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Q: Should my adolescent child be lifting weights?
A: More and more adolescents are participating in sports. To augment their performance in sports they also engage in weight training. Already training and competing in their sports, is it beneficial for young kids to add strength training to their program?
Several studies show that children and adolescents do in fact benefit from strength training. Adolescents can gain neuromuscular strength, possibly due to increases in neuromuscular coordination and activation (1, 2, 3, 6). Muscular size increase was not significant, however, because at these ages the status of endogenous androgen (the body's own hormones) isn't optimal for muscular growth (2). The main benefits of increasing strength are improvement in motor qualities for various sports and lower risk of injuries in contact and non-contact sports. This increases the child's athleticism and confidence.
Adolescents not directly involved in sports may also benefit from strength training. Increased strength may improve motor qualities in activities of daily living. Also, just as it reduces the risk of athletic injuries, strength can reduce the general risk of injuries for the non-athlete. Further, strength training can establish a physical and psychological foundation for habitual physical activities as these kids mature into adults. One study also reveals positive effects of strength training on the emotional well-being and the body image of females (all test variables improved significantly after strength training twice per week for 15 weeks) (4).
Many adults are concerned about the effect resistance training may have on the growing adolescent. Some fear that, among other injuries, the growth plates at the ends of long bones may close prematurely, which results in stunted growth. However, given proper supervision and appropriate program design, adolescents participating in resistance training do not appear to be at any greater risk of injuries than those who don't participate in such training (2, 3). Other research show that a supervised resistance program does not adversely affect bone, muscle, or growth plates -nor does it adversely affect growth, development, flexibility, or motor performance (5, 9). It has been shown that adolescent athletes may be at risk for delayed physical maturation when intense training (of any type) is combined with insufficient nutrient and caloric intake. However, once training intensity decreases and caloric intake increases, “catch-up” growth commonly occurs and adult stature is not compromised (9). A perceptible and skillful coach or trainer should be able to observe any sign that may indicate too much training intensity and not enough caloric in-take, and then modify the program. The force created as the body moves against the ground (such as running and jumping) is called ground reaction force, or GRF. GRF is measured on a mechanical device commonly called a force plate. This force is transmitted through the body. Measured ground reaction forces are often found to be higher in sports involving jumping and landing than in resistance training. Furthermore, sports that don't involve jumping activities have been found to also produce forces that exceed those of resistance training (8). So playground activities may also produce ground reaction forces higher than resistance training. Considering the collective scientific information on the benefits and safety of resistance training for the adolescent, it is a good idea to involve the child in a weight training program that may increase his/her motor skills, injury prevention, self-esteem and athleticism.
It is also a good idea to seek a skillful strength and conditioning coach or personal trainer to develop a strengthening program for the child because proper instructions on biomechanics to teach movement skills have been found to improve benefits and safety (7)
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