Factors to Consider with Children &
Teens Exercising:
Author: Mark Alderson, CSCS - see bottom of
page for info regarding redistribution
Max Performance Training
www.MaxPerformanceTraining.com
I seem to be asked on a regular basis: "Is is safe for my
child to lift weights?". Of course I hear alot of variations
to this question, but they are all centered around the same confusion.
It seems there continues to be alot of myths and confusion surrounding
benefits and risks of exercise, working out, and specifically
weight training for young children and adolescents. I have been
providing this information in the form of a fact sheet for concerned
adults in attempt to provide them with some basic understanding
and to help dispell many of the myths and rumors. Perhaps in time
I will put together a more indepth article on the subject.
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There
is no “set age” at which strength and conditioning
training is appropriate.
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Individuals
should have the mental maturity to understand what they are
doing, want to exercise, and have the ability to follow directions
consistently.
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Studies
have shown appropriate strength training to result in fewer
injuries than sports involvement by pre-pubescent youths.
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Strength
training can actually help reduce the risk of injury in adolescents
and pre-pubescent boys and girls.
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The
largest risk for injury in youth strength and conditioning training
has been studied significantly for the past 10+ years. The results
indicated that the greatest proportion of injuries are from
improper form or execution of the exercise, followed by excessive
volume of training (i.e. Running excessive amounts).
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It
is highly recommended that youths be supervised when strength
training to insure proper form / technique and reduce the chance
of injury.
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Significant
strength gains can be made by pre-pubescent boys and girls.
These are primarily the result of neurological adaptations,
as opposed to hypertrophy (increase in the actual size of the
muscle fibers).
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Strength
training serves to enhance coordination, and neurological efficiency
in pre-pubescent boys and girls.
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Training
should be focused on “core” movements, such as bench
press and squats as opposed to isolation movements, which would
include such exercises as the “concentration curl”.
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Pre-pubescent
individuals require more frequent sessions of the same activities
to continue to progress when compared with adults. When training
stops, many quickly begin to return to their untrained state.
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Strength
and Conditioning programs for adolescents and teens can be healthy,
improve coordination, reduce risk of injury, enhance performance,
increase self-esteem and overall sense of well-being.
ARTICLES
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