Can lifting weights stunt your growth?

[Long Dong]

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So is this a legend or is there any truth to it in teenagers?

 

[PTP]

From what I have read/heard, no.

 

[rastelli]

In short, the answer is no. However, kids who start lifting prior to puberty end up falling short of their ultimate height potential (has to do with accelerating bone age, etc).

 

[kas23]

I wonder why this is. I always thought that sex hormones cause the growth plates to fuse. So, do weight lifting induce a surge in testosterone? Or, does the fusion occur independent of testosterone involvement?

 

[oldbearprofessor]

However, kids who start lifting prior to puberty end up falling short of their ultimate height potential (has to do with accelerating bone age, etc).

Reference?

OBP

 

[Long Dong]

I wonder why this is. I always thought that sex hormones cause the growth plates to fuse. So, do weight lifting induce a surge in testosterone? Or, does the fusion occur independent of testosterone involvement?

Exactly what I was thinking cause in percocious puberty don't they fuse early, i was thinking lifting weights would also cause increased androgens too. And in gonadal hypoplasia these guys are taller because of the opposite. But what do I know I'm just an M2, that's why I'd though I'd ask the pros in this forum.

 

[rastelli]

Reference?

OBP

I suppose you could find the related references in any of a number of sources, including routine physiology texts. Weight lifting stresses bones for short periods of time (which is normally a good thing, promoting osteoblast activity---unlike frequent long distance running which stimulates about as much osteoClast activity as osteoBlast activity). The end result is accelerated bone age....which precedes puberty. Once we've hit puberty, we can only expect another few centimeters of growth before we stop growing in the upward direction.....I'll try to find a good PubMed paper for you to corroborate.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

I suppose you could find the related references in any of a number of sources, including routine physiology texts. Weight lifting stresses bones for short periods of time (which is normally a good thing, promoting osteoblast activity---unlike frequent long distance running which stimulates about as much osteoClast activity as osteoBlast activity). The end result is accelerated bone age....which precedes puberty. Once we've hit puberty, we can only expect another few centimeters of growth before we stop growing in the upward direction.....I'll try to find a good PubMed paper for you to corroborate.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=3674272

Regards

OBP