My latest at PJ Media: Kids and Strength Training

[Mark Rippetoe]

Can You Put Your Kids on a Strength Training Program? | PJ Media

[Glasgow_Jock]

Excellent article.

My 13 year old nephew is interested in starting "doing weights" with me as I have my garage gym (his old man is a fellow "meat head" but works prolonged shifts) so looking forward to taking him through the basic barbell movements during his summer holidays for fun, hopefully get him in to rugby for high school to give the exercise some fun purpose.

[Mark Rippetoe]

My god, if it's possible, the comments on PJ are getting worse.

[Tom Campitelli]

"Strength gains are mostly neurological, not physiological."

Who knew?

[Robert NL]

"Strength gains are mostly neurological, not physiological."

Who knew?

Use the force Tom

[MBasic]

My god, if it's possible, the comments on PJ are getting worse.

. . . some hope: "When everyone lived on farms, kids were doing a man's work at <10-year-old. Their toughness lasted a long lifetime."

And probably just as important, said children probably ate well living on a farm and all.

[Satch12879]

Rip, I see your fan, who previously challenged you to a loaded golf bag hike, has contributed tremendously as usual.

[Gregory Domnin]

My favorite

But why make your kid stiff and inflexible and neglect both cardio and agility training? Oh wait, this is " buy my book, one trick pony Rippetoe".. much better to do gymnastics, swimming, mountain biking or a variety of whole body activities, instead of turning your kid into just another deconditioned gym rat like Rippetoe...

1. What is agility training?
2. Didn't you do an article on mobility (California term) over there?*
3. What is deconditioned mean and this person clearly doesn't know what they are talking about on that as a huge part of V02 max (assuming that is what they are referring to) is genetic.
4. Aren't you basically telling parents to let kids do things they find fun like gymnastics, swimming and stuff other than strength training in this article?

*When I was at Xfit they made me pay $75 for a mobility screen and they recommended that I do a bunch of shoulder stretches. The situation never really improved. I lost now close to 50lbs and very little shoulder stretching and go figure now I can touch my fingers behind my head (one underneath, the other overhead) I know I saw Rip and Jordan do a Q&A, I assume at the end of a seminar, where Jordan mentioned weight loss made for better improvement on the mobility screen.

[Jayson Ball]

My god, if it's possible, the comments on PJ are getting worse.

Meh, seems par for the course to me.

[Zach Metzger]

Concern about growth plates is something I hear about even for teens. Where can I find some information to help dispell these myths?