Article: Weight Lifting for Kids? Wait Until Child Is Age 8.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Is weight lifting safe for children?

The answer to this old, much-debated question is increasingly "yes"--if children don't start strength training before age 8 years, learn proper techniques, and train in supervised settings, experts said at the annual meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

"Kids want to work out," observed Dr. Paul Stricker, a pediatrician at the Vanderbilt University Sports Medicine Center in Nashville, Tenn. Some seek to excel in particular sports or want to emulate parents or siblings who lift. Others have less healthy motivations, like the wish to look like the "beautiful people" ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!