Does overtraining (lifting weight) stops growth?
Training heavy, lifting heavy weights etc, in itself, does not stop growth. World class gymnasts, and weightlifters in lower weight divisions, may tend to be short. It’s because they’re short that they excel in these particular sports. They’re generally not short because of it. Does riding horses make you short, and does playing basketball make you tall? No, they don’t. You’d have to either have a serious nutritional deficiency or underlying medical disorder, or sustain a serious injury to your epiphyseal plates (the ‘growth plates’ in the bones) in order to stunt your growth. For the sake of comparison, the simple act of running, places more stress on these plates than almost any form of weightlifting you can do. If you over-exert yourself, it’s possible. But we’re talking about working 16-hour shifts in a coal mine in some third world country. Not going to the gym for an hour or two every day. Train, eat, rest and recover, and you’ll grow stronger, faster, and possibly even taller.
