Strength training for teenagers

We train teenagers aged 13 to 17 across our four Auckland studios: Epsom, Ponsonby, Takapuna and Remuera.

Most parents arrive at this page with the same question, so let us deal with it first.

Does weight training stunt a teenager's growth?

No. It doesn't. This is probably the most widely believed thing in fitness that simply isn't true.

The idea took hold in the 1970s and 80s, before much research existed either way. It has been studied repeatedly since. The American Academy of Pediatrics, in its 2020 policy paper in Pediatrics, states that well-designed resistance training programmes show no negative effect on growth plate health, on linear growth, or on cardiovascular health in young people. The 2014 International Consensus statement in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, endorsed by professional bodies across sports medicine and paediatrics, reached the same conclusion.

The worry came from growth plates, cartilage near the ends of developing bones where lengthening happens. Damage there can affect growth. But those injuries come from acute trauma: a fall, a collision, a bad landing. Not from progressive, supervised training.

Here is the part worth sitting with. A teenager sprinting, jumping or taking a tackle on a Saturday morning field puts forces through their bones that comfortably exceed anything they would meet in a well-run session with us. If the gym is the concern but the sport is not, the maths does not hold together.

We’ve written this up in more detail here.

What it actually does

Builds peak bone mass. Adolescence is when the skeleton is laid down. Bone built in the teenage years is a deposit that pays out for the rest of their life, and it is the best protection against osteoporosis decades later.

Reduces sports injuries. Strength and neuromuscular training is among the most effective injury-prevention tools available to young athletes, including for knee and ACL injuries.

Teaches them how to move. How to squat, hinge, land, brace, fall. Skills that transfer into every sport they play and every year that follows.

Supports focus at school. Reviews of youth resistance training have found small but consistent positive effects on cognition, on-task behaviour and academic outcomes.

Builds confidence that isn't about appearance. Getting measurably stronger is one of the more reliable ways for a teenager to build a decent relationship with their own body.

Training and mental health

We are not a mental health service, and training is not a treatment. But the evidence that it helps is substantial.

A 2025 umbrella review in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry pooled 21 systematic reviews covering 375 separate trials and more than 38,000 young people. It found moderate reductions in symptoms of both depression and anxiety among children and adolescents who exercised.

What we see in practice is simpler than the research makes it sound. For a teenager having a hard year, a session that happens at the same time each week, with the same adult, where they get measurably better at something, turns out to be a steadying thing to have. Several of our young clients came to us for exactly that reason.

If you are worried about your child's mental health, start with your GP. We are something that sits alongside proper support, not a substitute for it.

Training together

One of the things we did not expect when we started training teenagers is how many parents ended up training alongside them.

You are welcome to watch any session, any time, without asking ahead. But plenty of families have turned it into something they do together instead. Same studio, same half hour, two people getting stronger.

It works better than it has any right to. Teenagers who would resist a lecture about health will happily take part in something a parent is also doing. And it removes the awkwardness of being dropped off somewhere unfamiliar. If that appeals, tell us when you get in touch and we will set it up.

Who we've worked with

Teenagers brand new to exercise, who had never set foot in a gym and needed somewhere that would not be intimidating.

Teenagers going through a hard patch, for whom a reliable weekly session with a consistent adult became a steady point in the week.

Teenagers who went on to play sport in the United States on the back of several years of consistent strength work.

The range is the point. Most parents recognise their own kid somewhere in it.

If you're the one who'll be training

You don't need to be sporty, strong, or know what you're doing. Nobody here cares what you can lift on day one.

What you'll actually do: learn a handful of movements properly, get a bit better at them each week, and watch numbers go up that didn't go up before. It's straightforward and it works.

You won't be put on display, made to do a fitness test in front of anyone, or told to push through something that hurts. If you hate it after a month, that's useful information and you should say so.

How we run it

• One-on-one or two-on-one only. No group sessions for under-18s.

• Sessions are 30 minutes, arranged directly with your trainer around school and sport commitments.

• Parents welcome to watch or train alongside, no need to ask ahead.

• Technique and movement quality first. Load is earned, never rushed.

• Programmes built around developmental stage, not age or what their mates are lifting.

• No maximal lifting or 1RM testing. Not appropriate for developing athletes.

• All trainers hold Cert IV and Cert V in Fitness or an exercise science degree, and complete our internal training and assessment before working with clients.

• Written parental consent before the first session.

• We tell you things. If we ever have a concern about your teenager's health, eating or wellbeing, we will raise it with you and point you to your GP. We will not sit on it and we will not try to handle it ourselves.

• Injuries and rehabilitation are referred out to a physio or GP rather than managed here.

• Available at all four studios, though teen session times are limited.

What it costs

Personal training starts from $75 per session, and two-on-one from $95. New clients also pay a one-off $199 starter fee, covering the first programming session plus two sessions with our nutritionist.

If you are training alongside your teenager, the two-on-one rate applies.

Full detail is on our pricing page.

Our guarantee

The same eight-week guarantee applies. Follow the programme completely for the first eight weeks and if you do not get the results we agreed on, we will refund your money and give you $500 for your time.

Common questions

Will weight training stunt my teenager's growth?

No. Well-designed, supervised resistance training has no demonstrated negative effect on growth plates, height, or cardiovascular health in young people. That is the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the 2014 International Consensus statement.

What age do you start from?

Thirteen.

Do they need to play a sport?

No. Plenty of our teenage clients don't play anything competitive.

Can I stay and watch?

Yes, always, and you don't need to ask in advance. You're also welcome to train alongside them.

How heavy will they be lifting?

Lighter than you're imagining, for longer than you're imagining. We don't test maximum lifts with any under-18.

What if they've already got an injury?

Tell us, and bring anything you have from a physio or GP. We will programme around it, or refer you on if it is outside what we should be handling.

When do sessions run?

Times are arranged directly with your trainer, around school and sport. Teen availability is more limited than adult, so it is worth asking early.

Which studio should I go to?

Whichever is closest. Epsom, Ponsonby, Takapuna or Remuera.

We also run personal training for over 40s.

The research behind this page

Lloyd RS, Faigenbaum AD, Stone MH, et al. (2014). Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 International Consensus. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(7), 498–505. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24055781/

Stricker PR, Faigenbaum AD, McCambridge TM (2020). Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics. https://ncys.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Resistance-Training-for-Youth_AAP-Position-Paper.pdf

Faigenbaum AD, Myer GD (2010). Resistance training among young athletes: safety, efficacy and injury prevention effects. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(1), 56–63. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/1/56

Systematic Umbrella Review and Meta-Meta-Analysis: Effectiveness of Physical Activity in Improving Depression and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents (2025). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(25)00208-4/fulltext

Ministry of Health (2017). Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Young People (5–17 years). https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/assets/Our-health-system/Preventative-Health/physical-activity-guidelines-for-children-and-young-people-may17.pdf