Strength training: OK for kids when done correctly
Strength training offers kids many benefits, but there are important caveats to keep in mind. Here’s what you need to know about youth strength training.
1. Increase your child’s muscle strength and endurance
2. Help protect your child’s muscles and joints from injury
3. Improve your child’s performance in nearly any sport, from dancing and figure skating to football and soccer
4. And strength training isn’t only for athletes. Even if your child isn’t interested in sports, strength training can:
5. Strengthen your child’s bones
6. Help promote healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels
7. Boost your child’s metabolism
8. Help your child maintain a healthy weight
9. Improve your child’s self-esteem
When can a child begin strength training?
During childhood, kids improve their body awareness, control and balance through active play. As early as age 8, however, strengthtraining can become a valuable part of an overall fitness plan — as long as the child is mature enough to follow directions and practice proper technique and form.
If your child expresses an interest in strength training, remind him or her that strength training is meant to increase muscle strength and endurance. Bulking up is something else entirely — and most safely done after puberty.
What’s the best way to start a strength training program for kids?
A child’s strength training program isn’t necessarily a scaled-down version of what an adult would do. Keep these general principles in mind:
1. Seek instruction.
2. Warm up.
3. Keep it light.
4. Stress proper technique.
5. Supervise.
6. Rest between workouts.
7. Keep it fun.
Help your child vary the routine to prevent boredom. Make sure your child rests at least one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. Two or three strength training sessions a week are plenty. Adult supervision is an important part of youth strength training. If your child lifts weights, act as a spotter — someone who stands ready to grab the weights — in case the weight becomes too heavy. Rather than focusing on the amount of weight your child lifts, stress proper form and technique during each exercise. Your child can gradually increase the resistance or number of repetitions as he or she gets older. Kids can safely lift adult-size weights, as long as the weight is light enough. In most cases, one set of 12 to 15 repetitions is all it takes. The resistance doesn’t have to come from weights, either. Resistance tubing and body-weight exercises, such as push-ups, can be just as effective. Encourage your child to begin each strength training session with five to 10 minutes of light aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging in place or jumping rope. This warms the muscles and helps reduce the risk of injury. Gentle stretching after each session is a good idea, too. Start with a coach or personal trainer who has experience with youth strength training. The coach or trainer can create a safe, effective strength training program based on your child’s age, size, skills and sports interests. Or enroll your child in a strength training class designed for kids.
Results won’t come overnight. But eventually, your child will notice a difference in muscle strength and endurance — which may fuel a fitness habit that lasts a lifetime.
If your child expresses an interest in strength training, remind him or her that strength training is meant to increase muscle strength and endurance. Bulking up is something else entirely — and most safely done after puberty.
What’s the best way to start a strength training program for kids?
A child’s strength training program isn’t necessarily a scaled-down version of what an adult would do. Keep these general principles in mind:
1. Seek instruction.
2. Warm up.
3. Keep it light.
4. Stress proper technique.
5. Supervise.
6. Rest between workouts.
7. Keep it fun.
Help your child vary the routine to prevent boredom. Make sure your child rests at least one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. Two or three strength training sessions a week are plenty. Adult supervision is an important part of youth strength training. If your child lifts weights, act as a spotter — someone who stands ready to grab the weights — in case the weight becomes too heavy. Rather than focusing on the amount of weight your child lifts, stress proper form and technique during each exercise. Your child can gradually increase the resistance or number of repetitions as he or she gets older. Kids can safely lift adult-size weights, as long as the weight is light enough. In most cases, one set of 12 to 15 repetitions is all it takes. The resistance doesn’t have to come from weights, either. Resistance tubing and body-weight exercises, such as push-ups, can be just as effective. Encourage your child to begin each strength training session with five to 10 minutes of light aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging in place or jumping rope. This warms the muscles and helps reduce the risk of injury. Gentle stretching after each session is a good idea, too. Start with a coach or personal trainer who has experience with youth strength training. The coach or trainer can create a safe, effective strength training program based on your child’s age, size, skills and sports interests. Or enroll your child in a strength training class designed for kids.
Results won’t come overnight. But eventually, your child will notice a difference in muscle strength and endurance — which may fuel a fitness habit that lasts a lifetime.
