Content area
Full Text
Ed McNeely is the President of the Sport Performance Institute, a Canadian health and fitness education company. Ed has worked with 17 Canadian National Sport Organizations doing physiological monitoring, strength programs, and coaching education. He is a frequent presenter at national and international coaching and fitness conferences presenting on strength training for children and young athletes. He can be reached at [email protected].
Lloyd Armstrong is a physical education teacher at St. Luke's school in Ottawa. He has been involved in teaching and coaching children and adolescents for the past 10 years. Lloyd is also the Director of Education for the Sport Performance Institute, a Canadian health and fitness education company. He can be reached at [email protected].
[Graph Not Transcribed]
[Graph Not Transcribed]
Over the past 15 years there has been a progressive increase in the number of children and adolescents taking up strength training as a way to improve their health, fitness, and physical performance. Strength training can improve strength, help maintain or increase muscle mass, improve blood lipid profiles, increase bone density, decrease the risk of injury, enhance motor skill, and improve self-esteem (Fleck and Kraemer, 1993; Faigenbaum, 2000; Guy and Micheli, 2001).
Strength training is a lifelong activity, but there is still confusion about when a child can or should start a strength training program. Traditionally, weight training had been discouraged for children because of safety concerns and questions about the effectiveness of strength training in young athletes (Blimkie, 1992; Guy and Micheli, 2001). Many schools and most health clubs will not allow participants under 16 years of age to lift weights, yet there is increasing evidence that introducing prepubescent children to strength training is both safe and effective.
The prepubescent athlete is any athlete up to the age of 15 who has not yet developed secondary sexual characteristics, such as breasts, public hair, etc. (National Strength and Conditioning Association 1985). The onset of puberty varies in individuals. Fifteen is reasonable as an upper estimate for the age of puberty, but an athlete may mature either before or after this age.
Benefits and risks
Strength training is often used to improve strength and sports performance in adults. Since many of the sports and activities that children participate in require significant strength and power,...