Guide to Sensible Strength Training for Young Adults

by E-NewsCast Team
August 29th, 2010

Guide to Sensible Strength Training for Young Adults* Young athletes strive to achieve their personal best. Ascoaches, parents and physicians, we need to be able to guidethem so they can reach their goals without injuring themselves.One way to prevent injuries is by having young athletes increasemuscle strength, flexibility and bone density through propernutrition and a supervised strength training program. With every child, the question eventually arises: What is theappropriate age to start strength training? Before answering this question, let’s define strength training:It’s a method of conditioning designed to increase anindividual’s ability to exert or resist force. The goal is notto see who is the strongest, but to improve muscular-skeletalstrength, speed, agility and endurance. Strength training caninvolve the use of weights, physio-balls, resistance bands,rubber tubing and plyometrics, or it can mean doing body weightexercises like sit ups, push ups, dips, squats and lunges.Despite previously held beliefs that strength training is unsafeand ineffective for youths, health organizations such as theAmerican College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), The American Academyof Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Strength and ConditioningAssociation (NSCA) now support children’s participation inappropriately designed and competently supervised strengthtraining programs. What’s the Right Age to Start a Strength Training Program? Hereis a good rule of thumb: If 7- or 8-year-olds are ready forparticipation in organized sports or activities such as littleleague or gymnastics, then they are ready for some type of lightresistance (balls, bars and bands) strength training program.For older children, the real question is what type of program?The answer to this really depends upon individual growth andmaturity factors (see guidelines below for further detail). Inall cases, lifetime fitness and proper exercise techniquesshould be emphasized. Adults designing training programs shouldprovide a motivating environment that helps children develop ahealthier lifestyleWhere Do You Begin? Before beginning a strength trainingprogram, children should have a healthy, balanced diet, to makesure they are getting enough carbohydrates, protein and dietaryfat to maintain energy for exercise. This well-rounded approachis part of the healthy lifestyle image that will foster youngadults to remain physically fit throughout their adult years. When teaching proper techniques for strength training, keep inmind that children learn best by doing. Show the child thecorrect technique, then closely supervise them to make sure theyunderstand how to do it. Push ups and sit ups are great forbeginners, but as they advance, young athletes shouldincorporate weight machines or free weights to challengethemselves and enhance their work out routines, so long as anadult is available for teaching the correct lifting techniquesand to supervise the athlete’s progress. Start With The Basics Warming up and stretching should beperformed before, during and after each workout to maintainflexibility and decrease muscle soreness. Since youths are moreprone to heat illness than adults, they should be encouraged todrink plenty of water throughout the workout. For a beginningprogram, start with one set of 10-15 repetitions of 6-8exercises that focus on the major muscle groups of the upper andlower body. Start with light weight and high reps and increasethe load and decrease the reps as strength improves. Youth Strength-Training Guidelines Based on the researchfindings, the following are recommendations for safe andproductive youth strength-training programs: 1. Select basic exercises for the major muscle groups. Thiscould be as few as four multiple-muscle exercises, such as legpresses, chest presses, pull-downs and shoulder presses. Theprogram could also consist of as many as 12 single-muscleexercises, such as leg extensions, leg curls, hip adductions,hip abductions, chest crosses, back pullovers, lateral raises,bicep curls, tricep extensions, abdominal curls, low backextensions and calf raises. 2. Have the youth perform approximately 12 exercise sets pertraining session. For example, three sets each of afour-exercise program, two sets each of a six-exercise programor one set each of a 12-exercise program. 3. Have children use a resistance that permits between 10 and 15properly performed repetitions to muscle fatigue. 4. Increase the weight load by 1 to 3 pounds whenever 15repetitions can be completed in good form. 5. Make sure young people perform every repetition through afull range of joint movement, from a position of comfortablemuscle stretch to a position of complete muscle contraction. 6. Have them perform every repetition with controlled movementspeed, taking approximately two seconds for each lifting action,and two to three seconds for each lowering action. 7. Train youth two or three non-consecutive days per week. Forchildren actively involved in weekday and weekend sports, twoweekly training sessions should be sufficient. 8. Progress gradually and consistently. This can be facilitatedby recording every training session on simplified workout cards. 9. Include aerobic activity and flexibility exercises in everytraining session, multi-movement exercises (such as a bent overrow with tricep kickback, or lunge with bicep curl), wheneverpossible to enhance mental involvement and enjoyment. 10. Provide competent instruction and supervision by qualifiedadults throughout the training session.Strength training should be one part of a total fitness program.Teaching young athletes the benefits of a healthy lifestyle,proper nutrition and strength conditioning can give them thestrong base on which to incorporate total fitness into theiradult lives. *This guide was prepared by Len Glassman, a Certified PersonalTrainer and owner of Personal Best Fitness Center in Garwood,New Jersey. Len specializes in sports specific, goal-orientedtraining of young athletes of all ages and abilities. Len can bereached at 908-789-3337, or you can check out Personal Best’sWebsite at www.pb-fitness.com.

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