rugby

[jahman]

hey i've got a brother who is elevn yrs old and i was wandering if there is any sort of weight training he could do at his age that could help him improve his game but not stunt his growth etc.the only reason i ask is because he will probably think he is cool doing weights and it will help him get extra training in .cheers JaHmAn

[63]

maybe bodyweight routines like dips , chins , pressups and add more in as he gets better,stronger,older.

[Dyceast]

Hmmm, is it not good to train a youngin'?

Ive been gettin my lil nephew into weights, well actually he wants to get into it, wanna b muscely fella :roll:

But yeah, hes only 10 or 11 lol cant remember.

Is it good for him to be doing weights?

[Wynton]

Weights are not recommended for children. bodyweight exercises are much better. I'll look for the article about weight training and children and post it up.

[lazyone]

What about those kids who live on farms and are lifting heavy equipment and doing pretty strenuous work n that?

I dont see anything wrong with kids doing weights (prolly from about 10-12yrs upwards though) as long as they are being supervised and are taught the correct form.

[Wynton]

Here's an article about weight training and children. 12 - 14 years appears to be safe. Although 10 years or below may be pushing it.

Coach and Athletic Director, Sept 2002 v72 i2 p7(3)

On the subject of adolescent strength training. (Powerline 2002). (Statistical Data Included) Ken Mannie.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2002 Scholastic, Inc.

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR the pre-teenage and early-teenage athlete is steeped in the kind of ambiguity and misconceptions that have achieved mythological status.

Though our early youth groups inculcate various physical and maturity considerations that require prudence and precaution, all of these concerns can be put to rest with intelligent screening, planning, instruction, and supervision.

Allow us to shed a little light on a few of the most frequently asked questions and/or several of our own personal perspectives.

IS ADOLESCENT STRENGTH TRAINING SAFE?

Enough scientific research is available to answer with a resounding, yes!

A vast majority of our exercise physiologists and pediatricians recommend some form of resistance training for medically fit adolescents. In the prepubescent and usually preteen years, this may involve the use of bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, chin/pull-ups, parallel dips, sit-ups/crunches, etc.

All of these very productive exercises offer an excellent introduction to the more advanced strength-training modes of future years.

The physician must first determine whether the student is physically up to the task and then test the student's readiness through a tool known as the Tanner Staging System, which evaluates secondary sexual characteristics and physical maturity.

Boys normally make a growth spurt between ages 10-12, while girls make theirs as early as age 8 or as old as 14, and especially between ages 11-12 years.

The bottom line is that most healthy youngsters--both boys and girls--are physically mature enough to begin a resistance program between ages 12-14.

As a matter of fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Position Paper (1) supports the implementation of strength training so long as it is monitored by a trained adult and all of the medical considerations have been taken into account.

The only major exception made by the AAP is to avoid repetitive maximal lifts (i.e., one- rep maximum lifts or lifts within 2-3 reps of a one-rep max).

IS ADOLESCENT STRENGTH TRAINING BENEFICIAL?

A common safety question concerns the epiphyseal junctures ("growth plates") at the ends of the bones. For many years, it was speculated that strength training could damage the composition of this bony matter, from which healthy bone continues to emanate until full skeletal growth is completed. This is where the "growth stunting" myth surfaced.

There is absolutely no scientific evidence that a sound, supervised strengthtraining program can have an adverse effect on these body structures. On the contrary, strength training can not only strengthen the bones and make them more resilient to injuries, but can enhance the muscular strength and endurance of the youngsters, just as it does with adults.

These increases in strength appear to be the result of heightened neuromuscular activation--the nervous system learns to adapt more efficiently to the new stimulus. This is especially true with prepubescents, who do not yet possess enough circulating androgens (growth enhancing hormones) for large increases in muscle mass. In other words, they can get stronger without necessarily getting bigger.

Strength training also plays a major role in enhancing the durability of connective tissue (ligaments and tendons), minimizing the injury potential of your athlete.

