When to start lifting

Welcome to 5.14 Fitness,


Okay, so this is a post that some have been anticipating over the last couple of days, the reason it has taken so long is that I was not sure either but I have just finished asking around and I think I now have enough information at my disposal to be able to post on it. The reason I do this is because I do not want to be giving out advice on matters that I am guessing  on, so I will tell you now I cannot confirm 100% what I am saying, but it is what I would recommend from the knowledge I have.


Weight lifting is the fastest/easiest(?) way to gain stronger and larger muscles, therefore making it a crucial part of bodybuilding. In fact some people's work outs consist solely of weight lighting, as there is no faster way to get results. However there have been arguments made that by lifting weights too young you are stunting your growth, so your body is not reaching the maximum height it is capable of reaching.


So the argument goes like this; by lifting weights before you have finished growing, will stunt your growth as it is changing your body's focus. Instead of growing upwards (and outwards slowly), your body reverses its priorities and starts to grow outwards mainly and upwards at a much slower rate.
Another theory is that by lifting too heavy too early, you damage your cartilage plates (the things between bones and joints which regenerate to make you taller), this is because the weights are having too much impact of these plates, which will eventually stop changing when you have reached your maximum height.


But it has yet to be proven scientifically that these theories are true, due to the lack of evidence


On the other hand as a young person who has lifted weights, I can tell you that after you will have improved sleep (which has been scientifically proven to help with growth all over the body). So if you are sleeping better your body is having more chance of repairing and changing  so that you will get bigger muscles but also get taller as well. In addition to this there is also of yet any evidence that weight lifting stunts your growth.


In conclusion I would recommend that if you are still at peak growing points and your body is still waiting to develop to stay away from regular weight training sessions, just to be on the safe side as to be honest the argument is swinging towards the stunt growth side. Moreover, if you look at most bodybuilders (who started lifting young) hardly any of them clear 6 foot, coincidence? |I my self have lifted heavy but I am now trying to steer away from this side of muscle building and sticking to weight free exercises because, even though they take longer to get results, they build pure muscle fibres. Anyway, when you reach your late teens your body will fill out naturally and all these people who train weight free (with smaller muscles and pure muscle fibres) will then become dench as there body focus naturally changes to growing outwards at this age and they can then start to lift free of mind. So in other words I would recommend staying off the weights until you are at least 16 and starting to come close to your maximum height; you can then start to lift in order to get the further elements only weights can give you and at least this way you will be sure you are not affecting growth.


I know this is a topic of controversy, but I hope this helps; all the usual stuff-peace!


Jason


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