A video posted to social media showing a young girl lifting an incredible weight has sparked debate from concerned viewers.
The two videos were originally shared to Instagram by mom-of-two and fitness expert Jes Bowen, who currently boasts over 295,000 followers thanks to her intense workout videos.
Bowen, who is also the co-founder of Militia Fitness, recently shared two videos of her seven-year-old daughter Brodie deadlifting an impressive 43 kilograms (over 94 pounds), and squatting a 70-pound bar.
The average weight of a seven-year-old is between 40 and 66 pounds, according to LiveStrong.com.
The videos can be seen below:However, despite no doubt being impressive, the videos have caused some serious divide on social media after being shared by the Instagram page House of Highlights, which has over 17.6 million followers as of this writing.
Sharing the two videos of Brodie, the page captioned the post: "She’s already lifting big weight."
But the page's followers swiftly took to the comments section to raise their concerns about a seven-year-old lifting such heavy weights.
One follower wrote: "Um... is this even safe for her at that age?"
While another added: "She's never going to grow", which was echoed by a third user, who typed: "she gon be 4’10 lifting weights dat young".
Another concerned follower commented: "Is this even healthy to be doing this at this age", as a fifth wrote: "This is so dangerous."
A sixth follower commented saying: "I may be wrong but don’t think is safe for her."
However, over on mom Jes' page, the comments were much more positive.
One of Bowen's followers wrote: "Yeaaaaaa!! Start them off young either this or on the trails best way to keep kids minds occupied".
And another congratulated the youngster, writing: "That look of amazement when she finished the squat is everything! She is so shocked and proud of herself! That is every parents favorite moment for their child, when they see their kid proud of themselves! Great job!!!!"
Meanwhile, a third typed: "Love this! Love her spirit! Love how it’s building her confidence!!!"
Per WebMD, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states strength training - which includes lifting free weights, using weight machines, or doing exercises that use elastic tubing or one's own body weight for resistance - can be safe for children to introduce into their fitness plan as long as certain rules are followed.
These include making sure the child is properly supervised by a professional, that they lift safely and with correct form, that they do not overdo it, and that the parents consult with an expert first.
Something tells me we haven't seen the last of the little - but incredible - Brodie!
