Find out if your child should be given weightlifting training at an early age? Why is such a load useful and dangerous for a young organism? Children are able to benefit from strength training and this is a scientifically proven fact. This topic has been fairly well researched, and there is no doubt about the results of experiments. However, this is possible with the right approach to the training process. Today you can find out at what age you can do strength sports.
The main misconception associated with a child's strength training is that it can cause stunted growth and development. Scientists have now established that pre-adolescent growth zones cannot be destroyed if the training process is chosen correctly. Moreover, Australian scientists are confident that strength training, on the contrary, can accelerate the growth and development of children.
Benefits of Children's Strength Training
Let's note the most significant advantages of strength training for children:
- The basic level of physical fitness rises.
- The ligamentous-articular apparatus is strengthened.
- The density of bone structures increases.
- Lower risk of injury compared to other sports such as football.
- The child's self-esteem rises.
- There is a positive attitude towards sports and a healthy lifestyle.
Separately, I would like to say about the benefits of strength training for girls. This is because women are more prone to osteoporosis, which is a degenerative disease of bone tissue. Physical activity is also important during puberty, since the bone structure can be significantly strengthened before the onset of the menstrual period.
When can I start exercising?
According to scientists, it is possible to engage in strength training after the age of seven or eight. It is during this period that the skill of posture support is fully formed in children. Also during this period, the child is already emotionally matured in order to strictly follow the instructions of the coach. It is very important when starting classes at this age to observe a strict technique of performing movements.
If a child is ready to play, say, football and wants to, then he can already do strength training. An important point is the use of safe training methods and the enjoyment of the child's activities. It will also be interesting to note that children can significantly increase their strength score without muscle growth. This is due to the low content of anabolic hormones in the body, since the endocrine system is still being formed. For this reason, the growth of strength, first of all, must be associated with an improvement in the work of neuro-muscular connections.
How to organize strength training for children?
Of course, you first need to use only your body weight as a burden. At this stage of the lesson, the child should get acquainted with the basic movements and master the technique of their implementation. Only then can one move on to the use of resistance bands and possibly to work with free weights.
All apparatus should be selected so that the child can perform 8 to 15 repetitions to a state of moderate fatigue. During the lesson, one to three sets should be performed for each muscle group.
It is not necessary to carry out more than two or three workouts during the week, and the duration of each lesson, excluding the warm-up time, as well as the cool-down time, should be from 20 to 30 minutes. It is also important, after completing the main part of the training, to perform movements to stretch the muscles. The intensity of the training should be increased slowly and children should do all 15 repetitions without significant effort. Scientists are sure that at this age it is better to underestimate the abilities of children, thereby leaving a lot of room for future growth.
In the puberty period, the intensity can increase at a rapid pace and the child must begin to acquaint with the basic principles of periodization of the load. It is very important that children train under the supervision of an experienced professional who should focus on the technique of all exercises. Also, before starting classes, you should undergo a medical examination.
Recommendations for training children
It is very important to separate your child's strength training from sports such as weightlifting and powerlifting. If the child has not yet fully passed the stage of puberty, then in his training program there should not be sets of one or three repetitions. This is possible only at the fifth stage of the Tanner scale.
The reasons for these restrictions are the growth zones already mentioned today. Until the baby is fully mature, they can be damaged with serious consequences. We also note that children are not recommended to practice in an explosive style.
At what age you can start doing strength sports, you will learn from this video:
