{"id":4780,"date":"2020-05-05T08:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T12:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sst.training\/blog\/?p=4780"},"modified":"2020-05-05T10:50:03","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T14:50:03","slug":"safe-strength-conditioning-training-for-young-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sst.training\/blog\/blog-post\/safe-strength-conditioning-training-for-young-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe Strength & Conditioning Training For Young Athletes!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Parents often have many questions about strength\nand conditioning for their children, which mainly stem around their concerns\nabout whether it is safe for their child to undergo this type of training. Some\ncommon questions are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Is it safe for my child to\nresistance \/ strength train?<\/li>
  2. My child won\u2019t be lifting heavy\nweights, will they?<\/li>
  3. I\u2019ve heard resistance training\ncan stunt my child\u2019s growth, is this true?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Here at SST Burlington we like to educate\nour parents on the misconceptions surrounding strength training for youth and\npoint them in the direction of resources that address their concerns. The\nNational Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has recently released a\nposition statement on resistance training for youth. This position states 7 Key\nelements regarding resistance training for youth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. A properly designed and supervised resistance training<\/strong> program is relatively safe for youth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can enhance the muscular strength and power of youth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. A properly designed and supervised resistance training<\/strong> program can improve the cardiovascular risk profile of youth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can improve motor skill performance and may contribute to enhanced sports performance of youth. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can increase a young athlete\u2019s resistance to sports related injuries.

    6. A properly designed and supervised resistance training program can help improve the psychosocial well-being of youth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    7. A properly designed and supervised resistance training<\/strong> program can help promote and develop exercise habits<\/strong> during childhood and adolescence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    While the key element in all of the\nbenefits that youth can gain in resistance training are accompanied with a\nproperly designed and supervised resistance training program by a trained\nprofessional, the NSCA largely dispels a lot of our parents concerns around\nresistance training for youth and states a lot of the associated benefits that\ncan come from resistance training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Programming for youth athletes should be\ndone by a qualified professional, who understands pediatric exercise\nphysiology, and the program needs to be tailored to the individual youth\nathletes needs, based on an assessment of their movement competencies. Focus\nshould also be on movement and proper lifting technique, where proper and age\nappropriate progressions are followed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you are still wondering after the NSCA\u2019s\nposition statements (along with 7 other worldwide associations who have\npublished position statements advocating for the benefits and safety of\nresistance training for youth) if it will stunt your child\u2019s growth, the answer\nis no, as long as the above criteria are met. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A properly designed and appropriate program\nwill help to build bone density and structure, along with building the\nneuromuscular system. In development, youth is actually a great time to build\nbone density and structure, and the fears that resistance training would injure\ngrowth plates of youth is not supported by any scientific papers or clinical\nobservations. Furthermore, when discussing injuries, resistance training is a\nlot safer (in terms of injury rates) than the sports are youth participate in\nand is a great way to help prevent injuries that occur in sport, by learning\nmovement and gaining strength. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s go over some of our common questions\nand concerns again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Is it safe for my child to\nresistance \/ strength train?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      YES! Provided they are following a supervised,\nage-appropriate program, designed by a professional with experience training\nyouth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n