"You still have plenty of time to go to the gym, you don't want to end up with your 160cm boobs." This is a sentence I have heard countless times since my first visit to the gym, not only from my parents. And I believe that the same "problem", or rather, a ridiculous misunderstanding the importance of working out, is certainly experienced by many young boys today and every day.
So, let's look at whether weight training can really stop growth, imagine the behindand put this common misconception to rest once and for all.
Where did this myth even come from?
First of all, let's talk about where the idea of stopping growth as a result of going to the gym came from in the first place. Probably the most logical claim is that intense training with heavy weights can damage growth plates. These are the cartilaginous plates that ensure bone growth in length. And basically, you can't say that this claim is pure nonsense. It's just important to add to it that according to many studies. up to 30% of childhood sports injuries (regardless of the specific activity) are linked to growth plates.
This is due in large part to the fact that growth plates are a bit more sensitive in adolescents. However, this in no way means that any injury immediately means stops growth, it's just initial evidence that it's not a good idea to push things to extremes at a young age. But we'll get to that in today's article.
What factors influence height growth?
In the next part of this article, we will discuss what are the main factors that influence height growth in general. And if you're expecting strength training to be among them, you can turn the article off. Height is much more influenced by proper nutrition, genetic predisposition, synthesis of individual hormones in the body and last but not least by the so-called "growth hormone". However, there is probably no need to discuss these factors further, because they are defined during the development of the fetus during pregnancy.
1. Proper nutrition
From my point of view, an extremely important, but at the same time often somewhat neglected factor, is the correct diet of young people. And this is far from just macronutrients, vitamins, minerals and trace elements are also very essential.
Children often have increased requirements for the intake of individual nutrients because they are, as they say They are 'in development' and need, for example, higher amounts of calciumfor proper bone and tooth development, potassium for the functioning of the nervous system and muscle developmentbut also iron, which helps prevent anaemia and is essential for oxygen transport. However, if we withdraw from these micronutrients altogether, as the specialist websites point out, total calorie and protein intake also play a very important role.
2. Genetic predispositions
Genetic predispositions are probably an aspect that does not need to be elaborated at length. If you as parents are both 150cm and your 145cm child decides to start exercising at the age of 15, you can't blame his height on strength training. Genetics, in short, is something that is not easily influenced.
3. Hormone synthesis in the body
Although we are talking in the plural when it comes to hormones affecting growth, only one plays the most important role, namely growth hormone (RH). In fact, the action of growth hormone results in an increase in the production of somatomedins, which can stimulate the growth plates, directly affecting bone growth in length. Its functionality is evidenced by the fact that in the case of its deficiency in children, a recombinant form of hGH is often prescribed.
So how do you safely exercise at a young age?
As our article is slowly but surely coming to a close, we should also mention here Mr.r tips that are definitely worth following if you (or your child) have decided that you want to be active in the gym.
1. Working out is not a sprint, it's a marathon
This advice is the most important advice I can give you from my experience. At 13 years old, it's not about a half-metre biceps girth or squatting 300kg, muscles are not mature at this age and strength abilities are very limited. But you can learn the absolute basics, which will make it a lot easier later on and allow you to benefit incredibly in terms of muscle mass and strength gains.
A great example is the squat. If you start doing squats de facto from a young age, you will have mastered mobility, stability, weight distribution and can target specific muscle groups very effectively. And you can gradually add weight when your technique is mastered and you're a bit older.
And why did I give the squat as an example? Because it's an extremely challenging exercise that most of today's exercisers can't do. The popular Jonáš Petřík, for example, talks about it very well. if you want to learn more about this challenging exercise, be sure to watch his video:
2. It's not about how big you are
Again, we come to what I mentioned in the previous paragraph. At 13, no one can ask you to go to any extremes. Just train in a way that you enjoy, because that's the core premise that determines whether you stick with a workout or quit after a few days or weeks. Don't focus only on machines, just as don't train only with technique-intensive free weights. Even comprehensive scientific evidence agrees that training based on different principles and methodologies can have a huge number of benefits from an early age.
3. Pay a good trainer
Having an experienced supervisor is an absolutely essential thing that should not pass any new gym goer by. Even more so if they are still children. Of course, I understand that the financial situation of a trainer often does not allow, however, every sport requires a financial investment.
In this case, you can also ask for help from a more experienced friend who has ation will certainly sacrifice his/her training sessions to teach you at least the most important basics. And then, of course, it will be up to you and how you approach the learning process.
Conclusion
Well, that's it for this article. If you are thinking of going to the gym, I can definitely recommend it to you because it is an indescribable hobby that will totally engross you. You just have to be extremely careful at a young age to do things properly, not do things indiscriminately and above alland think about it thoroughly, or consult with more experienced athletes. If you have any questions about today's topic, be sure to ask in the comments, we're always happy to answer!
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Why can you trust us?
Hey! Hey! I'm Mirek and I've been working at World Fitness almost since the beginning, except for a small break. But before that I lived only in the gym for a few years, doing deadlifts and power triathlon, going to competitions and winning a few medals.
Probably the one I value the most is the national record in the WUAP federation. But besides working out, I was also interested in food and supplements, I liked to enjoy my free timeI used to read different researches and professional books in my free time to know as much as possible.