Children and Strength Training: What Does the Latest Evidence Actually Say?

For many years, parents were told that children should avoid lifting weights because it could damage their growth plates or stunt their growth.

We now know that this is an oversimplification.

When appropriately designed, supervised and progressed according to a child's age and ability, strength training can be a safe and valuable part of physical development.

But what does the latest research actually tell us?

Can children get stronger?

Yes.

Children can make substantial improvements in strength through resistance training.

Importantly, strength isn't simply about having bigger muscles. In younger children, improvements in strength are influenced considerably by the nervous system becoming better at recruiting and coordinating muscles.

As children mature, increases in muscle size can also contribute increasingly to improvements in strength.

This means that strength training can be useful even before puberty.

Can children build muscle?

This is an area where our understanding has developed.

It was traditionally thought that children couldn't meaningfully increase muscle size before puberty because they have lower levels of circulating anabolic hormones.

More recent research suggests the picture is more complicated.

A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis examining resistance training in children and adolescents found evidence that resistance training can increase measures of muscle mass across different stages of maturation.

However, the response isn't identical in every child, and increases in strength don't necessarily mean large increases in muscle size.

For younger children, improvements in neuromuscular coordination and the ability to produce force are particularly important.

Will strength training stunt a child's growth?

This is probably the biggest concern parents have.

There is currently no good evidence that appropriately performed resistance training stunts children's growth.

Concerns about growth plates have historically been associated with poorly supervised training, inappropriate loads and injuries rather than resistance training itself.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional organisations recognise appropriately prescribed resistance training as a suitable form of exercise for children and adolescents.

The important distinction is between properly supervised strength training and unsupervised attempts to lift maximal or inappropriate loads.

Children should learn technique, develop gradually and use resistance appropriate to their ability.

What about growth plates?

Growth plates are areas of developing tissue at the ends of children's bones. They are important because they allow bones to grow in length.

Like any tissue, growth plates can be injured. However, there is no evidence that normal, well-designed resistance training inherently damages them.

The greater concern is poor training practice—for example, inappropriate loads, poor technique, lack of supervision or attempting maximal lifts without adequate preparation.

This is why children's strength training should be approached as skill development and progressive physical preparation, rather than simply trying to lift as much weight as possible.

Does strength training reduce injuries?

This is another area where some caution is needed.

Strength training can improve muscular strength, coordination, balance and the ability to tolerate physical loads. These factors are important for children participating in sport.

However, it would be too simplistic to say that strength training prevents sports injuries.

Injury risk is influenced by many factors, including:

• Training load

• Growth and maturation

• Previous injury

• Sleep and recovery

• Technique

• Sport-specific demands

• Sudden changes in activity

• Physical strength and conditioning

Strength training should therefore be considered one component of a broader approach to injury prevention.

Does strength training help young athletes?

Potentially, yes.

Sport places significant demands on a growing body.

Football, rugby, athletics, gymnastics and other sports require children to accelerate, decelerate, jump, land, change direction and produce force repeatedly.

Developing strength can help children cope with these physical demands.

For example, a young footballer may benefit from developing strength in the:

• Quadriceps

• Hamstrings

• Gluteal muscles

• Calves

• Trunk

But strength training shouldn't simply replicate what happens in the gym. As children develop, exercises can gradually become more specific to the demands of their sport.

Does a child need weights?

No.

Strength training doesn't necessarily mean lifting dumbbells or barbells.

Children can develop strength using:

• Bodyweight exercises

• Resistance bands

• Medicine balls

• Light dumbbells

• Kettlebells

• Cable machines

• Resistance machines

• Sporting movements

A bodyweight squat, for example, can be an excellent starting exercise.

As the child becomes stronger and more competent, resistance or exercise difficulty can gradually increase.

The equipment isn't the most important factor. The quality of the programme and how it is progressed are far more important.

What age should children start strength training?

There isn't a single age at which every child should begin.

A child's physical and psychological maturity is more important than their chronological age alone.

A younger child might participate in simple supervised activities involving jumping, climbing, squatting, pushing, pulling and carrying.

An older child or teenager who can understand instructions, follow coaching and perform exercises safely can gradually progress to more structured resistance training.

The goal shouldn't be to turn children into miniature adult weightlifters.

It should be to help them develop movement skills, strength and confidence.#

How should children's strength training be progressed?

The same basic principle applies as with adult exercise:

Start with an appropriate challenge and gradually increase it.

Progression might involve:

Better technique → more repetitions → greater resistance → more challenging exercises

For example:

A child might start with a bodyweight squat.

Once they can perform this confidently, they might progress to a goblet squat with a light weight.

Later, they could increase the resistance or introduce more demanding variations.

There is no need to rush the process.

What about maximum lifts?

Children don't need to regularly test how much they can lift for one repetition.

Strength training should initially focus on:

• Good technique

• Controlled movement

• Appropriate resistance

• Consistency

• Gradual progression

Maximal lifting can introduce unnecessary risk when technique and physical preparation aren't adequate.

For young athletes who eventually want to pursue more advanced strength training, this should be introduced progressively and with appropriate coaching.

What are the wider benefits?

Strength training isn't only about becoming stronger.

For children and teenagers, appropriately prescribed resistance exercise can contribute to:

• Improved muscular strength

• Better movement skills

• Physical confidence

• Improved athletic performance

• Bone health

• General physical fitness

• Greater ability to tolerate sporting loads

Perhaps most importantly, introducing children to resistance exercise in a positive environment can help them develop a lifelong relationship with physical activity.

Strength training doesn't have to mean going to the gym

For younger children especially, strength development can be fun.

Climbing, jumping, crawling, carrying, hanging, pushing, pulling and playing active games all provide opportunities to develop physical capacity.

As children get older, more structured resistance training can be introduced if they enjoy it.

The best exercise programme is ultimately one that is safe, enjoyable and sustainable.