Adults Are Quick To (Without Context) Call "Strength Training" Dangerous For Kids.

But here is where the real "danger" lies.

But here is where the real “danger” lies.

“You know what’s a lot more dangerous than getting stronger, increasing your physical and mental capacity, & developing a positive association with health, fitness, & training?

Placing a bunch of repetitive stress on connective tissues that are ill-prepared for the demands.”

-Ray Zingler on X

Imagine you were to inquire about a personal training or sports performance training package from me and I informed you that all we do is bench press.

3 times a week. Bench Press.

Monday is heavy weights.

Wednesday is high reps.

Friday is a blend of both.

But that’s it.

That’s the whole program.

“What about lower body? Back? Core? Isn’t it important to train the body as a whole? And isn’t it especially important to work opposing muscle groups to prevent imbalances and injuries?”

“It is, but I’m not really worried about all that stuff, we’re just going to do bench press, are you in?”

“Ummm.. yeah.. sure? I guess.”

“Thanks. Sign here.”

“Done!”

Insane hypothetical story, right?

This would never happen in real life, right?

It happens every single day.

TO kids (most definitely not FOR kids) at increasingly earlier ages, too.

The kicker is that it’s not bench press.

It’s their youth sports.

That precious construct that had the potential to add more value than anything else to their childhoods.

We’re putting kids with ages in their single digits into highly clinical, “professionalized”, specific sporting environments where we’re conditioning them (their parents) to believe that this is the way if you “don’t want to get left behind.

You want to know for certain you’ve reached a low point in life?

Imagine administering a travel ball tryout for “elite” 9-year-old’s..

And then here is the (lowest of) low parts, you have to (get to according to some sickos) “cut” some of them, too.

Imagine this being branded and sold as “healthy”.

Well actually, you don’t have to imagine.

It is sold, in abundance, it’s just most certainly not healthy.

And then imagine that believing “strength training” is dangerous for kids.

Learning to properly move their bodies through full ranges of fundamental movement patterns, increasing their relative strength to positively impact running speeds and sport performance, increasing resilience to injuries, improving their mental health & confidence, all while teaching them to positively associate with an activity that will be ESSENTIAL for decades beyond their sporting careers.

That’s “dangerous”.

But letting a grown adult bank off their overuse is “healthy” because in theory we believe it shouldn’t be.

What a world in which we live.

Share the Post:

Related Posts