Strength Training for Overweight Youth
Intense programs help reduce body fat.
Here’s some more good news about the health benefits of strength training for youth. Resistance training reduces body fat in children and adolescents who are coping with overweight and obesity, according to a review of studies in Children (2022; 9 [7], 995). Mexican researchers from various institutions reviewed 28 studies from 12 countries with a total of 1,834 children and adolescent subjects.
Medium and high intensities of training performed almost to muscle failure, produced the best results for body-fat reduction. Studies suggest that more than 14 weeks of training are required to see effects on body fat losses and muscle gains. Different interventions regarding progressive or undulating periodization, circuit training, numbers of sets and reps—among other factors—limit study findings. More research is recommended to develop new and effective methods for treating childhood obesity with strength training for youth.
See also: Engaging in Youth Fitness
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
