When can my child start exercising with dumbbells? Part 2

By Aaron Horschig. Dr. Kevin Sonthana

When is a young athlete ready to start lifting weights? That's the hardest question for most coaches. We know that training in the gym is safe for kids of all ages as long as they are supervised by a coach.

A young athlete needs to be well tested before training with weights. They must first demonstrate quality movement patterns. If you are training a child who can't master proper technique even with squats with his own weight, it doesn't make sense to put a barbell on his back. You would only increase the risk of injury.

Before you let your young athlete lift weights, answer two simple questions.

• How well can he squat with his own weight?
• Can she maintain technique when a loaded barbell is added?

Squat with your own weight

The squat is a movement pattern first, an exercise second. The self-weight version is the basis for mastering the loaded dumbbell.

It is quite difficult for coaches to test squat technique, especially if they have several young athletes under their supervision. So I've created a simple methodology that we'll go over now.

One element of the technique is foot position. The toe rotation does change a bit with the barbell version, but the young athlete should be able to squat with the toes essentially unspinned. The self-weight squat is a functional movement that forms the basis for a number of maneuvers such as jumping and landing. Therefore, the athlete should be able to squat with the thumbs unspinned.

If your athlete has mastered all 4 categories correctly, they are ready to try the squat with a barbell on their back. If not, the specific problem needs to be addressed.

Your athlete is like a race car. You probably won't send him to the track with a flat tire. It'll end in disaster. Technique always comes first.

Squat with barbell

Once your athlete has mastered the points on the first checklist, it's time to put a barbell on his back and see if he can maintain technique with it.

One change will be the position of the feet, where the toes can be turned out a little. This will allow us to squat deeper and maintain balance while doing so.

Let's look at the checklist again.

If your athlete has mastered the empty axis technique, they are ready for weights. Barbell training can be extremely safe, regardless of age, but you need to maintain good technique and use adequate weights (1-4).

Conclusion

Think of the squat as a functional movement. It's an exercise in the gym that comes second. The quality of execution will always depend on how much you have loaded on your back, but by focusing on technique you can also minimize the risk of injuries that could come in training and in matches.

Resources:

https://squatuniversity.com/2016/03/11/when-can-my-child-start-lifting-weights-pt-2/