Youth Strength Training

Many people are uncomfortable with the idea of youth strength training. You may feel that kids who strength train will end up hurting themselves, stunting their growth, and causing long term damage.

In fact, when done correctly, youth strength training is can be healthy and beneficial for kids. In a time when childhood obesity is running rampant, strength training can be a healthy introduction to a lifetime of exercise and active living for children.

Even better, strength training can also help protect your children from more serious injury when they play sports by strengthening their muscles and joints and increasing their endurance. Strength training can also effectively help keep your child’s bones stronger, increase his or her metabolism, and keep him or her at a healthy weight for their age.

The key to healthy strength training is to focus on actual strength training instead of weightlifting. Do not let your children or teenagers get into bodybuilding, which can cause a lot of damage to a young body. Children’s bodies cannot handle extreme weightlifting since their tendons and bones are not strong enough yet to handle so much weight without possibly sustaining permanent damage.

However, understand that some weight is okay. Have your children use their own body weight in their exercises by doing pushup, leg lifts, and any other similar exercises. Or, they can even use light free weights or resistance bands to add a little more weight without going overboard. You can also enroll your child in sports and activities that will build muscle without causing serious damage, like swimming, running, or baseball.

If you are starting a youth strength training program for your child, make sure that he or she warms up before beginning. This will help reduce the chance that he or she will pull a muscle or injure him or herself in some other way.

Meet with a trainer who specializes in youth strength training. A may trainer will be able to recommend safe exercises that your child can perform without causing injury. A trainer can also help teach your child the right strength training techniques, so your child does each exercise correctly. Again, if your child is exercising incorrectly, there is an increased risk of causing serious injury.

And, just like when you exercise, make sure your child drinks a lot of water while exercising and gets plenty of rest. Children do not need to exercise every day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Two or three times a week is enough for most children who are new to strength training. Of course, your child should maintain a healthy lifestyle outside of strength training. Playing sports and riding bikes are two great activities that kids can do every day to stay in shape.

If you are a parent, instead of shying away from youth strength training, you should be encouraging your children to participate. Even better, workout with your children and teach them that exercise should become a regular part of their lives well into adulthood.

Right click here to download a sample youth strength training workout with resistance bands.

Return to Strength Training Exercises