In an age where it appears children are beginning athletic participation earlier and earlier, many parents, coaches, and children alike are pushing to gain any competitive edge they can. One path to that is the inclusion of resistance training into a child's athletic plan for development. However, there seems to be a great deal of confusion of the efficacy of its implementation. You hear it all the time, 'Weightlifting too young stunts a child's growth.' Does it? Will resistance training performed by adolescents affect their development? The scope of this article hopes to shed light on an answer to that question.
There is no doubt to the benefits of resistance training in relation to body composition and athletic performance in adults. A well developed strength and conditioning program can increase anaerobic(in the absence of oxygen) and aerobic(in the presence of oxygen) power along with other vital athletic components such as agility, speed, and explosiveness amongst others (Giller, O'Brien, Ryan, & Rogowski, 2009). Proper planning of the frequency, mode, intensity, and duration of each training cycle(micro, meso, macro) must be adhered to for this to occur. If there is poor planning and execution of those qualities, muscular strains, tendon and ligament tears, and even sickness from a weak immune system due to over training can occur. Bottom line, if correct protocols are not followed, injuries can and mostly likely will occur.
Now, while that gives us a background on training factors, how does it influence adolescent athletes? How do we ensure the correct development of height, growth plates, and other factors of the early maturation process? Well it appears that, as stated above, as long as the training is developed and regulated by knowledge professionals avoiding intensive exercises, those ill affects can be averted (Strength Training, 2008). Studies have been conducted showing how resistance training in adolescents can have many of the same health benefits that it gives to adults including improved muscular strength, body composition, and even better blood lipid profiles (Lubans, Sheaman, & Callister, 2009). With this in mind, it can be summarized that with the growing concern of obesity in children, not only can resistance training aid youth athletes, but also children across the board. According to Benson, Torode, & Fiatarone Singh (2006), resistance training is also capable of deterring or even perhaps preventing the onset of certain diseases such as metabolic syndrome and type two diabetes in children.
Well alright then, now that we know that a resistance training program for youth athletes is beneficial, lets get those kids lifting five times a week, twice a day. In case you missed it, that was sarcasm. What is being missed is another variable to the equation which needs to be addressed, that being recovery capacity. In youth sport, practice, training frequency, and volume are great, sometimes reaching the levels of excess for even the most advanced adult athletes (Matons & Winsley, 2007). While there is limited research in youth recovery, the assumption at this point is that social factors and pressures are a major culprit to over training in youth athletes. Due to this, according to Matos and Winsley (2007), changes in the planning and organization of youth sport participation and expected results must be tamed to insure the safety of the athletes mental, physiological, and social attributes.
The training procedures must adhere to certain known parameters that aid in the desired outcome, youth self-efficacy. Positive feedback, instant visual corrections, and achievable short-term goals are just a few of the considerations needed to be implemented by coaches (Benson et al., 2006). With sound coaching cues and loyalty to a system, adolescent athletes can safely and beneficially follow a resistance training program.
Now while I could go on and on into the subject, I believe at this point we can make the base conclusion that resistance training, if implemented with proper protocols, can aid youth athletes not only in sport, but also in their overall development towards adulthood.
Recommendations:
- -During the early stages of child development, developing movement qualities should be the top priority. The nervous system is like a sponge during these early years, thus presenting a wide range of stimuli will aid in the physical capabilities as the child matures. Staying active in numerous sports is one way to develop these qualities.
- -Till acceptable levels of relative strength are attained, the child should focus solely on body weight exercises, learning to move and control their body through space.
- -While the frequency can vary depending upon volume and intensity, a good suggestion would be around 2-3 times a week of resistance training activities.
- -Focus the training on accumulating neural adaption (letting the body learn how to train) and avoid high impact exercises as the impact endured during sport participation is already a great deal, thus any more would be overkill.
- -Limit duration to 20-30 minutes a session for resistance training.
- -Around the ages of 13-14, traditional weightlifting can begin, considering the child as good relative strength. The focus should however focus on proper form rather than absolute strength and power production. 2-3 days a week is still a sufficient frequency.
- -Perform 1-2 sets of 15-20 reps for the initial 4-8 weeks then progress to 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps. Limit sets per body part to 4-6 in the first phase and then 6-8 sets going forward. Once proper form has been learned, the athlete can progress to higher intensity training, working in the 5-12 rep max range.
Till Next Time Fueling that Drive,
Kyle Bohannon, CSCS
Owner/Head Trainer
kyle@trainstrive.com
www.trainstrive.com
References
Benson, A.C., Torode, M.E., & Fiatarone Singh, M.A., (2006).
A rational and methos for high-intensity progressive resistance training with children and adolescents.
Contemporary Clinical Trials, 28, 442-450
Giller, J., O'Brien, L., Ryan, M., & Rogowski, J., (2009).
Strategic exercise prescription for baseball: bridging the gap between injury prevention and power
production.
Lubans, D.R., Sheaman, C., & Callister, R., (2009).
Exercise adherence and intervention effects of two school-based resistance training programs for
adolescents. Precentative Medicine, 50, 56-62. Available from http://www.sciencedirect.com
Matos, N., & Winsley. R.J., (2007). Trainability of young athletes and overtraining.
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 6, 353-367
Strength Training by children and adolescents, (2008). Pediatrics, 121(4),
Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/121/4/835
