In many gyms you’ll see signs saying “No children under the age of X”. This feeds the myth that kids or teenagers shouldn’t go to the gym, when actually it’s not the case.

Such signs are there because these gyms are rarely supervised and you can’t trust kids (especially in a group) not to play around with the equipment and either damage it or hurt themselves. The other issue is the distraction caused to other gym users.

None of this has anything to do with whether it is safe for kids to do resistance training. Look at competitive high school teams in the US. You’ll see their teenagers doing resistance training under the supervision of a personal trainer or strength coach.

The focus is usually more on being explosive with their bodyweight as opposed to how much weight they can possibly lift. There are a couple of safety reasons for this, but in youth sports an advantage is usually gained by being faster than your opponent.

Putting on muscle mass is much more useful in contact sports and a bigger part of adult sport. Depending on a young athlete’s stage of puberty, it can also be a lot more achievable to increase speed and explosiveness than increasing muscle.

Muscle gain is very dependent on testosterone levels. The stage in a young athlete’s physical development is a far better indicator of the sort of training they should be doing than their age.

Most young boys and girls experience a “growth spurt” where they do a lot of their growing in a short period of time. After which, they usually only put on another inch or two.

Before this has happened, their frames have a lot of developing to do and heavy, loaded exercises to maximum stress are generally not advised. As a teenager gets closer to their maximum attainable height, loading can increase.

A key consideration in the programming though, is that as teenagers are still growing, they are more susceptible to long term injury.

Much more than an adult, form and technique must take precedence over what weight is being lifted. Posture, control of hip tilt and core bracing are most important.

A teenager deadlifting 75kg has an advantage over his peers. The need to lift 150kg with poor form in the pursuit of accelerated development is minimal.

The other aspect of this is that technique during strength training is something that you will always have to learn if you use a gym.

Its best to learn it young before you’ve even had a chance to learn bad habits and do yourself harm. This way, when you decide to train on your own as an adult, you’ve got years of perfecting the movements under your belt.

Coming back to the sign on the gym wall – a teenager is not going to be able to learn these movements by himself. It is something that needs teaching. In this case, by someone with significant experience in the matter.

Mobility is a key consideration. Ask any adult if they’re as supple as they were when they were a kid and, unless they’ve recently become a competitive gymnast, the answer will always be “no”.

Instilling in the young that gym work consists of keeping their joints able to move through full ranges of motion is a good habit to create. They’ll thank you when they are 50.

So now we’ve established that kids should be in the gym, and should be prioritising form and explosiveness over shifting big weights.

Are there any movements they should avoid? Yes, compressive loads should only be undertaken as physical development does. We also want to look at how the spine is being loaded.

The best example is a deadlift. With a standard barbell, the knees get in the way of the bar’s path and need the hands to move forwards, increasing the load on the lower back.

With a trap bar (also known as a hex bar) deadlift, the shape of the bar allows for the hands to stay by the side, and the weight to be borne much more by the hips.

Keep this principle in mind, and any young gym-goer is safe under the proper instruction. They’re not just safe, but will see a marked improvement in their athletic performance, and will develop tools they can apply for life.

It is worth considering why a teenager should be in a gym. If it is for athletic performance improvement, to assist them in performing better at their chosen sport, then great. If it is because they like no other sports at school but wish to stay active, then this is also beneficial.

However, social media is awash with adults showing off muscular physiques with low bodyfat. If attaining this is the motivator then gym work should be discouraged.

The health of a teenager is mental as well as physical, and creating body-image focused goals at such a young age is unhealthy. Creating a positive association with nutritious sources of food and learning to be content should be the priority.

Joompa is a digital platform that facilitates the sourcing and booking of freelance, mobile personal fitness coaches. Available on iOS or via www.joompa.com.my