Is Lifting Weights Safe?

(Sunday, August 14, 2005) - This is a common question posed by parents of athletes. I have two answers to this question. First, lifting weights is safe. If performed correctly, weight training is the best thing an athlete can do to increase strength and decrease injury. Second, weight training can be dangerous. If athletes perform lifts improperly, or attempt too much weight, an injury could result.
Sports participation is at an all-time high. Since there are also more teams to play on, and athletes can now play most sports all year long, off-season training is rarely occurring. Athletes are, therefore, playing more games at a high level without adequate strength and stability. This can result in decreased performance, or worse, an injury.

Have you ever asked your athlete to carry in the groceries? How about moving some furniture? Both are examples of lifting weights. Both are also never questioned for stunting an athlete's growth, yet this myth surrounds lifting weights.

Weight training at young and older ages stimulates bone muscle, ligament and tendon growth. Joint compression is essential for growth and development of the young athlete. By following proper rep ranges and lifting technique, weights are a safe prerequisite to athletic success.

Athletes can increase their strength regardless of age. Prepubescent athletes gain in strength due to increased nervous system output. These athletes do not demonstrate much increase in muscular size, but the increased muscular strength and joint stability help performance and prevent injury. After puberty, the male athletes especially have an opportunity to gain in muscle mass due to new circulating hormones.

Athletes should begin with body weight exercises first to develop a base level of strength. Great examples of these are push ups, sit ups, body weight squats, chin ups, and lunge walks. After mastering these, learning proper lifting technique is the next logical step. Even though every athlete matures at a different rate, many girls begin weight training around 12 and the boys around 13.

I constantly remind athletes and parents is that being on the field underprepared physically is far more dangerous than lifting weights correctly. The forces placed upon the joints during running and jumping are far more than carefully lifting weights. As an orthopedic physical therapist, I can say for the thousands of athletes I have seen injured on the field, many of these injuries could have been prevented with safe work in the gym.

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