91 lb. 9 year old GIRL Squats 205

[acon83]

My son is 9, and he can't wait to lift. We let him lift light weight DB's and he does bw stuff. I can't imagine allowing him to do this. Esp. since he's got so much to learn about safety and form. Do you think "supergirl" likes it?? Or, is it like those poor pageant girls that just do it because their mommies want them to?!

 

[Rottenrogue]

Impressive and sad.I would like to see a belt on her and proper form taught to her.i rarely wear a belt .That is my choice and my core is strong enough I dont really have a need to wear one.She is 9 years old and still growing she should at minimum have a belt on.

 

[AllTheWay]

There is no set age that a child should or should not start using resistance training to improve their health and physique. It depends on when they are able to understand and use proper form and appropriate weight. I've read articles and studies showing that resistance training as young as 6 years old improves bone density, coordination, tendon and ligament strength, and does NOT harm or alter growth plates. This, of course, is applicable only to those who use proper form and manageable weight. I'll try to find a couple of those studies for you when I get back to my laptop.

and as far as studies go, unless they have followed these children for atleast 20 years post weight training, they prove or show nothing. the damage done to the joints of a young child or to their mental well being is not going to show up in a year! what are those 6 yo doing at 12? are they still lifting light and using proper form? what about at 18? how about when they are 40?

i can tell you that my lead techs dad was an olympic lifter who traveled all over the world competing and he started when he was 16ish or so. he is now 63 and on disability because his joints are completely wore out! so i am paying for him just like i will be paying for this 9yo!

 

[IronInsanity]

the problem with this is that it rarely stays controlled. this lifestyle is an addiction, it is why we all do it to a certain extent and the more one does it the more they want from it. so what happens is the 6 year old then becomes the 9 year old who is squatting 205#. the desire to lift more and look better is too strong to ignore. why do you think all these teenagers are doing AAS? not saying that allowing your child to lift is going to make them abuse AAS but it is definately developing an image issue at an early age. the every desired get hyoooge syndrome!

This is a very valid point. There's always the addiction for more and it doesn't seem that the mother would have the ability to rein that in based on the video.

 

[SAD]

and as far as studies go, unless they have followed these children for atleast 20 years post weight training, they prove or show nothing. the damage done to the joints of a young child or to their mental well being is not going to show up in a year! what are those 6 yo doing at 12? are they still lifting light and using proper form? what about at 18? how about when they are 40?

i can tell you that my lead techs dad was an olympic lifter who traveled all over the world competing and he started when he was 16ish or so. he is now 63 and on disability because his joints are completely wore out! so i am paying for him just like i will be paying for this 9yo!

Paying for that Olympic lifter is actually similar to paying for a disabled veteran. They both sacrificed health for the benefit of our country, granted, on two different scales, but the principle is the same. And what about those who grew up on a farm, doing practical and useful resistance training with hay, and sacks of potatoes, and animals. Some of the strongest and biggest SOBs I know grew up on a farm, doing their own form of resistance training from a very early age.

Here's a few studies I've found in a quick search, more could be uncovered if you dig at all.

Strength Training by Children and Adolescents -- Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness 107 (6): 1470 -- AAP Policy

Resistance Training Among the Youth | NASM

study on children and resistance training - Google Scholar <----(Link to a goldmine of studies)

 

[SAD]

the problem with this is that it rarely stays controlled. this lifestyle is an addiction, it is why we all do it to a certain extent and the more one does it the more they want from it. so what happens is the 6 year old then becomes the 9 year old who is squatting 205#. the desire to lift more and look better is too strong to ignore. why do you think all these teenagers are doing AAS? not saying that allowing your child to lift is going to make them abuse AAS but it is definately developing an image issue at an early age. the every desired get hyoooge syndrome!

So many holes in this post that I don't have enough digits to plug them. You are projecting your own goals and issues onto the entire lifting world........

 

[Rottenrogue]

Sad I see her point .It is an addiction ,especially when you are so young and breaking records.Whats going to happen when she gets in a weight class that she actually has competitors in? She is going to want to taste that win again and do what it takes to get there.

 

[deadweight]

Impressive and sad.I would like to see a belt on her and proper form taught to her.i rarely wear a belt .That is my choice and my core is strong enough I dont really have a need to wear one.She is 9 years old and still growing she should at minimum have a belt on.

I agree with RR...impressed and sad...Its more then meets the eye...If u figure that kid hasnt been lifting for that long considering her age of 9..Her core isnt built enough to withstand that kind of weight without giving out sooner of later....It might not happen now but it could very well lead to it...My oppion i see nothing wrong with a kid training with lite weights..I dont see how that would stunt her growth .If anything it will help build bones ,ligaments,and joints...But when u see this type of lifting for a child is toaly differance palying feild...I know for a fact her core isnt built enough to withstand this heavy lifting....For a child 205 may be like 500 for us older people..Im just assumeing....It may appear she is handeling the weight...but her core is taken a beaten.Just think about it and look at the vid...Thats alot of weight on a little girls back...And also think one bad move how quick that kid could injury her back for life all because her core wasnt up to standard..And i know what it takes to build the core..and there is no way in hell this kids core is build up...I would call this "walking on deadly gound".....dw

 

[MAYO]

Who's addiction? The child or the parent's? Most likely she wants to hear mommy and daddy say they are proud and in order to do that she must win. I highly doubt its about the records at her age.

 

[SAD]

Sad I see her point .It is an addiction ,especially when you are so young and breaking records.Whats going to happen when she gets in a weight class that she actually has competitors in? She is going to want to taste that win again and do what it takes to get there.

I'm not discussing this girl RR, my first post was in response to TG about when a child should start lifting, and everything following that on my end has been about youngsters in general. I don't think a child should be competing for 1rm, but rather in a different setup, or no comps at all for that age.

 

[Rottenrogue]

I see that point also Mayo.It makes you wonder who this is for.

 

[Get Some]

It's so hard to tell what course a child's life will take at age 9. Personally, I believe that if you have a son and feel he is going to be a decent athlete in a sport like baseball, football, basketball, etc, then you need to hold off on actual lifting as much as possible. Growth is very important from 9-17 or a similar age range. I believe you should focus on calistenics and more natural strength building exercises, such as the ones you would experience in your sport. For baseball, just hit balls all day, you'll get really strong just from doing that. For football, push bags or tires around, etc. There are lots of things you can have kids do besides weight training at that age. When they reach high school (15 yrs old or so) then they should be ready to start training with real weights.

Now if they have no interest in sports and have more interest in becoming a powerlifter, bodybuilder, non-agility sport, then I'm not the one to comment on that because I have no experience. But I would think starting to lift earlier would not be quite as big of a deal or maybe even necessary.