From a psychological standpoint, strength training can provide a great boost in the individual's confidence and self-esteem--a component of special significance to emotionally fragile age groups.

WHAT SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT BE DONE?

In keeping with several recommendations of the AAP and from our own experience, we would like to offer the following recommendations:

Seek medical evaluation and clearance from the child's physician. Make it clear that the youngster plans to engage in strength training and that you are interested in securing a comprehensive examination and any helpful recommendations before starting.

Once cleared, make the child aware that the strength-training program will focus on proper techniques and gradual progression. It will not be a competitive endeavor to see how much weight can be lifted.

Place the child under the supervision and guidance of a qualified instructor. Educational background and experience are, in our opinion, the most decisive factors in this determination. Certification(s) with nationally recognized and well-respected organizations can be considered.

As recommended by the AAP, preadolescents and adolescents should avoid competitive weightlifting, power lifting, bodybuilding, and maximum lifts until they reach the appropriately determined physical and skeletal maturity.

Exercises and sets per training session: Choose 10-12 exercises and perform one set of 10-15 quality reps of each, or choose fewer exercises (e.g., 5-6) and perform 2-3 sets of each. However, we would still keep the total volume to about 10-12 total sets.

Select basic exercises, initially machine-based ones for teaching purposes, that stimulate the leg/hip/low back regions, chest, shoulders, upper back, abdominals, and arms. Many of these exercises and modalities we've described in past articles will suffice, though the set and rep schemes must be tailored to this age group.

The youngster should make slow, gradual weight increments--no more than 1-2.5 lbs. once 15 reps are achieved.

Recommendations on lifting frequency will vary from as few as one day per week to as many as four days per week, depending on who you ask. We recommend 1-3 days per week on a non-consecutive basis. Don't wear the kid out; instead make it a fun and informative period in his life.

A primary goal of the parent/coach should be to educate the child on a good lifestyle habit that will provide health benefits for many years to come. And, remember; just as with adults, more is not necessarily better when it comes to strength training. In fact, too much of it can only induce a mental tedium that will result in diminishing returns and injuries.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR YOUNG GIRLS

As we mentioned in a special feature we did on young female strength training a while back, all of the benefits we've discussed apply to the young ladies, as well. We all know that strength training can be especially important for girls in increasing their bone mass, which can help stave off the risk of osteoporosis (a degenerative bone disease) as they get older. Girls can make substantial gains in bone density at an early age with the help of strength training.

My daughter, Alaina, (photos) has been on resistance training in volleyball since age 12, with very good results. Her daddy, is, of course, with her every step of the way to ensure safety and proper execution.

NOTE: Hammer, Nautilus, Med-X, Gravitron, and PowerLift are trademark equipment names.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: Ken Mannie, Michigan State University, Duffy Daugherty Building, East Lansing, MI 48824 (517) 355-7514 mannie@msu.edu

REFERENCES

* American Academy of Pediatrics; "Policy Statement: Strength Training by Children and Adolescents," Pediatrics, June 2001.

* A. Faigenbaum; W. Westcott; R. LaRosa Loud; and C. Long: "The Effects of Different Resistance Training Protocols on Muscular Strength and Endurance Development in Children," Pediatrics, 1999.

RELATED ARTICLE: ADOLESCENT STRENGTH TRAINING

Alaina Mannie, 14, has been strength training 1-3 days per week since she was 12. A sample of one of her workouts:

Warm-up: Jump Rope (100 skips).

Nautilus Leg Curl: 10-15 reps.

Nautilus Leg Extension: 10-15 reps.

Med-X Leg Press: 10-15 reps.

PowerLift Glute/Ham/Low Back Extensions: 10-15 reps.

Gravitron Chin-ups: 10-15 reps.

Gravitron Parallel Dips: 10-15 reps.

Hammer Seated Row: 10-15 reps.

Nautilus Pullover: 10-15 reps.

