Does weight lifting stunt growth

Does weight lifting stunt growth

It may stunt or reduce the growth.

There was a study (Sorry I do not have the link of the study or news paper where it was reported) that concluded that children who are active in younger days (till about 16) have high metabolic rate. Implying that the metabolic rate does not change later according to the diet or exercise routines that one follows.

This means that metabolic rate once fixed does not change frequently and wildly.

Growing up (adding mass to the body) is also a very high metabolic activity. Those who work out excessively will not have any energy left to feed the requirements of growing up (addition of body mass).

I will take a hypothetical example. The figures have been assumed without any reference.

Person A has metabolic rate of 2000 calories a day (24 hours). That means that his body produces and spends 2000 calories in 24 hours. Now even if person A consumes more than 2000 calories he can use up to only 2000 calories.

Let us further assume that out of this 2000 calories he spends 1500 calories for internal organs’ functioning and remaining 500 calories are used for external physical activities.

Now he starts working out. In these work outs he spends 500 calories. So with these work outs the total calorie expense of the body will be 1500 + 500 + 500 = 2500 calories. But the body produced only 2000 calories. So the body will reduce the allocation of energy for internal organs.

So net expense of energy shall be 1000 + 500 + 500 = 2000.

With the reduced calorie allocation for the internal organs the person will fail to add body mass which is also energy intensive activity. The person cannot be treated as malnutrition-ed. Since he ate enough.

In the answer of Mr. Bart Loews the assumption of the Japanese teen labourers to be malnutrition-ed is over simplified.

Moderate work outs may not stunt the growth. But growth is likely to be impacted. So it is better to avoid work outs.

But then based on these work outs the metabolic rate is fixed in the teen years.

So one has to choose judicially what he wants – height or strength.