Should You Let Your Child Bodybuild?

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By Eric Hartwell

My son likes to do body building. He does it everyday throughout the whole day and has been doing it for six or seven months. He’s only 13, but already he has got larger muscles than I could ever have imagined for myself. He has been doing this quite consistently throughout all this time and enjoys it very much.

The problem is that he wishes to pursue this further. However, medical opinion and other considered opinion suggests that it is not good or useful for a child of 13 who is growing to subject his muscles to huge weights and other strains. There is risk, they say, of muscle damage, burn damage, or other significant problems which can cause disability or other conditions in the future. I do, understand this. Being a loving father, I do not wish to have anything happen to my children which will make them worse. I try to protect my children just like any other loving parents would do, however, his love for body building is such that he wishes to pursue this further.

He has seen the pictures of the “world’s strongest kid”. This is Richard Sandrak, who is born in Ukraine. By the time he was 11, he could already lift twice his weight. My son is not at that stage, but he would like to be. So where do I stand? Do I allow him to keep doing this and push him further and further? The problem is that there are no gymnasiums or other supportive agencies in my area that will allow a 13-year old boy to undertake such strenuous activity. It is all very controlled and regulated. Health and safety, they say, comes before personal gain.

My son would enjoy the challenge of building his body and enjoying the challenge of being better than the next kid. Should I not allow him to be able to function in this way even if there is a risk of him damaging himself in the future? I find this a big problem. We are always told to allow our children to pursue their loves and aspirations. However, health and safety regulations in my country prevent me doing this. Meanwhile the world’s strongest kid “Richard Sandrak” has all the fame accolades and personal aspirations met that he could wish.


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