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Could you imagine the sight before you? Hundreds of bulked up 'little Arnold Schwarzenegger' school kids streaming out of the school gates at home time, many of them stronger than their parents. This freakish school has on its curriculum... Compulsory bodybuilding!

The bodybuilders aim is to repetitively lift heavy weights in order to get their muscles to grow bigger than is possible without such exercise. This strain on the body does not come without side effects. Heart attacks in middle life are common in body builders, the heart can no longer cope with the years of strain it has endured from lifting heavier and heavier sets of weights. Could a child's heart cope with the massive strains endured by weightlifting?

What sort of message would be sent to the children who are forced to partake in bodybuilding? They would be subconsciously told that to fit in or look acceptable to others you must have a great 'six pack' and biceps that bulge when tensed. Weaker kids who physically cannot lift weights would be made to feel inferior and could attract a degree of bullying. These kids will carry those scars for the rest of their adult lives and depression levels in adults will inevitably increase.

Strengthening children's muscles and getting them to partake in exercise to combat the obesity epidemic is a good thing. Labeling exercise as 'Bodybuilding' conjures up images of grunting muscle bound men strutting around showing off their over inflated bodies.

weight lifting can be introduced into our schools as long as it is carefully controlled and monitored, so that the children do not over exert their growing bodies to an unhealthy level. It should never be made compulsory in the school day. Some kids just aren't built to be pumping weights as they come in all shapes and sizes just as we adults do. Some children are athletic and love sports, whereas some despise sports and would not enjoy a weight lifting regime to undermine their body image self esteem all the more.
Keep bodybuilding for the adult gyms where people can choose to enter or walk on by. Let children be children and grow into their bodies before they take the personal choice of enhancing their bodies or not.

Learn more about this author, Neil Dixon.
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