A dad was criticised for taking his 16-month-old toddler to the gym to lift weights.

Footage shows the tiny tot sitting on an upturned dumbbell and pulling on a weightlifting machine cable while his father holds him upright and issues instructions at a fitness centre in Jiangxi, China.

A second video shows the child, dressed in a dinosaur onesie, attempting pull-ups from a barbell while another young child in a white onesie is seen in the background, with no adults in sight.

In the third video, the guardian holds his son by the waist as he instructs him to lift a barbell, which the child manages to lift with a grunt before dropping it onto the floor with a thud while his dad praises him.

It was unclear if the footage was being investigated, whether the parents faced any penalties, or why the gym allowed minors to access the equipment.