Does Lifting Weights Stunt Growth?

No, lifting weights does not stunt growth. Research on supervised strength training in children and teens has found no effect on height, and pediatric and strength-training organizations support it when it is done with good technique and sensible loads. The real risk is an injury from bad form, too much weight or no supervision, not a shorter adult height.

Does lifting weights stunt growth? What the research says

Scientists have looked at this question for decades, and the answer keeps coming back the same:

• A 2006 evidence review of 22 youth training studies found that supervised programs with weights and machines did not change growth in height or weight in children and young teens.
• The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), in its 2009 position statement, reported no harmful effect of resistance training on height growth in children or adolescents.
• A 2010 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found no growth cartilage injuries in any prospective study where kids trained with professional guidance, and no evidence that training lowers height.

Your adult height is set mostly by your genes and by your health, nutrition and sleep while your growth plates are still open. A barbell does not change that.

Where the myth comes from: growth plates

Growth plates are areas of growing cartilage near the ends of long bones, such as the thigh and forearm bones. They are where bones get longer, and they are weaker than the ligaments and tendons around them, which makes them easier to injure while you are still growing.

The fear started with case reports from the 1970s and 1980s describing wrist growth plate fractures in teen lifters. Reviewers later pointed out that most of those injuries came from poor technique, loads that were too heavy, or no qualified adult watching. In one case, a 13-year-old was pressing a 66 lb (30 kg) barbell overhead alone in a makeshift home gym when he lost control of it.

That is an injury story, not a "lifting keeps you short" story. According to the NIH, most growth plate fractures heal without lasting problems when they are treated properly. Growth plate injuries are also common in sports like football, basketball, gymnastics, skiing and skateboarding. Jumping and landing can hit the body with forces of up to five to seven times body weight.

How lifting injuries actually happen

A study of US emergency room visits from 2002 to 2005 looked at 4,111 weightlifting injuries in people aged 8 to 30. Children had a lower rate of sprains and strains than adults. In the 8 to 13 age group, about two-thirds of injuries were to the hands and feet, mostly from dropping weights or pinching fingers in equipment.

The authors concluded that most youth lifting injuries are accidents that better supervision and stricter safety rules could prevent. In other words, the risk comes from how and where kids lift, not from lifting itself.

Does lifting at a young age stunt growth?

No. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not set a minimum age for strength training. It notes that most kids have the balance and body control for it around age 7 or 8, and that maturity and the ability to follow instructions matter more than the exact age.

Kids can get stronger before puberty too. Programs lasting at least 8 weeks can raise strength by 30% to 50%, mostly because the nervous system learns to use muscles better rather than because muscles get bigger.

Does weight lifting stunt growth at 13?

Thirteen is often right in the middle of the growth spurt for boys. According to CDC growth chart medians, a typical boy grows about 2.8 in (7.0 cm) between 12 and 13 and about 3.1 in (7.8 cm) between 13 and 14. The median 13-year-old boy is about 5'1.5" (155.8 cm). You can compare with the average height for a 13-year-old boy.

Lifting will not interrupt that growth. But while bones are growing fast and growth plates are wide open, technique and slow progress matter more than the number on the bar. Most girls are further along at 13: the median girl has already reached about 96% of her adult height.

Safe weight lifting guidelines for teens

The AAP's guidance for parents and young athletes includes these rules:

The AAP handout also says Olympic lifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding are not recommended for children. Kids with uncontrolled high blood pressure, a seizure disorder or past chemotherapy should get a doctor's OK first. Those with complex congenital heart disease need clearance from a pediatric cardiologist.

Bottom line: Lifting with a coach, good form and gradual progress is safe for growing bodies. Lifting alone at home with heavy weights is where injuries happen.

Will lifting make you taller?

No. Strength training does not add height beyond your genetic potential, and neither does any other exercise. See does working out make you taller for the full picture. What it can do is build strength and help bones get denser while you grow, and a strong back and core make it easier to stand to your full height.

Be wary of shortcuts that often show up in gym culture. The AAP warns that misusing anabolic steroids can stop growth in teens who are still getting taller (more in our guide on whether testosterone makes you taller). For supplements like creatine, the evidence in teens is thin.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if you get hurt while training, especially if you notice:

• Pain or tenderness near the end of a bone or a joint that doesn't go away
• Swelling, warmth or a change in shape near a joint
• Trouble moving the arm or leg, or not being able to put weight on it
• Back pain that keeps coming back after lifting

Growth plate injuries often need quick treatment to avoid problems with bone growth, so don't push through this kind of pain. Separately, talk to a doctor about your growth itself if you haven't grown in a year, you're dropping across percentile lines on the growth chart, or you show no signs of puberty by about 14 (boys) or 13 (girls). Lifting doesn't cause those problems, but they are worth checking.

The takeaway

Lifting weights doesn't stunt growth, at 13 or at any other age. Learn the movements first, train with a qualified coach, add weight slowly and skip max lifts until you've stopped growing. Your height will follow your genes and your overall health, and you'll be stronger along the way.