Has anyone ever heard that pre-adolescent boys that lift weights to build muscle will be stunted in height?

I heard this when my son was 7, then over the last couple of years I have been amazed at the number of short boys in school (I'm a lunch mom) who tell me that they lift weights to build muscle. These kids are all 11 and under. And small all the way around. One of these kids has been working out with his older brother since he was 6/7, and now at 10, he is still the same size he was when he was 6/7.

This is absolutely FALSE. What does inhibit growth is damage to the childs growth plates before they have had a chance to fuse.

Growth plate damage is actually common when one experiences sudden trauma like falling or being hit extremely hard on the leg. Also, activities such as Gymnasts who practices for hours on the uneven bars and long-distance runners injure growth plates due to overuse.

The reason bodybuilders/powerlifters tend to be shorter has to do with the biomechanics of weight lifting. A shorter frame has a shorter distance to move the weight thus making it easier to lift heavy weights that build the muscle. Besides, I don't think anyone would say Arnold Schwarzenneger is short and he was one of the best.

Also, about 99.99% of long distance runner are very tall and lean, yet it's silly to think running makes you taller. It's just the mechanics of the body they were built for running and shorter people are more suited for lifting.