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This is unfortunately an old wive's tale which is popular amongst too many adults and children. You're not going to be able to lift more heavier weights until you've reached puberty anyway, when your hormones will kick you into growing taller and growing muscles, and your mindset also becomes slightly more mature and stronger. What I mean by this is that your mind must be strong for you to lift; at the same time, Weightlifting can make your mind stronger. Therefore you need to start with a weight that both your mind and your body can handle (i.e. weightlifting is partly psychological, partly down to muscles).
Whatever you can safely lift at 12 I do not believe will stunt your growth. Running and jumping create more forces on the body than weightlifting does. The US government observed that soccer, Basketball, football, Skateboarding, and bicycling injuries cause most stunt in growth. Weightlifting will actually stimulate your growth, including your bones and muscles. The other thing is that the best weightlifters are naturally shorter and heavier - you should not confuse cause with effect: shorter weightlifters can deadlift, squat and over-head press much more easily as they have less work to do.
There have been many people such as Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Michael Vick, Dave Draper and Arnold Schwarzenegger all started weightlifting in their early teens. At the age of 12, it is highly unlike you will be doing 90kg deadlifts or squats, let alone clean-and-press. Weightlifting is a very safe sport (check the statistics for sports-related injuries). At the same time, it is not really expected of children to lift weights - starting off with sprints and callisthenics/gymnastics is a good foundation for building strength.
Start off with callisthenics for a year - have a look at guys like Ross Enamait. He combines weights with callisthenics (bodyweight exercises); and he even wrote a few books on callisthenics-only workouts to build stamina, strength and power.
Then move on to light weights (e.g. 10kg-20kg) for another year. If you aim to lift your own bodyweight first, perhaps for the third year, for a year or so, then you're not likely to go wrong. Don't try to go too fast - serious weightlifters look at targets in terms of years rather than months or weeks. They stick with the same weight for 2-3 sessions, and add on 2kg-4kg at a time. Have a look at Pavel Tsatsouline's book "Beyond Bodybuilding" (it has a load of good information), eat well and also have a look at Brooks Kubik's Dinosaur Files (which are really motivational newsletters), and also his books "Dinosaur Training" and "Dinosaur Strength Training Notebook" which have a LOT of useful information on weightlifting and sample routines.
Always warm-up at the start - this gets your muscles loose so they won't snap under pressure. Try deadlifts, squats and bent-over rows - perhaps even good-mornings and barbell curls. Try clean and press - avoid the bench-press, because you can develop more injuries (including rotator-cuff injuries and also dropping the weight on your throat). With standing exercises you do not need any spotters (people to help you in case you fail). The exception may be when squatting, but you can generally drop the weights either in front or behind you.
These are generally safe compound exercises (except for the curls - which is an isolation exercise). Compound exercises are good for stimulating all-around body growth. Your workouts shouldn't last much longer than 45 minutes; perhaps 1 hour maximum including rest intervals between sets/time when you change plates for different exercises. Have rests of 3-5 minutes if lifting very heavy weights (ones that you can't do for more than 3-5 reps with good form). Also, try having at least a day's rest in between weightlifting days. You can also have callisthenics days in too. For instance:
Day 1: Weights
Day 2: Callisthenics + sprint at end
Day 3: rest
Day 4: rest
Day 5: Weights
Day 6: Callisthenics
Day 7: rest
Day 8: Weights
Day 9: Callisthenics + sprint at end
Day 10: rest
Day 11: rest
... and so on.
If you want more proof? Look at American Football school programs - are the jocks short? No. Not unless it's in their genes to be short. They tend to start serious weightlifting at 15. But like I said, people have done it much earlier and still grown to be taller than average. What about Olympic weightlifters? They start at a very young age - it's the only way to get ahead in any Olympic sport. They are not midgets.
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Are lifting weights at age 12 harmful?
Yes because it can stunt your growth, but doing small amounts is alright because this will keep you toned.
Can you lift weights when your 12?
Yes, this is old enough. Lifting will not stunt your growth as the myth grows. Just make sure you do it correctly, and get supervision at first.
Can you lift heavy weights at age 12?
No. Lifting every day can damage the muscles and stunt a 12 year old's growth. You should try every other day or 3 times a week. Or do different upper-body excersisess.
12 years of age old enough to lift weights?
Yes, this is old enough. Lifting will not stunt your growth as the myth grows. Just make sure you do it correctly, and get supervision at first.
Does exercise stop you from growing?
Exercise does not stop you growing. Running,cycling, swimming etc are all healthy examples of exercise and don't stunt your growth. Lifting excessively heavy weights at a young age (12-14ish) however, can stunt your growth and effect the development of your arm muscles and bones. If you plan on lifting weights at an early age you should ask your trainer/coach for advice and stick with smaller weights. To be honest, I would just recommend push-ups, pull-ups etc.
Will doing weights at age 12 affect height?
I don't think any minor weight training will affect your height... however i recommend waiting until your 15-16 to start weight training and even then you should go very slowly and ask the advice of a personal trainer. No. It's a common myth that's been perpetuated for some time that weight lifting stunts growth. 12 year olds should certainly be supervised when lifting and instructed on proper form, but weight lifting done in good form should not stunt growth.
At what age should one start lifting weights?
around 12 years old
Do you stop growing if you lift weights at a young age?
no. it in fact encourages growth. i started training when i was 16 and actually got taller as a result. even when i was 11 i lifted weights sometimes and i was still the tallest kid in my grade. still am :)
Does weight lifting affect height growth?
Lifting weights above your head will not affect your height. However it is not recommended that prepubescent or adolescent men/women do strength training. Building strong upper body muscles such as deltoids pecs trapezius biceps and triceps without building the proper muscles to support them can stunt spinal development, thus keeping you from being as tall as you could be. Note: If you lift weights over your head and happen to drop one, the knot on the top of your head would indeed make you taller.
Do casts surgery on feet when young stunt growth My dad is 5'10 mom is 5'2 My twin and my mom had surgery casts when 2 Moms family is 5'10 plus My bro is 5'0 Did it stunt growth We 12 and male?
Surgery casts of feet when young do not stunt grown as growth plates are mostly present in the femur, tibia and fibula, none of which are present in the foot bones.
Is it healthy for a child to cut weight for wrestling at age 12?
i would have to say no, because the child is just beinnning to develope and if he does start cutting, it will stunt his growth.
What age should you start lifting weights at?
It is generally recommended to start lifting weights around the age of 14-16, once the body has developed sufficient strength and coordination. It is important to start with light weights and proper technique to prevent injury. Consulting with a fitness professional or coach can help determine the appropriate starting age.
