Strength training early in life can ensure lifelong health and well-being for children and adolescents

– Aren’t they a bit adolescent for that?

This is a question I heard regularly from parents when I recommended strength training to children I worked with, ranging in age from 6 to 18, in youth sports. In my four years as a strength and conditioning coach, I often received questions from parents about the pros and cons strength training – i.e. training involving exercises with weights – for children.

Some of the most frequently asked questions: Is strength training safe and sound for children and teenagers? At what age is it best to start strength training? What are the benefits of strength training for this age group? Is strength training beneficial even for children who do not participate in organized sports?

In tiny, strength training is safe and sound and suitable for children of all ages.

I am exercise physiologist, certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified performance and sports scientist. My research focuses on muscle development from childhood through adolescence, with the goal of understanding how adolescent people can gain the most benefit from exercise programs, especially strength training programs.

My experience and research have shown that strength training can facilitate improve youth athletic performance and that youth participating in strength training have significant health benefits beyond athletic performance.

Safety first

Most often, it is not without reason that I am asked whether strength training is safe and sound for adolescent people. In a screening test injury rates in many sportsresearchers found that when done properly, strength training was associated with a lower risk of injury than almost all other sports. This applies not only to adults, but also for children.

With this in mind, the emotional maturity of the adolescent person should be taken into account before administering dumbbells. During my career, I have designed and implemented strength training programs for children of all ages, even from the age of 6. However, not every child of this age is ready for strength training. For their own safety, participants must be emotionally mature enough to listen and follow instructions so as not to harm themselves. For some children this is as early as age 6, others may not be ready for it until they are a few years elderly.

Because proper technique is the key to performing these exercises safely, it is essential that strength training programs for children are developed and implemented under the supervision of a qualified trainer or trainer. It means someone from important references and who has earned a degree in exercise science.

It is also essential to look for professionals who operate scientific evidence to support their training programs and philosophies.

Benefits of strength training

Studies have shown that children’s muscles are stronger reduce the likelihood of injury during various types of activities.

One study we did showed that less muscle strength and size may lead to lower performance during various activities that children usually engage in, such as running and jumping. Not only that, but children with lower strength tend to have it worse neuromuscular efficiencywhich means they are not as adept at activating their muscles. This translates into using more energy and feeling more tired during physical activity.

While it’s effortless to see how essential strength training is for adolescent people who participate in sports, there are also amazing health benefits for kids who don’t participate in organized sports. Research has shown the positive impact that strength training can have healthy bone development in children, leading to a lower likelihood of fractures. Research has also shown that strength training in children can have a positive effect mental well-being AND academic results.

Strength training can also impact overall health and well-being because it is associated with obesity in children.

Obesity rates among children and adolescents have been rising for decades. Previous research has suggested that adolescents fall into the obese category they tend to have less muscle strength than those considered to be the correct weight. Not only that, but other studies have shown that obese adolescents can have greater likelihood of sarcopenic obesitydefined as obesity with low muscle mass and functionwhich may have significant negative health consequences.

Resistance training interventions in adolescents with obesity have been shown to have a positive impact on: metabolic health, body composition, sanity AND overall quality of life.

Creating an age-appropriate program

An effective strength training program begins with setting age-appropriate expectations.

Children and teenagers are not miniature adults, and not all adolescent people will adapt to a strength training program in the same way. For example, research shows that during adolescence unique differences in muscle development in boys compared to girls.

Girls in particular can have more neuroplasticitywhich is defined as the brain’s ability to recognize new movements and patterns. This means they can adapt to more elaborate movements faster than boys, while boys have seen more significant changes as their muscle mass begins to escalate during puberty. This doesn’t necessarily mean that girls and boys need completely different strength training programs. This simply means that not all children will progress at the same rate with certain exercises.

With this in mind, an age-appropriate program should focus on technique rather than results. How much weight a child can carry is much less essential than teaching him good movement patterns. For example, if a child has difficulty doing normal push-ups, a qualified practitioner may modify the exercise to start with wall push-ups or incline push-ups. This will facilitate your child build good movement patterns and improve his or her strength in the long run.

Based on technique, a good youth strength training program should include steps ranging from uncomplicated movements to more complex movements and lighter weights to heavier weightsgiven that not all adolescent people will adapt at the same rate.

Focusing on the long term

Of course, most children will not grow up to be professional athletes, but any child can develop athleticism. A good strength training program for children will keep them fit path to a healthy lifestyle from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

Research shows that starting exercise in childhood tends to lead to continuing exercise habits in adulthood. That’s why the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the leading organization in strength, conditioning and exercise science, encouraged concentration on improving childhood training habits that can then be maintained into adulthood, resulting in overall better health and well-being.

Starting adolescent with an age-appropriate strength training program can facilitate children develop good movement patterns and incorporate exercise into their routine, which can have lasting benefits for their health into adulthood.