Video - When Can Children Start Lifting Weights?

This short video addresses the subject of weight training for kids - in reality, children are "weight training" from the time they are able to lift themselves up off their bellies. We just don't usually think of it that way. This quick video explains when and why kids might be ready (or not) to add external weight to their activities. (Always consult your child's doctor before starting any new weight-bearing exercise.)

Kid's Fitness - When Can Children Start Lifting Weights?
www.Facebook.com David Kittner, a Youth Conditioning Specialist with Athletic Foundations in Brampton, discusses a concern parents have with their young kids lifting weights. This presentation was part of the St. Andrew's Catholic School Just For Par...

Weight Training for Children - Important Things to Consider

It's great if your child loves to exercise, but what if you have a younger child of 6 to 8 years old that wants to participate in more adult activities, such as lifting weights?  While some think it is perfectly fine for children to lift weights, there are others that think differently.

Osgood-Schlatter disease. Lateral radiograph of the knee demonstrating fragmentation of the tibial tubercle (see inset) with overlying soft tissue swelling. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The long and short of it is that while it can be very beneficial for your child to partake in a weight training regimen, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.

No matter how you look at it, children aren't miniature adults and therefore you can't use the same methods with growing children that you can use with adults, as children are different from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.

All children have immature skeletons, as their bones don't mature until somewhere between 14 - 22 years of age.  With girls, exercise (or the lack of it) during childhood can have very critical effects on bone health that can last for their entire lives.

Children are often times vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood Schlatter disease.  Children also have immature temperature regulation systems due to their having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which will cause them to be more susceptible to injury when they aren't properly warmed up.

Children don't sweat as much as adults do, so they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as a heat stroke and dehydration.  Due to their low muscle mass and immature hormone system, it makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed. Their breathing and heart response during exercise are also different from an adult's, which will affect their capacity for exercise.

On the other hand, young boys and girls can drastically improve their strength with weight training although opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible.

When you consider weight training programs for children, first and foremost you should obtain a medical clearance from your child's pediatrician.  The first approach to designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 - 12 and keep the work load appropriate for the range, as well as the age, size, and strength of your child.

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You should ensure that workouts are spread out enough to have at least 1 - 2 full days of rest between sessions. The main focus when working out should be on the form of every exercise performed, and not on the amount of weight being lifted. Proper technique is important for everyone when working out, but especially children, whose smaller growing frames can be especially adversely affected by injury. Teaching the importance of proper form and technique while young will also carry over into adulthood, and give them a sense of responsibility and control over their own bodies.

Before weight training, be sure your child does a proper warmup including stretching to avoid injury.  Start your child off with light loads and then make adjustments accordingly.  No more than 3 non-consecutive weight sessions should be done in a week.  You should also see to it that they drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise.  Getting enough water is very important with exercise, as it is often very easy to get dehydrated - especially with children who have smaller bodies that hold less water.

If you follow these important tips, your child can definitely benefit from incorporating some weight training into their activities. It can help them build strong bones for life, balance out their musculature, and promote increased self esteem and independence - all these are great benefits that will help them grow into healthy adulthood.

Strength Training for Children?

When most people think of strength training, they imagine big buff body builders.  But contrary to popular belief, when done properly, strength training can be safe and beneficial to your child. Here are a number of benefits children can receive from strength training:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• Helps with sports performance.  Many preteens want to start a strength training program to improve their sports capabilities.  When done properly, strength training can help your child become a better athlete.  Just remember that it should be used to help with sport performance, not be a sport itself.  Pre-teens and teens' bodies are not ready for extreme muscle building.

• Can prevent injuries.  The stronger your child is, the less likely they are to hurt themselves when participating in other physical activities.  You may think that they can hurt themselves through strength training, but injuries are usually minor and can mostly be avoided when proper technique is used.

• Improves child’s stamina.  This is helpful when it comes to sports, but can be a plus in all aspects of life.  Improved stamina can help your child get through long, physically and mentally demanding days with less pain and stress.

• Improves overall physical health.  Strength training can strengthen bones, lower cholesterol, improve heart and lung function and help your child maintain a healthy body composition - all very important things considering today's growing epidemic of obesity.

• Teaches healthy exercise habits.  With the percentage of obese children today, most parents should be concerned about teaching their child healthy exercise practices, and strength training is a way to do it.  They’ll learn to be able to stick with a healthy exercise program and not overdo it.  For this reason, you should also incorporate regular aerobic activity into your child’s schedule. 

• Builds self esteem.   A lot of how your child feels about himself or herself comes from the way they look.  If they start looking and feeling better, they’ll feel better about themselves.  They will also build their self esteem by knowing that they can set goals and achieve them in a healthy manner - which is a great skill to take into adulthood.

Strength Training (Photo credit: Rtist MrB)

However, if considering strength training for your child, there are some safety concerns to be aware of.  If you’re going to let your child do strength training, make sure it is done properly, and take into account the following tips.

• Don’t start too young.  In order to master strength training, a child must be able to do the movements in proper form.  Young children are still learning to control their motor functions and shouldn’t be distracted by building muscle

• Consult your child’s pediatrician.  You doctor can not only tell you if your child is physically capable of starting strength training, they can also help you choose an appropriate exercise program and safety measures.

• Start slow.  Make sure your child has mastered the movements before allowing weights or other forms of resistance to be added.  Many injuries in strength training are caused by incorrect form.  In order to keep your child healthy, be sure they can perform the activity without resistance before letting them use weights.  Remember to add weights slowly.  Strength training is meant to help your child, not get them stronger as fast as possible.  A child should be able to do 15 reps of an exercise properly before moving on to more resistance.

If you follow these safety guidelines, you will start to see all the benefits that strength training can bring to your child’s life in no time.