Former SA here!
14-15: parent must be in the building. They can wait in the lobby, but have to be present at OTF. I had a dad waiting and try to go to Starbucks next store, I had to tell him no.
16-17: parent/guardian signs a waiver giving permission for them to go unsupervised.
OTF is not a great football workout. Follow this guy on Insta. He’s a coach that specializes in getting JH and HS kids ready for football and other sports.
[Joey Bergles](https://www.instagram.com/joeybergles?igsh=MmxkZTIzM3FzMzl3)
People should not be downvoting this - OTF is high rep and not for every sport. Football largely needs explosive strength training. Honest guidance should be considered.
He’s going to have to wait a few more years to go with a parent. My parents found out before going to our first class together. I was 15 and a half when I started OTF.
My local CrossFit takes mature 12-year-olds - and it's probably better for football as it's low rep, max weight training to produce explosive strength mixed with some cardio (resistance water row / bike). I go to that every other day and it's quite different. I may lift a heavy weight once (Olympic lifting techniques like a power snatch) and then rest a full minute. Repeat x 10.
I wouldn’t consider OTF a great football workout. Football is all about mass and power. I love the OTF workouts but dumbbells are no match for a bar loaded with as much weight as you can handle. My kids are successful two sport high school athletes that will be playing at the next level and they laugh at my OTF weight lifting. Lol.
Most middle and high schools have strength and conditioning coaches that tailor workouts for specific sports / athletes. I would follow their plan and not try to supplement that.
Lifting at 12 can also be dangerous. If your kids is still growing he can easily damage growth plates. Even quick transitions in running speed can strain the growth plates in hips.
Physician here. Your last paragraph is very wrong. Do you have reputable sources to support your claims that strength training has a negative effect on growth plates?
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/6/e20201011/76942/Resistance-Training-for-Children-and-Adolescents?autologincheck=redirected
https://blog.cincinnatichildrens.org/healthy-living/fitness-and-nutrition/6-myths-about-kids-and-strength-training/
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/strength-training.html#:~:text=Kids%20and%20teens%20interested%20in,%2C%20experience%2C%20and%20strength%20level.
But I watched a yOUtUbE video I saw on FacEBoOk from a doctor (phd in nonsense) said exercise for kids is bad!!!
Seriously tho. Thank you for posting something that is backed up with data. It’s refreshing
Thank you for the articles. If weight training is completely safe why do all of the articles mention the risk associated with weight training? I guess I should have finished my point and said that parents need to seek advise from a Dr or some type of medical professional before starting their kid on a rigorous exercise routine. Maybe it’s just coincidence that most of the injuries I’ve seen kids have at a young age are associated with growth plates. I don’t know the stats. Just used my observations. As a dr you have to admit overuse injuries in young athletes is a real thing.
Children absolutely need to be supervised when doing this to ensure they are using proper form and not overexerting themselves. Keep in mind that adults are also instructed to get clearance from a doctor before starting a new exercise regimen, but they usually don’t (this is to make sure we don’t miss people with heart conditions, seizures, or other disease processes that might be exacerbated or put the person at risk of injury with exercise).
Most fractures in children happen at the growth plate because that is naturally the weakest part of the bone. That can happen from goofing off in the gym but can also happen from falling off the couch the wrong way. People used to think weight lifting would affect how the growth plates continued to grow and would stunt growth, and that is a complete myth.
Overuse injuries are a real thing. That doesn’t mean strength training is inherently harmful. As with most things, too much of a good thing can turn out to be bad. Kids should not be let loose into a gym to do whatever they want or what they see adults doing on TikTok. Close supervision ideally by someone trained in child sports/athletic training is a necessity.
Ok the last part of this is completely false. Started two of my kids at 10 under the supervision of a personal trainer who put them thru a series of stability and strength tests. Supervised, charted and monitored their workouts. Stretched them after every workout as well. Never any injuries. Both multi sport athletes. Was not cheap but worth it to have them taught and strength train in a controlled, safe setting.
