Strength training has long been treated as off-limits for children—something to avoid rather than embrace. For decades, fears about injury, stunted growth, and overexertion kept kids away from the weight room. But that thinking is starting to change. As research catches up with perception, strength training is increasingly being recognised not as a risk, but as a valuable tool for building healthier, stronger and more resilient bodies.
Consider Mumbai-based fitness trainer Hitesh Suryawanshi. At his gym, children as young as eight are trained, though not in the way the setting might suggest. The goal, he says, is not just muscle, nor early athletic performance, but something less visible and more enduring: the nervous system. “The emphasis is not on lifting heavier weights, but on learning how to move, how to generate force, absorb impact, and respond as the body learns its balance.”
In Delhi, fitness trainer Prateek Raheja has observed a similar change. “Earlier, most of my clients were in their thirties or older,” he says. “Now, a significant portion falls between 14 and 19. Fitness is no longer something people begin late—it’s becoming part of life much earlier.”
Part of this shift is cultural. Children today are growing up in increasingly sedentary environments, shaped by rising screen time and reduced outdoor play. At the same time, a generation of parents more attuned to fitness is rethinking long-held assumptions.
Suryawanshi reflects this evolution. “When I started my journey, I wasn’t aware of it myself,” he says. “But over time, I understood the impact of early strength training. Today, my daughter, she’s eight years and five months old, trains at the gym.”
When strength training for children enters mainstream conversation, it is often framed defensively, as something that is “not as dangerous as you think.” What receives far less attention is the strength of the positive cases.
A May 2025 systematic review published in Children (Basel) marks a clear shift in how strength training for children aged 6 to 12 is being understood. It finds, well-designed, supervised programmes are both safe and effective. The benefits extend beyond muscle, with improvements in balance, coordination, and agility, alongside gains in bone and cardiovascular health. Notably, the review also reports measurable enhancements in cognitive function, including memory, and attention.
“Earlier, most of my clients were in their thirties or older. Now, a significant portion falls between 14 and 19. Fitness is no longer something people begin late—it’s becoming part of life much earlier.”Prateek Raheja, fitness trainer
Dr Preeti Anand, Senior Consultant in Paediatrics at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, explains, “Resistance training during childhood and adolescence is one of the most effective interventions we have for maximising peak bone mass, a key determinant of fracture risk and osteoporosis susceptibility in later life. The gains made during the growing years are disproportionately large compared to those made in adulthood.”
A 2025 paper published in Sports Medicine suggests adolescents who do either resistance training or aerobic activities report better mental health and cognitive abilities. Still, when examined more closely, resistance training appears to exert a uniquely potent psychological effect. In controlled trials, it is resistance training—not aerobic exercise—that has been shown to significantly reduce depressive symptoms among adolescents.
When we speak of “age-appropriate” and “properly supervised” strength training, it is essential to recognise that a seven-year-old and a fifteen-year-old are physiologically in entirely different stages of development. Their training must reflect that difference.
Dr Anand notes that in early childhood, roughly between ages 5 and 9, the emphasis should remain on movement quality and neuromuscular patterning rather than load. While in the pre-adolescent window, between ages 9 and 12, children develop improved cognitive focus and coachability. This becomes an ideal phase to introduce technique for foundational movements such as the squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry.
Adolescence introduces further complexity with the onset of puberty. Dr Anand adds, “Early adolescents, particularly boys, often experience rapid increases in muscle mass and strength due to rising androgen levels, making this a biologically responsive window for training. However, the phase also carries a heightened risk of injuries, as skeletal maturation often lags behind gains in muscle and tendon strength during growth spurts.”
“Training during childhood and adolescence is one of the most effective interventions we have for maximising peak bone mass... The gains made during the growing years are disproportionately large compared to those made in adulthood.”Dr Era Dutta, psychiatrist, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital
When young people are injured during strength training, the causes are often overuse injuries. As Dr Aashish Contractor, Director of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, points out, “Many injuries stem not from heavy lifting, but from simple lapses in awareness—dropped weights, mishandled equipment, preventable accidents.”
The question is no longer whether children should strength train, but how. When programmes are age-appropriate, supervised and focused on movement rather than performance, strength training becomes less about building bigger muscles and more about building healthier, more resilient bodies.
The Long View
Age 6-9 years - Emphasis: ABC (Agility, Balance, Coordination)
Age 9-12 years - Builds on ABC with proper form and technique
Age 12-16 years - ABC continues alongside progressive resistance training (50-100 per cent of bodyweight)
Age 16-18 years - Greater sport specificity and structured competition