Hammer Seated Bench Press: 10-15 reps.

Nautilus Pulldown: 10-15 reps.

Nautilus Overhead Shoulder Press: 10-15 reps.

Abdominal Crunch Variations: 15-25 reps.

[Varven]

Some functional training for GPP and the like would be good ?

start of with push ups/ body weight squats/pistols/pull ups.

add in weighted wheel barrow pushes, sand bag training. even pushing the car with the hand brake down is a good idea.

[jahman]

we dont want him training with weights we just see it that if he is training with wieghts he might think hes cool lol and want to do it but i guess we could start him on bodyweight exercises and tell him he can build up to weight training.do u think there would be any harm in just letting him do 3 x 15 leg extensions mayb twice a week just to encourage him to do it?

[Wynton]

I don't really know. I haven't had any experience with kids and weight training all I can go on is what journal articles like the one above say. They recommend that 12-14 years is fine. I think start him with body weight exercises first then progress from there. Maybe you could try light sets on a leg press machine the one with the weight stack if your gym has one instead of the olympic leg press and knee extensions

[ExpensiveUrine]

Plyometrics.

[ExpensiveUrine]

Some more reading.

Olympic-Style Weightlifting, Kid Style.

Faigenbaum AD, and Polakowski C.

Strength and Conditioning Journal, 1999, 21(3): 73-76.

http://focusedtrainers.com/news/article ... 0Style.pdf

Roundtable Discussion: Youth Resistance Training.

Haff GG.

Strength and Conditioning Journal, 2003, 25(1): 49-64.

Couldn't find a free full paper for this, but it's a pretty good discussion if you can get your hands on it. I've shamelessly printed it off at Uni.

[2guns]

its a proven fact tht if u weight train before yr growth plates have full developed it may stunt yr growth.

[Pseudonym]

Wynton and EU - awesome articles... Thanks guys!

I've often wondered what would have happened if I'd shown any interest in sports during high school. Apart from weekly drownings while I attempted (and largely failed) to play waterpolo, I avoided everything remotely physical. I don't know whether it was cause or effect, but my physique at the time was pretty (ok- very!) beanpole-ish. It's a sweeping generalisation, I know, but often sports-shy kids are skinny, and sports-mad kids have great little physiques. Are skinny kids avoiding sport because they're skinny? Or are they skinny because they're avoiding sport? Is this cause? Or effect?

So my thoughts have been: To what extent does activity during the teens have on your adult physique? We know that fat kids are more likely to become fat adults. I realise a person's body type depends largely on genetics, but those teenage years are such formative ones, it wouldn't surprise me at all if this was the period in which your body type was programmed, at least in part.

[ExpensiveUrine]

its a proven fact tht if u weight train before yr growth plates have full developed it may stunt yr growth.

Can you show me proof of that?

[ExpensiveUrine]

Wynton and EU - awesome articles... Thanks guys!

I've often wondered what would have happened if I'd shown any interest in sports during high school. Apart from weekly drownings while I attempted (and largely failed) to play waterpolo, I avoided everything remotely physical. I don't know whether it was cause or effect, but my physique at the time was pretty (ok- very!) beanpole-ish. It's a sweeping generalisation, I know, but often sports-shy kids are skinny, and sports-mad kids have great little physiques. Are skinny kids avoiding sport because they're skinny? Or are they skinny because they're avoiding sport? Is this cause? Or effect?

So my thoughts have been: To what extent does activity during the teens have on your adult physique? We know that fat kids are more likely to become fat adults. I realise a person's body type depends largely on genetics, but those teenage years are such formative ones, it wouldn't surprise me at all if this was the period in which your body type was programmed, at least in part.

Yeah, it's very generalized. I can think of a few reasons why kids would avoid sport and why some are motivated to participate. As far as long term trends of activity, that would depend on the person and his/her previous habits/parents/environment and the environment that they're in today. I can't really say that if you were a fat kid, you'll be a fat adult, because there are always exceptions to the rule. If you start a particular sport at a young age, you'll have an advantage over someone who started it at 40. At the end of the day, obviously *some* activity is better than no activity.

