There is no need to avoid resistance training (weight lifting) until physeal closure.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review combining basic science rationale with an expert opinion survey
PubMed 24393806 · doi:10.3810/psm.2013.11.2041
What was done
The authors interpreted findings from a prior survey of 500 sports medicine experts regarding whether resistance training should be avoided until physeal closure. They synthesized these responses alongside basic science, biomechanical principles of immature skeletal growth plates, and clinical literature on adolescent training outcomes.
What was found
No quantitative outcome metrics, incidence rates, or relative risks were reported in the abstract. Surveyed experts predominantly responded that the recommendation to avoid resistance training is very likely false. Literature synthesis showed properly supervised programs are not associated with increased acute injury risk, though long-term growth plate implications remain unstudied.
Why it matters
This review challenges the traditional caution against adolescent resistance training and suggests properly supervised programs are safe prior to growth plate closure.
Limits
The work relies on expert opinion and narrative review rather than a systematic review or prospective trial. The abstract provides no quantitative injury data, and the literature lacks long-term prospective data evaluating chronic physeal impacts.
Cited by
- supports There is no scientific evidence that resistance training in children stunts growth or damages epiphyseal plates.