Weight and Resistance Training - I know somebody here can answer this

How old do you have to be before you can strengh train and build muscle ? My son who is 13 wants to play football next fall but needs to bulk up cause there are some big boys his age and I want him to be able to survive. Would it be possible for me to give him the weight lifters mass building drinks to help him out or should we just let nature take its course? Thanks for any info anyone can give me.

13 is a perfect age. I think a good protein powder would probably help.

This is an excerpt from an article from T-nation.com.

Myth #2: Strength training will stunt the growth of children.

It still amazes me that parents won’t hesitate to get their young children (6-7 years old) involved in sports such as football, gymnastics, basketball and soccer, yet they feel that participating in a strength-training program is damaging to their children’s bone health and will stunt their growth. Nothing can be further from the truth.

The fact of the matter is that running, jumping and tackling can create loading on a child’s body which is up to ten times greater than most strength training exercises. In other words, the physical demands on a child’s body are far greater on the athletic field compared to the weightroom. Parents who don’t let their children participate in resistance training are actually increasing their children’s risk for injury on the athletic field.

There have even been position stands by such organizations as the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that children can benefit from participation in a properly designed and supervised resistance training program. Position stands recommend that prepubescent children shouldn't lift maximal weights; they should lift weights that can be lifted for at least six repetitions with proper form.

Strength training in this manner can be the most potent exercise stimulus for bone growth and development. In fact, research has shown that young weightlifters have greater bone densities than individuals who don't lift. Thus, the positive benefits of resistance training for bone health, injury prevention and improved athletic performance are far greater than the risks.


and here's (http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=513676) a link to the article, just fyi.

I would aim for bodyweight exercises; IMHO 13 is too young for most kids to start strength training, and yes putting heavy loads on soft bones can permanently distort the skelaton. I suspect the sort of kids that are really ready for weight training at that age are going to be the bigger and stronger ones you are worried about.

Playing football in junior high can be a little rough, but I don't think you need to take any extraordinary measures. I doubt the kids are that much faster and stronger than they were back in the '70's when i was in junior high. Aside from a couple of broken arms I can't recall seeing too many injuries, and I am not sure bulking up would have prevented those.

Thank you both so much for your input and thanks for the link ebe it has some good info on it. I knew ya'll would know.

I too think 13 is too young... 16 is a better age, but still you have to be careful because they are still growing so the weight training should be light...