Why the misconception?
For generations, people have wrongfully assumed that weightlifting leads to negative outcomes when starting from a young age. Much of the reason why children/adolescents are not pushed to learn and participate in strength training is because there is a risk of impairment, injury, and negative cardiovascular impact(Dawes, 2021)
Think Critically!
Although there is a risk associated with any kind of lift, the benefits are still present if performed properly. According to the review done by Dawes, strength training can in fact be beneficial for children by improving physical performance and injury prevention when workouts are supervised, individualized and progressively loaded.
Experimental Evidence??
Adolescent girls are more likely to experience injuries from physical activities. This happens due to differences between sexes in strength development while going through puberty(Herman, 2021). After 6-months of strength training in their regular PE course, adolescent girls saw a significant decrease in error for jump landing mechanics, as measured by the Landing Error Scoring System(LESS). This means they were less likely to tear their ACL!!
References
Herman, Pritchard, K. A., Cosby, N. L., & Selkow, N. M. (2022). Effect of Strength Training on Jump-Landing Biomechanics in Adolescent Females. Sports Health, 14(1), 69–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381211056089
McDonnell Dawes. (2021). Exploring the role of strength training for enhancing physical performance testing and injury prevention in children and adolescents: A Literature Review and Narrative. International Journal of Integrated Care, 21(S1), 197. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.ICIC20496
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