Little miss GYMSHINE

Back in the day, may be a decade or so ago, kids were told to stay clear of the gym, because it could stunt their growth and affect their physical development.

“Wait till you grow up and then you can build muscles," was what most of the grown ups advised. But the trend seems to be changing in Bengaluru with school students making a beeline for the gym, for both cardio and light weights.

Footballer Ishaan Kashyap heads to the gym thrice a week. “I do a bit of cardio and the do leg press. My coach has asked me to do this to strengthen my leg muscles," he reveals. He usually works out with his friend who is his age.

Then there is Gauri Sharma, a 13 year-old student who started working with light weights to improve her arm strength for tennis. “I go with my dad, who helps me do my exercises," she adds.

Dr CH Srinivas, ortho-oncologist at BGS Global Hospital explains, “There is no medical evidence that lifting weights affects a child's growth. In fact, it enhances it. The more weight you put on your body during the growing up phase, the better bone growth as well. This is why athletic kids are stronger. It is a myth that gyming stunts the growth."

Bio-mechanical engineer and researcher for the central government, Pavan Sridharan started working out to lose weight excess weight. “I started at 14 and I was five-feet and today I am six-feet tall. The workout was a great stress-buster and a stamina builder for me," he states.

Dr Srinivas adds that the gym focuses on specific muscles. “Depending on the sport the child chooses, the core muscles involved need to be strengthened else they could have muscle injuries as well."

Some children are hitting the gym to tone up and get a fab bod.

Sixteen-year-old Saheja P., a student of NPS Indiranagar was told by doctors that at five-feet-six inches, her 60 kgs body weight is too much. So she hit the gym in order to lose that 'excess' mass. “I started gyming to lose weight and look good. My workout also keeps me active and helps me concentrate on studies," she states. The teenager works out for half an hour everyday.

Dr Arvind Patil, an orthopedic surgeon at Sagar Apollo hospital says, “Kids are discouraged from doing weights as they could injure themselves, if not done properly."

Jay Kumar, a gym instructor insists, “Children below 17 should not be allowed to weight train. It will affect their muscle growth."