Should I let my 14 year old go to the gym? What parents need to know.

Regular exercise is encouraged as part of a healthy lifestyle for children and adolescents. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens get 60 minutes of physical activity daily, plus three days that include activities aimed at building bone and muscle strength.

While most parents encourage their children to be active through organized sports, it's understandable that teenagers are interested in the gym, especially if their parents or friends work out there. But that raises a huge question: Should you let your 14-year-old go to the gym? How can we achieve this safely, both mentally and physically?

For the record, experts say it's perfectly acceptable for most teens to work out in a gym, but certain parameters and safety measures need to be put in place first.

Is it safe for a teenager to go to the gym?

Experts agree that the gym can be a safe place for children to exercise. “It’s great for kids to be active and exercise – the gym is a good place to do that,” said Dr. Tracy Zaslow, a junior. sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and team physician for the Angel City Football Club and the LA Galaxy, told Yahoo Life.

Zaslow says strength training is “part of a healthy exercise program and can be done safely with children.”

Dr. Alison Crépeau, an orthopedic surgeon at Connecticut Children's, agrees. “It is safe and beneficial for a teenager to do weight training and strength training,” she told Yahoo Life. “Previously there was concern that we wouldn't want growing children to do bodybuilding, but that wasn't seen as a problem.”

But there's a lot more to consider than just taking a child to the local gym and letting them go to work. “They’re going to need supervision,” Zaslow says. “Just letting a child jump into the gym is probably not the best option.”

That's why it's so important that children receive instruction on how to use gym equipment, as well as why they are doing certain exercises, James Beitzel, clinical coordinator at Northwestern, told Yahoo Life Medicine Athletic Training and Sports Performance Center. . He notes that many middle and high school physical education systems have incorporated strength training into their curriculum, which can help teens at least have an idea of ​​what they're doing. “This provides training in proper exercise selection, form and progression, which provides a great foundation to build on,” he says.

But that may not be enough, and kids will often benefit from meeting with a trainer at the gym to learn more and ask questions, Beitzel says.

What about the mental aspects of going to the gym?

Crépeau says there is “definitely a fine line” between supporting or encouraging children to be physically active and transmitting toxic food culture or unhealthy messages around body image. Dr. Jason P. Womack, chief of the division of sports medicine at Rutgers University–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, agrees.

“We do a good job talking about the importance of sports and outdoor activities in terms of health,” he told Yahoo Life. “But we don’t do a great job of explaining how bodybuilding is part of it.” Womack recommends talking to kids about how strength training can help them perform better in sports and lead a healthy lifestyle rather than talking about how it will make them look a certain way.

Crépeau emphasizes that the gym chosen by parents and its environment are also important. Ideally, families want to find one that doesn't focus on achieving a certain look and focuses more on achieving health goals.

Is there anything a teenager should avoid at the gym?

In general, teenagers can do most things at the gym, Crépeau says. “There's nothing we would say to avoid other than lifting weights and trying to maximize the weights,” she says.

Womack also discourages power lifting. “Apart from very heavy tasks, nothing is forbidden,” he says.

How to Make Sure a Teenager is Safe at the Gym

Crépeau recommends that parents go to the gym with their child, noting that many workout facilities don't allow children under 18 to workout without a parent or guardian present anyway. .

“They should receive coaching and instruction on how to do exercises,” says Zaslow. “Start with very low weights so they get the right form and movement patterns. They can gradually increase the amount of weight from there.”

Zaslow notes that the most common injuries among children who do weight training involve weights falling on toes and fingers getting caught in machines. So parents will want to make sure to pay special attention to these areas when talking about safety.

Overall, experts say the gym can be a good outlet for children and promote a healthy lifestyle. “If the child asks to go to the gym, support them,” Beitzel says.

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