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Ellie Rocco

Professor Echols

ENG 1201

20 March 2022

What Effects Does Lifting at a Young Age Have on Development Compared to Playing Other

Contact Sports?

There is a lot of stigma toward young weightlifters on social media. Most of this

argument against lifting weights at a young age regards the possibility of growth plate damage on

young bodies (“High Incidence Rate of Lumbar Spinal Disease Among Child and Adolescent

Weightlifting Athletes: A Prospective 4-year Cohort Study”). However, participation in contact

sports, such as football or soccer, is heavily encouraged starting at an extremely young age.

With still-developing ligaments, muscles, and bones, it is much easier for young athletes

to suffer severe injuries compared to adults. Bones are still developing until age 25, meaning

children need to be careful about how much they strain or damage these bones before reaching

adulthood (Brody). In addition, playing sports can result in mental issues such as burnout or

high-stress levels when children are expected to do more than they can handle (brody). This is

true for all athletics, regarding both weightlifting and contact sports.

When talking about children, it is most important to highlight the difference between

strength training and weightlifting. Heavy weightlifting, when overused, can put high amounts of

strain on young muscles that are not developed enough to handle it (“Strength training: OK for

kids?”). Children should never be allowed to max out their lifts or attempt consistent lifts over

80% in order to greatly decrease the risk of injury and damage to the growth plate and muscle

(Woods).
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When looking at consistent injury rates in weightlifting versus contact sports among

adolescents, it is clear to see how much more common injury is for contact sports. Contact sports

have both higher numbers of injury rates as well as higher death rates among youth (Sports

Injury Statistics). Death is most likely to occur in youth sports due to severe head injuries, which

is incredibly uncommon in weightlifting. Injury rates appear low for both weightlifting and

strength training at young ages when properly trained and supervised (“Weightlifting for

Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review”)

Lifting at a young age can help increase a child's ability when playing sports. Being a

multi-sport athlete gives a child a much higher rate of success not only mentally, but also

physically. It decreases the chance of them facing major burnout. Also, there is less chance of

injury when body movements are consistently switched up and the body is not too used to one

thing (Brody). This allows for better body awareness and finer motor skills among youth.

In a four-year study, the effects of consistent weightlifting on spinal vertebrae were put to

the test. Twelve participants, all adolescents, weight lifted consistently for four years to study the

effects on spinal vertebrae through various tests. They looked at different features such as LBP,

lumbar spondylolysis, disc herniation, and lumbar disc degeneration. Between the start and end

of the study, it was revealed that weight lifting consistently at a young age does have irreversible

damage on the spinal vertebrae of adolescents (“High Incidence Rate of Lumbar Spinal Disease

Among Child and Adolescent Weightlifting Athletes: A Prospective 4-year Cohort Study”).

In conclusion, it is important to realize that overuse injuries are extremely common in

young athletes no matter what sport they play. Weightlifting needs to be monitored as much as, if

not more, than any other sport a child is participating in. Children are commonly put under too
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much stress to be better than their competition and pitted against one another before their bodies

and minds have been able to fully develop. This is an issue that needs to get more attention

before it leads to more unnecessary injuries in youth.

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Works Cited

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Woods, Braden A. K. “Youth Weightlifting - a Review on the Risks, Benefits, and Long-Term

Athlete Development Associated with Weightlifting Amongst Youth Athletes.” Journal

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Toyooka, Kazu, et al. “High Incidence Rate of Lumbar Spinal Disease Among Child and

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Accessed 6 March 2022.

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“Strength training: OK for kids?” Mayo Clinic,

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Additional Sources Used in Final Draft of Research Essay:

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https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Weightlifting/Resources/Qualifying-Totals/2022-National

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dren-and-Adolescents.

Carzoli, Ky. “7 Long-Term Effects of Concussions, TBI, & Head Injury.” Denver Upper

Cervical Chiropractic,

https://denveruppercervical.com/long-term-effects-of-concussions/.

“Eating Disorders & Athletes.” National Eating Disorders Association,

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-athletes. Accessed 26 March

2022.
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Faigenbaum, AD. “Strength training for children and adolescents.” PubMed,

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Stump, Scott. “Former OSU Football Star Harry Miller Delivers Powerful Message to Anyone

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