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Reply to "Travel Ball - not seeing the value for us"

@gamecock303 posted:

I have to disagree with the bolded section.  I don't recall ever seeing any evidence to support the statement that lifting weights will stunt growth, just assumptions.  I think weight training for middle school athletes (and really middle schoolers in general given the sedentary lifestyle that many of the live) is great, I've seen the transformation in athleticism and body control that it can give young athletes (students of mine that play other sports).   

I don't know that at the middle school age range a baseball specific strength program is necessary but a general strength program done correctly is almost always going to help them become a better baseball player (or athlete, or hopefully help lead them on a path to a healthier lifestyle in the future).

I've seen too many 7th and 8th graders lifting hard with trainers at the gym who never ended up getting past 5'8 but they're shredded up. There may not be hard evidence, but every single middle schooler I've seen on a weight training program ended up being the jacked short guy. Every single one of them. I'm not taking pushups, situps, conditioning type workouts. I'm talking bench, squat, lunges, deadlift.

Sure it's anecdotal, but it's not nothing.

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