall). It will also not bring any sort of health problems, hormones are natural and the only thing the kid might experience would be a pimple here and there.
After doing research I found that the main reasons people didn’t want to let kids weight lift was because they would “not grow’ and of injuries. The belief of the kids not growing is now only a myth now, and the injuries can be prevented if the kids are taught the correct form to lift weights also someone must always be supervising the kids.
According to a website called “Peak Fitness” it says that kid need exercise without a doubt. It will help them with weight loss (if they’re overweight), gain muscle and resistance (if they’re weak), sleep better and more energy throughout the day. There have also been several studies by Brazilian and Japanese doctors where the results of their trials conclude that weightlifting activate or accelerates neurogenesis (which is the production of brain cells), so hey, if you want smart kid, have him lift weights. A recently new weightlifting type called Cross fit has been very successful with all of their clients, it mixes Olympic weightlifting, body building, track events, swimming, and a lot of other exercise types into one and that’s what makes it very effective. A lot of cross fit gyms open fit camps specifically for kids between the ages of 3-18.
In the end, my opinion is that kids should weight lift if they want to, just watch over them. There’s a lot of kids who want to play high school sports, but most of the time they are denied a starting spot on the team because they are not strong or athletic enough. My call to action is for parents and people who take care of kids, to really educate themselves about the benefits of kids weightlifting and strength training, people tend to live with the ideas instilled in them since they were kids, but times evolve and so do we. I want to encourage people to not exactly have their kids weightlift, but to make them at least exercise daily.
Sources:
Alvaro Fernandez, Dr. Elkhonon Goldburg, (2009 May), Why Aerobic Exercise Enhances Neurogenesis and Neuroplasticity, Retrieved from: http://sharpbrains.com/resources/2-the-4-pillars-of-brain-maintenance/physical-exercise-why-aerobic-exercise-enhances-neurogenesis-and-neuroplasticity/
Peak Fitness, (2010, November 25) This Controversial Breakthrough on Strength training can Boost your child’s health, Retrieved from: http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/11/25/kids-benefit-from-strength-training.aspx
Title Page (Date N/A), Kids Crossfit, Retrieved from: https://kids.crossfit.com/
Although my research for this semester was Kids weightlifting, my group project was on Human Rights specifically focused on the LGBT community and Immigrants.