Is strength training ok for children? We find out!
Some of the most common questions regarding strength training are: is strength training safe for children and adolescents? At what age is it appropriate for them to begin strength training? What are the benefits of strength training for this age group?
Is strength training beneficial even for kids who are not involved in organised sports?
Simply put, it is safe and appropriate for kids of all ages to perform strength training.
What is strength training?
Strength training is any form of exercise that involves using weights or resistance to build strength in your muscles. It involves either using equipment or your own body weight and can include: push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, lifting weights (using hand or leg weights or gym equipment) and resistance bands, among other exercises.
Is strength training safe for children?
In a study examining injury rates in numerous sports, researchers found that, when done correctly, strength training had a lower risk of injury than nearly all other sports. This is not only true for adults but also for children.
That being said, it is important to consider a young person’s emotional maturity before handing them a dumbbell. For their own safety, participants need to be emotionally mature enough to listen to and follow instructions so that they don’t hurt themselves. For some kids, that’s as early as age six, while others may not be ready until they are a few years older.
Because correct technique is key to doing these exercises safely, it is important that strength training programmes for children be designed and implemented by a qualified trainer or coach. It’s also important to seek out professionals who use scientific evidence to back up their training programmes and philosophies.
What are the benefits?
Research has shown that stronger muscles in kids reduces the likelihood of injuries during various types of activities.
One study found that lower muscle strength and size could lead to lower performance during different activities kids typically engage in, such as running and jumping. Not only this, but kids with lower strength tend to have worse neuromuscular efficiency, which means that they are not as proficient at activating their muscles. This translates to using more energy and feeling more worn out when they’re physically active.
While it’s easy to see how strength training is important for youth who play sports, there are also incredible health benefits for children who may not be into organised sports. Studies have shown the positive effect that strength training can have on healthy bone development in kids, leading to a lower likelihood of fractures. Research has also shown that strength training in kids can have a positive influence on psychological well-being and academic performance.
Strength training can also affect overall health and well-being as it relates to childhood obesity. Obesity rates in children and adolescents have been rising for decades. Previous research has suggested that youth who are categorised as obese tend to have lower muscle strength than those considered normal weight. Not only this, but other research has found that youth who are obese may have a greater likelihood of sarcopenic obesity, defined as obesity with low muscle mass and function, which can have significant, negative health ramifications.
Resistance training interventions in youth with obesity have shown to have positive impacts on metabolic health, body composition, psychological health and overall quality of life.
Creating an age-appropriate programme
An effective strength training programme starts with setting age-appropriate expectations.
Children and adolescents are not miniature adults, and not all young people will adapt to a strength training programme the same way. For instance, research shows that during puberty, there are unique differences in how muscle develops in boys versus girls.
Specifically, girls may have more neuroplasticity, which is defined as the brain’s ability to recognise new movements and patterns. This means that they may adapt to more complex movements faster than boys, while boys will see more significant changes when their muscle mass starts increasing with puberty.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that girls and boys need vastly different strength training programmes. It simply means not all kids will have the same rate of progression for certain exercises.
Taking that into consideration, an age-appropriate programme should focus on technique over results. How much weight a child can lift is far less important than teaching them good movement patterns. For example, if a child is having difficulty performing normal push-ups, a qualified professional could modify the exercise so they start with wall push-ups or incline push-ups. This will help that child build good movement patterns and be better for their strength in the long run.
Building off this focus on technique, a good strength training programme for youth should progress from simple movements to more complex movements and lighter weights to heavier weights, taking into consideration that not all youth will adapt at the same rate.
Focusing on the long term
Obviously, most kids won’t grow up to be professional athletes, but every child can develop athleticism. A good strength training programme for young people will set them on a trajectory to a healthy lifestyle – from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.
