Would you say the following theory is true or false? please ignore grammar, to tired to care... Ok, anyways, i really enjoy working out and learning how the body works in a mechanical sense, so naturally i am always wondering about how my muscles, bones, joints, etc. all work together. When i first started working out back in the 8th or 9th grade i began to notice that many of the kids who started lifting really heavy weights all through out jr. high and high school ended up being somewhat short when we graduated. My theory is that if kids work out on heavy weights that compress their back/joints, etc. at a young age, or rather, when they are still growing, that they may inhibit their growth to a certain extent. Does anyone think this is true? I also noticed that swimmers tend to be taller on average than any other type of athlete. I believe the reason that swimmers tend to be taller is because swimming is a sport that tends to stretch out the muschles thus allowing the growth plates a little bit more room to grow. So, if one wants to be a basketball player when they grow up, itd probably be best for them to only do exercises that stretch their muscles, etc. and not compress them. odds are if i do a google search on this ill find a crap load of stuff on it, lol..
i wonder how much of that is true. i started whight lifting when i was 17 and i stood in at 6' even, for the next 7yrs i grew another 6" now during that time i lifted weights 5 days a week. if it was going to stunt my growth it didn't happen. alot is genitic, now maybe i would've been 7' tall who knows. i don't think there is any real corelation on it. lifting at very young ages tends to cause more problems in the hormone dept. especially when you start to mix in suppliments. i say wait until your at least 16-17 before you go real hard into it. crap gotta go the newborns crying again...
I just thought good swimmers were good swimmers because they were tall and lanky and that they always were like that. Although lifting weights at too early of an age can constrict bone development.
When I was younger I thought it of the other way around... more with basketball and soccer. Most soccer players are short (am I wrong?) and most basketball players are tall. The people who I know, who did both, have those respective qualities... When we were kids though, we were all the same size. One group played soccer and the other played basketball. For a while I was convinced that people coordinated in the hands/arms made you grow and people who were coordinated in their legs didn't as much. Silly, I know.
I didn't lift a weight until I was 22 and I'm almost 6'4".. but then again, my brother did the same and he's 5'7" (yes, same parents). I don't think weights would stunt your growth, it's probably more along the lines of the shorter guys lifting to compensate for their height and the taller guys lifting but not gaining the same mass. It's exponetially harder to 'get big' the higher up you go, and seeing a bunch of shorter buff guys shouldn't lead you to the conclusion that lifting weights stunted their growth. C.
The only effects weight lifting will have in your height will be isolated to the Vertibrae. Stretching is one of he biggest parts of weight lifting. If you are serious, I would highly suggest any book by dr. Franco Columbu.
20lbs of muscle on a small frame, does not look the same as on a large frame. Think if a girl weighs 135 and is 5'1" or she is 6'1" the looks is WAY different. So a little gain on a small frame goes a long way. Most pro bb's I know or have seen are 5'8" at best. And it is as much compensation as fake boobs or your ferrari for a lack of manhood. sometimes ture, mostly false.
Ryan, Think less, drink more....if that doesn't work, reverse that prescription To answer your question: weight-lifting won't inhibit a kids growth. People just find what their bodies do best: all my tall friends play basketball, skinny guys run, stocky guys wrestle, fat guys compete in eating contest...but skinny little asians win anyways. Life isn't fair. Matt, don't go there...that line has been played-out to death
