By Wendy Graae MD, FAAP
Many children who actively engage in sports will want to join a gym and use the cold weather months to enhance their overall fitness. Your children may have seen numerous advertisements about weight training and want to pursue it themselves. While weight training may improve sports performance and help to prevent injuries, there are some general principles of weight training that you and your child will want to know before embarking on a gym membership.
Weight training, also called resistance training, includes weight machines and use of free weights, and requires the supervision of a trained adult. This may be an athletic trainer, coach or physical therapist who is certified in their field and specialized in training children. Look for certification from the American Physical Therapy Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association or the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
Accompany your child for the first few sessions, and be sure that the trainer is adhering to a few basic principles:
• Initial training should NOT involve any weights, and involve repetitions only.
• The introduction of weights is the decision of a trained individual.
• Children should stop immediately if there is any pain associated with the activity.
Is my child too young for strength training?
Children who are still growing run the risk of growth plate injuries. Growth plates are the areas of bones that are growing/lengthening. While these injuries generally do not occur if the exercises are performed properly, certain types of strength training should be avoided until the skeleton is mature. All children run the risk of muscle strain, so proper technique is essential, and the importance of skilled supervision cannot be stressed enough.
Children who have not yet reached puberty will increase their strength without increasing muscle size, and girls will generally gain muscle strength without gaining bulk. Adolescent boys may gain both strength and bulk. Remember, the goal should always be improved fitness, not the alteration of one’s appearance. This is the perfect opportunity to discuss the hazards of performance enhancing drugs with your child.
Finally, check with your child’s pediatrician before beginning a new training program, and have a medical evaluation if needed.