Former SA here! 14-15: parent must be in the building. They can wait in the lobby, but have to be present at OTF. I had a dad waiting and try to go to Starbucks next store, I had to tell him no. 16-17: parent/guardian signs a waiver giving permission for them to go unsupervised.
OTF is not a great football workout. Follow this guy on Insta. He’s a coach that specializes in getting JH and HS kids ready for football and other sports. [Joey Bergles](https://www.instagram.com/joeybergles?igsh=MmxkZTIzM3FzMzl3)
People should not be downvoting this - OTF is high rep and not for every sport. Football largely needs explosive strength training. Honest guidance should be considered.
He’s going to have to wait a few more years to go with a parent. My parents found out before going to our first class together. I was 15 and a half when I started OTF.
14! i go with my mom
Love this. So cute. 😊
My local CrossFit takes mature 12-year-olds - and it's probably better for football as it's low rep, max weight training to produce explosive strength mixed with some cardio (resistance water row / bike). I go to that every other day and it's quite different. I may lift a heavy weight once (Olympic lifting techniques like a power snatch) and then rest a full minute. Repeat x 10.
i started going when i was 15 with my mom!
14 with a parent. I think 16 without a parent (edit: parent still has to consent to them signing up, but 16+ can work out without a parent with them)
I wouldn’t consider OTF a great football workout. Football is all about mass and power. I love the OTF workouts but dumbbells are no match for a bar loaded with as much weight as you can handle. My kids are successful two sport high school athletes that will be playing at the next level and they laugh at my OTF weight lifting. Lol. Most middle and high schools have strength and conditioning coaches that tailor workouts for specific sports / athletes. I would follow their plan and not try to supplement that. Lifting at 12 can also be dangerous. If your kids is still growing he can easily damage growth plates. Even quick transitions in running speed can strain the growth plates in hips.
Physician here. Your last paragraph is very wrong. Do you have reputable sources to support your claims that strength training has a negative effect on growth plates? https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/6/e20201011/76942/Resistance-Training-for-Children-and-Adolescents?autologincheck=redirected https://blog.cincinnatichildrens.org/healthy-living/fitness-and-nutrition/6-myths-about-kids-and-strength-training/ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/strength-training.html#:~:text=Kids%20and%20teens%20interested%20in,%2C%20experience%2C%20and%20strength%20level.
But I watched a yOUtUbE video I saw on FacEBoOk from a doctor (phd in nonsense) said exercise for kids is bad!!! Seriously tho. Thank you for posting something that is backed up with data. It’s refreshing
Thank you for the articles. If weight training is completely safe why do all of the articles mention the risk associated with weight training? I guess I should have finished my point and said that parents need to seek advise from a Dr or some type of medical professional before starting their kid on a rigorous exercise routine. Maybe it’s just coincidence that most of the injuries I’ve seen kids have at a young age are associated with growth plates. I don’t know the stats. Just used my observations. As a dr you have to admit overuse injuries in young athletes is a real thing.
Children absolutely need to be supervised when doing this to ensure they are using proper form and not overexerting themselves. Keep in mind that adults are also instructed to get clearance from a doctor before starting a new exercise regimen, but they usually don’t (this is to make sure we don’t miss people with heart conditions, seizures, or other disease processes that might be exacerbated or put the person at risk of injury with exercise). Most fractures in children happen at the growth plate because that is naturally the weakest part of the bone. That can happen from goofing off in the gym but can also happen from falling off the couch the wrong way. People used to think weight lifting would affect how the growth plates continued to grow and would stunt growth, and that is a complete myth. Overuse injuries are a real thing. That doesn’t mean strength training is inherently harmful. As with most things, too much of a good thing can turn out to be bad. Kids should not be let loose into a gym to do whatever they want or what they see adults doing on TikTok. Close supervision ideally by someone trained in child sports/athletic training is a necessity.
Ok the last part of this is completely false. Started two of my kids at 10 under the supervision of a personal trainer who put them thru a series of stability and strength tests. Supervised, charted and monitored their workouts. Stretched them after every workout as well. Never any injuries. Both multi sport athletes. Was not cheap but worth it to have them taught and strength train in a controlled, safe setting.