Resistance Training for Children, yes or no?
- Edel Kieran
- Feb 10, 2020
- 6 min read
INTRODUCTION
The WHO recommends that children and adolescents should partake in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day. Unfortunately, many children do not get next or near to this recommendation. In truth, even children who are involved in sport may not achieve this as there is a lot of time spent on low level activities (tactics, low-level drills etc.) in training.
As a knock-on effect, children and adolescents today display a lower level of muscular strength. So, how do we go about changing that? Traditionally, there are many myths surrounding resistance training for children and adolescents including the idea that resistance training can “stunt your growth”.
Presently, a huge body of evidence exists to support youth and adolescent involvement in resistance / strength training, provided it is appropriately designed and supervised.
It is important to remember also that resistance training does not necessarily mean lifting weights. Basic resistance training begins with bodyweight exercises, resistance bands etc.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING FOR CHILDREN / YOUTHS?
Resistance training has many benefits for children and youths who are involved in sport and for those who are not involved in sport.
Resistance training has been seen to be particularly beneficial for children who are not interested in physically demanding sports and who are reluctant to perform competitive or prolonged physical activities.
Resistance training provides these children with many of the physical and social benefits of sport participation without asking them to participate in something that they do not enjoy. I have listed some of the general health benefits of resistance training.
Increased bone density.
A healthier heart
Body weight management.
Improved confidence and self-esteem.
In addition to these health benefits, there are additional benefits to doing resistance training for children / youths that are involved in sports. Stronger children have been shown to have;
Improved athletic performance
Reduced injury risk.
Children who have improved muscular strength and fundamental movement skill performance early in life also tend to lead a more active lifestyle later in life.
RESISTANCE TRAINING – IMPROVED SPORTING PERFORMANCE:
Research has shown that resistance training has a positive effect on all components of fitness in youth athletes.
More specifically, resistance training has been found to be very effective in enhancing muscular strength in youth athletes. Research shows that children can increase muscle strength by 30 to 50% after 8 to 12 weeks of a well-designed resistance training programme.
Many studies have shown that muscular strength has a direct relationship with running speed, power and endurance. It is this muscular strength that really impacts sporting performance.
Stronger athletes who have learned good fundamental movements are better set up to learn more complex movements, sporting tactics and their bodies are able to withstand the demands of training and competition.
Considering the benefits that a young athlete can reap from resistance training, and how easy a programme is to implement, there are plenty of reasons to include some resistance training in their overall regime.
RESISTANCE TRAINING – REDUCED INJURY RISK
Participation in sport will always involve a risk of injury. In general, children do not get injured as often as adults but their injuries tend to need a longer recovery period. Sometimes, a persistent injury will even lead to a child giving up a particular sport for fear of re - injury.
Total elimination of sport – related injuries is an unrealistic goal but there are ways to reduce an athlete’s risk of injury. Consistent resistance training has been seen to decrease both severity and incidence of injuries.
There are a few different ways in which resistance training can help to reduce a child’s risk of injury.
1. Increasing muscular strength: By strengthening muscles and tendons, a child’s body can cope with higher levels of force (speed, tackles etc). This will make them less likely to sustain a soft – tissue injury. For example; weakened lower body muscles have been found to predict traumatic knee injuries in girls (ACL in particular).
2. Training correct movement patterns; When children reach puberty, they begin to move differently and will often develop muscular imbalances or incorrect movement patterns (landing etc.) due to rapid changes in their anatomy. Research has shown that injury prevention programmes that focus on training correct movement patterns are more effective if they are implemented before a child experiences a growth spurt. Like riding a bike or learning a language, the brain will never truly forget these skills!
RESISTANCE TRAINING: BONE HEALTH
Previously, there was a belief that resistance training could stunt the growth of children. It was thought that partaking in resistance training would injure the growth plates.
However, research has shown the complete opposite! It appears that mechanical stress (N.B: the correct load, with the correct supervision) on the growth plates with resistance training is very beneficial for bone formation and growth!
In addition to the benefits we have mentioned, resistance training helps to maintain bone health in children / adolescents right through to adulthood, including reducing the risk of fractures later in life!
WHAT AGE SHOULD A CHILD START RESISTANCE TRAINING?
There is no “ideal age” for when a child should start resistance training. Most research points to incorporating some form of resistance training as soon as a child is mature enough to participate in organised sports (e.g. they understand that there are rules and can take instruction). That might mean as young as 5 or 6.
Obviously, you will not get a young child into a gym lifting weights and ideally the child shouldn’t even be aware that they are doing resistance training!
A phrase that I find myself repeating regarding children and resistance training is that “children are not mini adults”. What I mean by that is; it is important not to just water down an adults resistance training session and expect a 5 – 6 year old do do it!
In an ideal world, you would start children on fundamental movement training from a young age as their bodies generally tend to have better mobility. Teaching young children how to use their bodies correctly from a young age sets them up brilliantly for all aspects of training across all sports as they get older.
There is an idea that resistance training is unsafe for children or that there is a high risk of injury during resistance training sessions. Provided that these sessions are supervised by a professional, this is not the case and the rate of injury is no greater than the risk during any other type of session!
As we mentioned before, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that children / adolescents are not elite athletes and that most times, the sole aim from a resistance training session is not to build muscular strength. Improving co – ordination, balance and social skills are equally as important! With young children, it is important to always keep an element of fun!
The most important thing when considering resistance training for children / adolescents is to make sure that the session will be overseen by qualified professionals that are taking the specific needs, goals and development stages of the group / individual into consideration.
Most new research in the field of long – term athlete development stresses the importance of enhancing muscular strength in childhood and maintaining participation in resistance training throughout adolescence into adulthood.
SUMMARY
WHO advises 60 mins of moderate – vigorous activity every day. Most children, even physically active children that participate in sport do not achieve this.
The focus of resistance training for children and adolescents is to develop strength through functional movement and not through lifting heavy weights.
Resistance training is beneficial for all young people, not just those who are athletically inclined.
Resistance training has been shown to improve overall sporting performance and reduce injury risk.
Contrary to previous beliefs, resistance training has a positive effect on bone health and does not stunt a child’s growth.
The risk of injury is no higher in a resistance type training session than any other, provided it is supervised correctly.
In an ideal world, a child would introduce some resistance training into their regime as soon as they begin organised sport – the younger they start, the more beneficial to their overall athletic development.
If you are considering introducing your child to resistance training, make sure that the session is being overseen by a qualified professional.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us through the website, instagram @the_midas_touch_ir , facebook @TheMidasTouchInjuryAndRehab or on text or whatsapp 086 175 9497.
Thank you,
Edel
REFERENCES:
Sañudo, B., Sánchez-Hernández, J., Bernardo-Filho, M., Abdi, E., Taiar, R. and Núñez, J., 2019. Integrative Neuromuscular Training in Young Athletes, Injury Prevention, and Performance Optimization: A Systematic Review. Applied Sciences, 9(18), p.3839.
Guerra, L.A., Dos Santos, L.R.A., Pereira, P.E., Lauria, V.T., De Lima, C., Evangelista, A.L., Rica, R.L., Bocalini, D.S., Messias, C.B. and Teixeira, C.V.L.S., 2019. A low-cost and time-efficient calisthenics strength training program improves fitness performance of children. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 19, pp.58-62.
Faigenbaum, A.D. and McFarland, J.E., 2016. Resistance training for kids: Right from the Start. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 20(5), pp.16-22.
Faigenbaum, A.D., MacDonald, J.P. and Haff, G.G., 2019. Are young athletes strong enough for sport? DREAM on. Current sports medicine reports, 18(1), pp.6-8.
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