[2guns]

Can you show me proof of that?

go ask yr doctor. and my statement was in addition to an 11 year old kid starting weight training.

do u disagree with this?

[ExpensiveUrine]

Can you show me proof of that?

go ask yr doctor. and my statement was in addition to an 11 year old kid starting weight training.

do u disagree with this?

I'm asking you though.

When you make a claim like that, you're bound to have seen proof of it. I just want to see the proof that made you conclude such a thing.

[2guns]

a couple of doctors have told me which theyd know having studyed the bone and muscle structure of people.

and no sorry i cant provide a website to prove it although im sure if i had no life and had lots of time to spend on the net i could direct to to one straight way.

for most people its common knowlegde. and i dont think anyone whos half responsible would recommend weight training to an eleven year old.

but let me know how hes growing...

height wise :pfft:

[ExpensiveUrine]

a couple of doctors have told me which theyd know having studyed the bone and muscle structure of people.

and no sorry i cant provide a website to prove it although im sure if i had no life and had lots of time to spend on the net i could direct to to one straight way.

for most people its common knowlegde. and i dont think anyone whos half responsible would recommend weight training to an eleven year old.

but let me know how hes growing...

height wise :pfft:

So you haven't seen the proof of it. Just hearsay.

[2guns]

yes hearsay, but the source of the information i got to make tht statement came from my doctor who im sure would have seen the proof.

it was just a passing comment made by him when i was in there once we didnt go into the details.

but its sounding like yr doubting my post, so ill try find the time soon 2 get more proof for u

[Wynton]

IMO children of 11 years or younger have not matured physically enough. There bones are still soft so may not be strong enough for weight training. They would be better suited to bodyweight exercises or plyometrics like EU suggested. Kids mature at different ages so for those that are 12 - 14 or older you would need to assess each one individually to determine what is suitable and what isn't.

So my thoughts have been: To what extent does activity during the teens have on your adult physique? We know that fat kids are more likely to become fat adults. I realise a person's body type depends largely on genetics, but those teenage years are such formative ones, it wouldn't surprise me at all if this was the period in which your body type was programmed, at least in part.

From what I've been told your body develops fat cells during puberty only so the fatter the persons becomes during puberty the more fat cells are created. Making it easier to become very fat in adult life.

yah 100 posts

[ExpensiveUrine]

yes hearsay, but the source of the information i got to make tht statement came from my doctor who im sure would have seen the proof.

it was just a passing comment made by him when i was in there once we didnt go into the details.

but its sounding like yr doubting my post, so ill try find the time soon 2 get more proof for u

Doctors are people and people make mistakes. There's also a thing called second opinion. I really don't want to get into this whole side of the argument and rather concentrate on the proof. But hey if you can get me the proof of your claim that'd be awesome.

From what I've seen about bone (epiphysis) damage in young children, tells me that it's fueled by lack of supervision, poor technique and too much weight on the bar. Well, no shit. Use too much weight with crap technique and what happens?

So when you say, "its a proven fact tht if u weight train before yr growth plates have full developed it may stunt yr growth", what kind of weight training are you talking about in terms of intensity/volume/frequency, ect? Are we talking about high intensity and low volume, blah blah blah or what? At the end of the day, It's pretty obvious that training would be different for a preteen boy than for someone that's 20 years of age, wrt: intensity/volume/frequency/amount of overload placed on the body, ect.

By the way, on the contrary, weight training actually strengthens connective/bone tissue.

[deegee]

I dont know any of the science or biology behind 11 year olds training but I feel 15 is about as early as you should start a weight lifting regime. Just body wieght excersises till then.

Just a personal opinion

[jahman]

hey can someone please explain to me what plyometrics are lol

[2guns]

Doctors are people and people make mistakes

im sure not in this instance lol