IDEA
Press Release - Strength
Training For Kids
 Back to 2003 Press Releases
San
Diego – Do you want your kids to grow strong muscles and bones,
shed fat and build self-confidence? Are you looking for an activity
that will excite an overweight child about the joys of exercise? Strength
training could be the solution. IDEA Health & Fitness Association
presents theses answers to commonly asked questions about youth strength
training from two experts in the subject: Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, fitness
research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts,
and an advisor to Nautilus Health & Fitness Group; and Avery D.
Faigenbaum, EdD, associate professor of exercise science and physical
education at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
Why Should
Kids Strength Train?
Children like to alternate between brief periods of high-effort movement
and longer periods of rest--and strength training lets them do that.
Strength training also provides visual reinforcement. Young exercisers
can easily see how much weight they are lifting and how much progress
they have made. The many benefits of strength training include stronger
muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments; more muscle mass; less fat; a
higher metabolism; greater physical capacity; and increased self-confidence.
Do you
have an overweight child? One of the best features of youth strength
training is the success rate that overweight boys and girls experience
with it. In most athletic activities--running, jumping, soccer and basketball,
for example--extra body weight is undesirable. By contrast, strength
training actually favors larger children and gives them a much-needed
sense of physical accomplishment. Because the amount of weight lifted
is positively related to body weight, heavier kids can usually train
with heavier amounts than their lighter peers.
Is Strength
Training Safe for Kids?
Many people mistakenly believe that strength training is an unsafe activity
for kids. In fact, no serious injury has ever been reported in any prospective
study on youth strength training. Not only is it safe for kids; it may
actually help reduce the number of injuries they get during other physical
activities. Westcott and Faigenbaum have conducted regular strength
training classes for children 6 to 12 years old for the past 18 years--and
not one of the kids has been injured.
What Exercises
Should Kids Do?
Westcott and Faigenbaum recommend that preadolescents perform six to
12 different strength exercises each training session. The program should
address all the major muscle groups, and kids should progress from the
larger muscle groups to the smaller ones, in the same way adults do.
Kids can improve strength whether they use free weights (dumbbells)
or resistance machines (either youth-sized or adult-sized). For more
information, see Strength and Power for Young Athletes by Faigenbaum
and Westcott (Human Kinetics 2000) or consult with a personal trainer
who specializes in kids’ strength training.
Training
Guidelines at a Glance:
Although strength training recommendations for adults and children are
similar in many ways, there are differences, especially when it comes
to sets and repetitions. Use the following information as a general guideline.
For a specific program, seek the help of a qualified fitness instructor
or personal trainer.
• Sets: one challenging set of each exercise, which may or may not be
preceded by one or two preliminary sets.
• Repetitions: 10 to 15 repetitions in each exercise set.
• Frequency: 20-minute training session performed on 2 or 3 nonconsecutive
days each week.
• Progression: a weight increase of 5 percent or less (typically 1 to
5 pounds) once a child can complete 15 repetitions with a given amount
of weight.
• Speed: 2 seconds for lifting movements and 2 seconds for lowering movements.
• Range: full movement range on simple, single-joint exercises like leg
extensions; moderate movement range on complex, multi-joint exercises
like leg presses.
• Breathing: exhaling during lifting movements, and inhaling during lowering
movements.
• Posture: standing or sitting tall with head up, shoulders square, torso
erect and hips level; avoiding twisting, turning and squirming.
IDEA is the
world's leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals
with more than 19,000 members in over 80 countries. Since 1982, IDEA has
provided health and fitness professionals with pertinent information,
educational opportunities, career development programs and industry leadership
while helping them enhance the quality of life worldwide through safe,
effective fitness and healthy lifestyle programs. For more information
on IDEA events, publications, educational products, member services or
other activities, visit the IDEA website at: www.IDEAfit.com.
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