Safety Guidelines for Teens While Workout

Children and adolescents shouldn’t do power lifting or bodybuilding or repetitive use of maximal weight loads in strength training programs until they’ve reached a level of developmental maturity. This level is described as “Tanner stage 5” in medical circles and means that they’ve passed the period of maximal speed in the growth of their height. The reason for concern about the dangers of serious weight training is that when teens are growing the Epiphanies, a part of bone, is especially vulnerable to injury. As an average, both boys and girls reach this stage of development by age 15. However, individuals differ widely. This is why any more rigorous training should never be undertaken without full consideration by your child’s health care provider and a sports medicine physician. All the kids’ guidelines apply to teens with the added caveat that more rigorous training shouldn’t be undertaken until the teen has reached physical maturity.

At that point, a teen can start training as an adult at a moderate level. Keep in mind that kids are subject to tremendous amounts of body image pressure both from the media and from their peers. Listen carefully to how your child describes how she feels about training. Pay attention to personal comments about appearance. If your child shows any sign of exercise or eating disordered behavior, consult a professional right away.