Strength Training for Kids

I had a friend talk to me several weeks ago about whether or not it was a good idea to let her younger son begin weight lifting. He is around 12 years old, and I began wondering why she felt the need to ask me this. You see, her son is already involved in several sports and already exerts a lot of energy on the field and in practice. So, I asked her why she was worried. She said that she didn't want to strain her sons muscles or bones. But wasn't he already straining his muscles by spending around five hours every afternoon running, doing pushups, and playing in games? This is when I began thinking, is there any danger to actual weight lifting for a younger child? Or is this just an old wives tale?

As I began thinking, I realized that when you are in a gym, you are around a lot of safe equipment, that can be utilized to give you amazing results, but safely. If you really think about it, a gym is far more safer than a playing field. But, there is this stigma against serious weight lifting when it deals with kids. I have never heard of any child being hurt in a gym when they are supervised by an adult who knows what they are doing. If the weights are set up correctly, the child lift correctly, and they don't overdo it and they keep within their limits, there should be no reason why children can't strength train at the gym. And yet, even though working out at the gym is a clearly safe activity, people still frown upon it. This surprises me, seeing that the Consumer Products Safety Commission, estimated that roughly 4 million kids between the ages of 6 and 16 end up in the hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year. But that's not all, 8 million more children are treated for other medical problems, which is caused by their involvement in sports.