Lifting during the teenage years raises many concerns, the most common being its effects on your growth. Every teen lifter has often heard the repetitive ‘you won’t grow if you lift’ and because this advice comes from people who care about you, it becomes tough trying to convince yourself that it won’t have much of an effect. However, research suggests this concept is largely a misconception, as lifting itself doesn’t have any detrimental impacts but improper lifting or ego-lifting of kinds can affect a teenager ’s growth.

According to Dr. Rajesh Garg, an orthopedic surgeon lifting in the teenage years can even be beneficial resulting in an increase in bone strength and a decrease in the risk and rates of sports-related fractures and injuries. Furthermore, he states that it is important to understand that growth plates (physis) are located at the end of long bones, where new bone cells are formed, and any sort of injury to these plates whether it comes from sports, bone infections or weightlifting, can all hamper the growth of teens. He believes that lifting in this age group must be done under the supervision of an adult and that a teenager must be trained to ensure that he lifts correctly and thereby having no detrimental effect on his growth. Dr. Deepak Gandhi, a pediatrician also resonates with these ideas, stating that fitness training must be integrated into everyone's routine regardless of age.

So, while your growth spurt may not be affected because of lifting, improper lifting can damage your growth plates, causing far-reaching consequences to your body.