Should I let my 14-year-old go to the gym? What parents need to know.
Experts share how to keep young teens safe during their workouts.
Regular exercise is encouraged as a part of healthy living for kids and teens. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens get 60 minutes of daily physical activity, along with three days that include activities that build bone and muscle strength.
While most parents encourage their kids to be active through organized sports, it's understandable for teenagers to be interested in hitting the gym — especially if their parents or friends work out in one. But that raises a huge question: Should you let your 14-year-old go to the gym? How can you go about that safely, from both a mental and physical standpoint?
For the record, experts say it's perfectly fine for most teenagers to work out in a gym — but there are certain parameters and safety measures that need to be put in place first.
Is it safe for a teen to go to the gym?
Experts agree that the gym can be a safe place for kids to get a good workout in. "It's great for kids to be active and exercising — the gym is a good place for them to do that," Dr. Tracy Zaslow, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and a team physician for Angel City Football Club and L.A. Galaxy, tells Yahoo Life.
Zaslow says that strength training is "part of a healthy exercise program and can be done safely with kids."
Dr. Alison Crepeau, an orthopedic surgeon at Connecticut Children’s, agrees. "It's safe and beneficial for a teenager to do weight and strength training," she tells Yahoo Life. "There used to be concerns about not wanting kids who were still growing to do weight training, but that hasn't been found to be an issue."
But there's a lot more that needs to be considered beyond just taking a child to the local gym and letting them get to work. "They're going to need supervision," Zaslow says. "Just having a kid jump into the gym is probably not the best option."
That's why it's so important for kids to get some kind of instruction on how to use the gym equipment, along with why they're doing certain exercises, James Beitzel, clinical coordinator at the Northwestern Medicine Athletic Training and Sports Performance Center, tells Yahoo Life. He notes that many middle and high school physical education systems have incorporated weight training into their curriculum, which can help teens have at least some clue what they're doing. "This brings education on proper exercise selection, form and progression as a nice base to build from," he says.
But this 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 hitting the gym?
Crepeau says that there's "definitely a fine line" between supporting or encouraging kids to be physically active and passing on toxic diet culture or unhealthy messaging 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 how sports and outside activity is important in terms of health," he tells Yahoo Life. "But we don't do a great job explaining how weight training is part of that." Womack recommends talking to kids about how strength training can help them perform better in sports and be a part of a healthy lifestyle versus talking about how it will make them look a certain way.
Crepeau notes that the gym parents choose and its environment is important, too. Families ideally want to find one that doesn't focus on achieving a certain look and is more about meeting health goals.
Is there anything a teen should avoid at the gym?
In general, teens can do most things at the gym, Crepeau says. "There's nothing we would say to avoid other than power lifting and trying to max out weights," she says.
Womack also discourages power lifting. "Outside of really heavy lifting, there isn't anything that's off-limits," he says.
How to ensure a teen is being safe at the gym
Crepeau recommends that parents go to the gym with their child, pointing out that many workout facilities won't let children under the age of 18 work out without a parent or guardian present anyway.
"They should be given coaching and instruction on how to do exercises," Zaslow says. "Start with really low weights so they get the right form and movement patterns. They can slowly increase the amount of weight from there."
Zaslow notes that the most common injuries with kids doing strength training involve weights falling on toes and fingers getting stuck in machines, so parents will want to make sure to pay extra attention to those areas when talking about safety.
Overall, experts say the gym can be a good outlet for kids and promote a healthy lifestyle. "If the child asks to go to the gym, be supportive," Beitzel says.
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