Expert: Rick Karboviak - 4/20/2006

Question
I've read all the responses to the questions about weightlifting and its potential to stunt growth in teenagers. I do however find my research inconclusive.

I am 16 years old and have been training 3 times a week for 2 months now, avoiding injury or strain, and gaining impressively. However, i am constently hearing this thing about "heavy weights" stunting growth. Firstly, i would like to know what is classified as HEAVY weights and whether or not specific exercises like squats and deadlifts have any effect on the growth plates.

My routine is as follows (in brief)
I do 3 sets of 8-10 for nearly everything except chinups and other body weight exercises (dips).
I also do deadlifts, squats, bench press, shoulder presses which apparently are the main ones that stunt your growth, as well as chinups dips flies curls etc.

Is this okay for a 16 year old like me who is 5ft7 and very sporty. I play football twice a week as well as squash and golf. I dont find this straining at all and ive never been near injured. I dont want to however sacrifice growth in height for strength and muscle gains, and i would like to clarify this with you.";  

Answer
Nemo,
The 'stunted growth' thing is a theory on how maximal weight lifting (the 'heavy' term in strength training) can possibly affect growth plates.  You're 16 and like most of the kids your age, the body is growing still, just not at the rate it once was.  As you near 18-21 years of age, the growing process slows down as you reach full maturity.

3 sets of 8-10 is a safe range.  Lifting 'heavy' means lifting in a close range of your 1 repetition maximum.  Its usually classified at 90-100% of this weight.  (Like if you lifted 200 pounds for a 1 rep max, 90% would be lifting 180).

I wouldn't worry too much about stunting growth.  Besides, I've always thought this logically and have said 'How do they know it really stunts growth?  Do they look into the future somehow and see what your true height should be?"  So, what I mean is that anyone doesn't really know if your true height is ever reached, therefore, no one really can tell if your growth has truly been 'stunted'. I've often thought it was some made-up folklore of old-school training talk & jargon.  

Just using common sense (not lifting too heavy for too often, staying in those safe ranges) can get the job done in developing strength, muscle mass, bone mass, and helping to improve body composition.

I hope that clarifies things for you more.

Take care,
Rick Karboviak, CSCS
Speed Dial Coach
http://speeddialcoach.com