exposing the myth that weightlifting stunts your growth

[stevesmi]

I don't usually post youtube vids unless they are very good but this dude explains why thats an old wives tale.

Does Lifting Weights Stunt Growth? - YouTube

so any of you young guys who mommy or uncle says don't lift weights cause its gonna stunt your growth you should show them this video. you definately should be lifting weights and I recommend starting at 12 or 13.. if you aren't atleast lifting by 15 you are doing yourself a huge dis-service

 

[WiggyWild]

What is not an "old wive's tail" though is that estrogen creates bone plate ossification and stops bone growth. Increased testosterone levels, some of which will convert to estrogen, surely will stunt your growth. Steroids do stunt your growth. Will weight lifting increase testosterone to this point? I'm not sure, I think there are legitimate arguments on each side.

 

[expatInsurance]

Even I had heard that lifting weights during early teens stops growth. I would like to see this myth busted.

 

[joeblow12345]

This is a great vid. I think all young kids should be doing some type of exercise routine. Most kids these days spend their time sitting playing on the computer or video games. That's why you see so many over weight kids today. I'm planning on taking my daughter and son's to the gym with me as soon as they are old enough to lift.


Use code joeb15 for 15% of at Ntbm.

 

[stevesmi]

What is not an "old wive's tail" though is that estrogen creates bone plate ossification and stops bone growth. Increased testosterone levels, some of which will convert to estrogen, surely will stunt your growth. Steroids do stunt your growth. Will weight lifting increase testosterone to this point? I'm not sure, I think there are legitimate arguments on each side.

men have higher testosterone than women, does that mean that men are shorter? not sure how that makes much sense.. explain further though, would love to hear it

 

[mbag012]

what he means is, since weightlifting will undoubtedly increase baseline testosterone levels; and since all the estrogen in mens body come from the aromitisation of testosterone; wont that mean that there will be more estrogen due to higher levels of aromitisation due to the higher test levels?

 

[expatInsurance]

One thing more that doing pushups during early teens also can hinder with your natural growth, this is also, I think, should be a myth. is it?

 

[Headholio]

what he means is, since weightlifting will undoubtedly increase baseline testosterone levels; and since all the estrogen in mens body come from the aromitisation of testosterone; wont that mean that there will be more estrogen due to higher levels of aromitisation due to the higher test levels?

Not necessarily. your body is very good about keeping your hormone levels in a healthy range. Its not til you start messing with exogenous sources that you throw the balance out of whack.

During puberty, boys testosterone levels peak, and growth rate also peaks.

 

[RickRock13]

Great video Steve. There is no harm in kids starting out lifting in their early teens. My old man believed it and got me started at 13.

 

[stevesmi]

what he means is, since weightlifting will undoubtedly increase baseline testosterone levels; and since all the estrogen in mens body come from the aromitisation of testosterone; wont that mean that there will be more estrogen due to higher levels of aromitisation due to the higher test levels?

even a guy who doesn't weightlift who sits on his ass all day playing video games and eating cheetos will have a higher T level than a female... so if that was true then all men would be shorter than women.

height of a person is determined by genetics.. you are born with your height already known UNLESS as the video says you suffer an injury from a sport which hurts your growth plates... and as the video said you are far more likely to get injured skiing, playing basketball, football, falling down the stairs etc than you would be ever weightlifting

and i'm sure pro athletes of all sports started very young.. lebron james and michael jordan were shooting hoops since they could walk.. tiger woods was playing golf since he was like 5. and they turned out pretty good so go ahead and play sports, lift, just be smart and don't hurt yourself.

 

[stevesmi]

One thing more that doing pushups during early teens also can hinder with your natural growth, this is also, I think, should be a myth. is it?

100% myth unless you hurt your growth plates which is almost impossible.. if you paid me 1M i wouldn't be able to purposely hurt my growth plates doing pushups

the person who told you that probably doesn't work out and just wants you to look like shit too so they feel better about themselves and/or are very ignorant on fitness

 

[iftimie]

ax

 

[WiggyWild]

From Wikipedia article
Epiphyseal plate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In puberty increasing levels of estrogen, in both females and males, leads to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate. Depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth slows down and later stops when the entire cartilage have become replaced by bone, leaving only a thin epiphyseal scar which later disappears."

apoptosis = cell death

The timing of estrogen level peaks coincides with when growth stops during puberty. The amount of estrogen between men and women is inconsequential, but men and women do stop growing at slightly different ages due to differences in hormones. Timing of bone plate ossification stops growth and is one of the genetic factors you speak of, but there are a variety of hormonal signals which determine growth speed and contribute substantially to height. This is a well studied phenomena, feel free to research it.

However, I am not saying that weightlifting stunts your growth. I am saying that there is a scientifically documented mechanism which could account for stunted growth via increased estrogen levels.

Again, it appears that the jury is still out as to whether weightlifting stunts growth. Steroids certainly do. I am surprised that the creator of this video did not address any of these concerns.

 

[Headholio]

From Wikipedia article
Epiphyseal plate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In puberty increasing levels of estrogen, in both females and males, leads to increased apoptosis of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate. Depletion of chondrocytes due to apoptosis leads to less ossification and growth slows down and later stops when the entire cartilage have become replaced by bone, leaving only a thin epiphyseal scar which later disappears."

apoptosis = cell death

The timing of estrogen level peaks coincides with when growth stops during puberty. The amount of estrogen between men and women is inconsequential, but men and women do stop growing at slightly different ages due to differences in hormones. Timing of bone plate ossification stops growth and is one of the genetic factors you speak of, but there are a variety of hormonal signals which determine growth speed and contribute substantially to height. This is a well studied phenomena, feel free to research it.

However, I am not saying that weightlifting stunts your growth. I am saying that there is a scientifically documented mechanism which could account for stunted growth via increased estrogen levels.

Again, it appears that the jury is still out as to whether weightlifting stunts growth. Steroids certainly do. I am surprised that the creator of this video did not address any of these concerns.

What you would have to show, is that weightlifting increases estrogen, (?) or, that weightlifting increases testosterone (easy), and that testosterone increase leads to an estrogen increase. (don't know about that one).

I thinkits a sketchy assumption that a moderate testosterone boost automatically leads to more aromatazation,