Debunking the Common Myth

As a physiotherapist working with young athletes, one of the most common concerns I hear from parents is:

“Won’t lifting weights stunt my child’s growth?”

It’s an understandable concern. Many parents have heard this advice for decades and it continues to circulate despite a large body of research showing otherwise.

In this blog, we’ll look at what the science actually says about strength training in children and teenagers, explain where this myth came from and discuss why appropriately supervised resistance training may actually help young athletes stay healthier and perform better.

My Experience Growing Up

This topic is one that resonates with me personally.

Growing up, I loved training in our garage gym with my dad. It wasn’t anything fancy, just learning how to squat, press and move properly while spending time together.

When I was 13, I injured my back while squatting. Naturally, my mum was worried, and like many parents, she’d heard that lifting weights could damage growth plates or stunt growth. This led to her encouraging me to stop weight lifting.

I didn’t return to strength training until I was around 15 years old.

Looking back, I wish I hadn’t stopped.

It wasn’t lifting weights that caused the problem – it was my approach to lifting. Like many teenagers, I let my ego get the better of me and attempted to lift more weight than I was ready for. Had I focused on proper technique and progressively increased the load over time, I likely could have continued training safely.

That experience is one of the reasons I’m passionate about educating young athletes and their parents today.

Where Did the Myth Come From?

The idea that lifting weights stunts growth has existed for decades.

The myth originated from observations of children performing heavy manual labour who were often shorter in stature. At the time, their reduced growth was incorrectly attributed to lifting, while factors such as poor nutrition, illness and living conditions were largely overlooked. Concerns about damaging growth plates also reinforced this misconception as severe growth plate fractures can negatively impact bone development.

Over the past 30 years, however, researchers have repeatedly investigated whether supervised resistance training affects growth or damages growth plates.

The conclusion has been remarkably consistent:

Properly supervised resistance training does not stunt growth. In fact, it is considered a safe and beneficial form of exercise for children and adolescents when appropriately prescribed.

What Does the Research Show?

Rather than harming growing bodies, resistance training has been shown to provide numerous physical and sporting benefits.

Research has demonstrated improvements in:

• Muscle strength
• Coordination and balance
• Running, jumping and sprint performance
• Bone mineral density
• Movement quality
• Confidence in movement
• Overall athletic performance

Importantly, there is no evidence that appropriately supervised resistance training slows normal growth or causes children to stop growing taller.

Are Growth Plates at Risk?

Growth plates are areas of developing cartilage found near the ends of children’s bones. Because they are still developing, it’s understandable why parents worry about injuring them.

However, context matters.

Children expose their growth plates to substantial forces every day simply by:

• Running
• Jumping
• Landing
• Sprinting
• Playing sport
• Climbing playground equipment

These movements often involve rapid, high-impact forces and sudden changes of direction.

In contrast, most beginner strength training involves slow, controlled movements with manageable loads, performed under supervision and with a focus on technique.

The issue is therefore not whether resistance training is dangerous, but whether it is performed appropriately.

Just as poor coaching increases injury risk in any sport, poor technique or excessive loading in the gym can increase injury risk. The answer isn’t avoiding strength training, it is ensuring young athletes receive proper instruction and gradually progress their training.

Can Strength Training Reduce Sports Injuries?

This is where the evidence becomes particularly exciting.

A large body of research now shows that strength and neuromuscular training can significantly reduce injuries in young athletes.

Systematic reviews have found structured strength and neuromuscular programmes reduce lower-limb injuries by around 30–40%, with meaningful reductions in ankle and knee injuries across many youth sports.

These programmes work by improving:

Stronger muscles

Stronger muscles absorb more force during running, jumping and landing, reducing stress on joints and ligaments.

Better movement control

Learning how to squat, hinge, land and change direction improves body awareness and reduces poor movement patterns associated with injury.

Improved joint stability

Strengthening the muscles around the hips, knees and ankles provides greater dynamic stability during sport.

Stronger bones and connective tissue

Resistance training stimulates bone development while gradually improving the capacity of tendons and ligaments to tolerate load.

Reduced ACL injury risk

Although no single exercise prevents ACL injuries, strength training combined with landing mechanics, balance training and plyometrics forms the foundation of many successful ACL prevention programmes used worldwide.

What About Returning to Sport?

One of the biggest advantages of introducing strength training early is that athletes already possess the movement skills required if they are injured later.

Rather than learning to squat or hinge for the first time during rehabilitation, they’ve already developed good movement habits.

This often makes rehabilitation smoother and provides a stronger physical foundation for returning to sport safely.

Safety Comes First

Like any form of exercise, resistance training should be performed properly.

A well-designed youth strength program should emphasise:

• Qualified supervision
• Excellent lifting technique
• Gradual progression
• Age-appropriate exercises
• Adequate recovery
• Individualised programming

Rather than chasing heavy weights, young athletes should focus on mastering movement quality first. Strength naturally follows.

Key Principles of Good Strength Training

Successful programmes follow several well-established training principles.

Progressive overload means gradually increasing the challenge placed on the body so it continues adapting.

Progression ensures training becomes more demanding over time, whether through improved technique, increased repetitions or heavier loads.

Specificity means training should reflect the athlete’s goals and sporting demands.

Individualisation recognises that every child develops differently, so programmes should match their age, experience and physical maturity.

Variation helps prevent overuse injuries while keeping training engaging.

Finally, rest and recovery are essential. Muscles, bones and connective tissues become stronger between training sessions, not during them.

The Bottom Line

The belief that lifting weights stunts growth is one of the longest-standing myths in youth sport.

Current scientific evidence simply does not support it.

When appropriately supervised, resistance training is a safe, effective and evidence-based way for children and teenagers to become stronger, improve athletic performance, develop healthier bones, and reduce their risk of sports injuries.

As physiotherapists, our goal isn’t to get children lifting the heaviest weights possible.

Our goal is to teach them to move well, build confidence, and develop the strength they’ll use for life, whether that’s on the sporting field, in the gym, or simply staying active as they grow.