Should Kids Be Lifting Weights?

The summer has been very interesting in the club. It seems like fathers have taken it upon themselves to train their sons, often with the goal of making them better at their sport. In concept this is all well and good, but, it becomes obvious that many really don't understand the needs and precautions that kids have when it comes to resistance training. My goal in this post is to point out the important issues in youth strength training.

Let's start with whether it is beneficial in the first place.
While the muscle growth response to resistance training doesn't kick in until the child reaches puberty, it has been concluded by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American College of Sports Medicine, and the Mayo Clinic that youth strength training "has the potential to increase bone mineral density, improve motor performance skills, enhance sports performance, and better prepare our young athletes for the demands of practice and competition". Even non-athletes benefit from those changes as well as proper weight management and increased self-confidence.
So, a youth strength training program can be very beneficial, and, in fact, have a lower chance of injury than youth sports when done correctly.

What does "when done correctly" mean?
My requirements for a proper youth resistance training program are some simple, but important rules:
1) The program should be simple to understand and primarily consist of multi-joint exercises
2) The program should be a balanced full body workout
3) The youth must be properly supervised at all times
4) The youth must be able to follow directions and obey rules
5) Safety is above all else (i.e. proper spotting, maintained equipment and facility, etc.)

The NSCA has provided some other general guidelines.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at:  

m a r k @ m a r k n u t t i n g . c o m   or in the comment section below.

Best wishes, Mark

Mark Nutting, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT-AR*D
NSCA 2009 Personal Trainer of the Year

New Blogger for Ensemble Fitness Club

We at Ensemble Fitness Club are thrilled to have a new blogger join us. A resident of Saco, ME, Mark Nutting, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT-AR*D is the National Strength and Conditioning Association's 2009 Personal Trainer of the Year, a 30 year veteran personal trainer, a national presenter, educator, coach and consultant. Mark has recently dedicated his website http://marknutting.com/ to focus on the business of personal training and has agreed to bring his fitness and weight loss posts to this venue. I hope you will all join us in welcoming him here.