Yes. Strength training is safe for kids and teens when a qualified coach teaches the movement first and adds weight only once the movement holds up. The injuries that do happen in youth lifting come mostly from unsupervised training and poor technique. Coaching is the fix for both.
This page covers what the research says, what your kid will actually do in a class at CrossFit Spring Hill, and when a teenager is ready for the adult room.
What the research says
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Strength and Conditioning Association both support resistance training for children and teens, as long as it is supervised and progressed sensibly. The old line that lifting stunts growth has no evidence behind it.
Done right, it builds stronger bones and muscles, better coordination, and the kind of body control that keeps a young athlete healthy through a sports season. It also teaches a kid that they can do something hard and get better at it with practice.
Two classes, split by age
CrossFit Kids, ages 5 to 9. Forty-five minutes on Monday evenings with Coach Jonathan (CF-L2). Capped at 10 kids. The work is squatting, jumping and landing, crawling, climbing, throwing, and games that teach all of it without feeling like a lecture.
CrossFit Youth, ages 10 and up. An hour on Thursday evenings with Coach Brittané (CF-L1). Capped at 12. This is where real barbell technique starts: squats, deadlifts, presses and the Olympic lifts, taught with a PVC pipe or an empty bar first.
Both run in eight-week sessions that follow the Williamson County Schools calendar. Current dates, times and enrollment are on the youth page.
How weight gets added
Bodyweight comes first. A kid who cannot hold a good squat with no weight does not get a barbell. Load goes on when your coaches see the movement stay the same from the first rep to the last, and it goes up in small steps.
Small groups are the reason this works. With 10 or 12 kids in the room, your coaches see every rep. Nobody hides in the back, and every kid is coached by name.
When can a teen join adult classes?
This is the question we get most from parents of teenagers.
- 16 and up can join adult group classes. Same path as any adult: a free No Sweat Intro, then a first week of one-on-one sessions.
- 15 is an individual call based on maturity and training experience.
- 14 and 15 has been done as an exception. The case is strongest when a parent is a member and the teen has already done youth classes and shown they are ready for an adult room.
Where we can, we start teens in CrossFit Youth first. It is the better place to learn the lifts, and it makes the move to adult classes easy when the time comes.
Families who train here
Several of our member families have parents in the adult classes and kids in youth. Some end up training together.
CFSH has become a family activity that we enjoy with our teenage daughters. Challenging ourselves as a family has become a great way to connect throughout the week! Heather H., Google review
You will see a load of mini-vans in the parking lot, and those are “our people”… parents working hard to stay fit as they chase kids around. Shawn H., Google review. Four of the six people in his family train here.
Questions parents ask us
Will lifting stunt my child’s growth? No. There is no evidence that supervised strength training harms growth plates or height. The risk in youth lifting is bad technique and too much weight too soon, which is exactly what coaching prevents.
What ages is this for? CrossFit Kids is ages 5 to 9. CrossFit Youth is ages 10 and up. A 16-year-old usually fits better in adult classes than in Youth; see above.
Does my child need to be athletic already? No. Most kids who start have never trained. The first thing they learn is how to move well, and everything else is built on that.
My child already plays a sport. Is this too much on top of it? Usually not. Getting stronger and learning to move well is a different demand than another practice. Tell us the sport and where they are in the season, and your coaches will adjust the load.
Who signs the waiver? A parent or guardian. A minor cannot sign their own waiver, so use the parent’s email address when you enroll.
How do I sign up? The current session, the price and the registration links are on the youth page. Sessions are capped and they fill.
Not sure which class fits?
Start on the youth page for the current session. If your kid is on the line between classes, or you have a teen who wants to train with you, book a free No Sweat Intro and we will talk it through.