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For many years, strength training for adolescents was thought to be unproductive and possibly even harmful. Studies now show that this is not the case. A strength-training program for an adolescent can be both beneficial and safe. Important factors for such a training program are its benefits and risks. These factors are managed by using proper training guidelines. In this article, an adolescent is referred to as an adolescent or young student, which is a boy or girl who has not yet reached puberty.
I. Benefits
A strength-training program for adolescents must be properly designed and supervised. With this in mind, the general benefits to the young student are:
a. Improved motor skills and coordination
b. Increased muscle strength and size
c. Increased muscle endurance
d. Increased protection against muscular skeletal injuries
e. Improved psychological attributes (reduced stress, better emotional state, improved self-esteem, increased confidence)
f. Proper training techniques are introduced at earlier age to help create good lifting habits as well as the habit of fitness
g. Proper resistance training will enhance balance and coordination for all sports activities.
II. RISKS
As with any physical activity, accidents are always possible. As a professional Personal Trainer or Conditioning Specialist, you must know what the risks are so that you can take steps to avoid any problems that could occur during a youth workout.
A major concern is accidents during training. This could occur when improper form or technique or unsafe weight room practices are used. These risks can be greatly reduced by proper supervision of the student-training program as well as careful and precise instruction on proper form and weight room rules. A carefully controlled and monitored program will virtually eliminate these risks.
The most common concerns are mental errors that could be avoided with strict rules.
1) You must always have a spotter when doing free weights
2) You must understand how to spot all lifts
3) You must always have a collar on the bar even while warming up
4) You must learn how to lift with good form and technique
5) You must learn how to use dumbbells properly and how to handle them
6) You must be extremely careful when taking weight off the bar
7) You must never fool around and play practical jokes
8) You must concentrate on what is going on around you at all times
9) You must never try and see how much you can lift one time
10) You must always wear the proper exercise clothing with appropriate foot wear
11) You must progress slowly and stay with in the rep range that your teacher prescribed
12) You must write down the results of each lift and keep accurate records of every workout
Another concern is injury to the muscles or joints of the body. Again, these kinds of injury are possible if the youth is lifting extremely heavy weights (1rep max efforts). But, this injury could also occur with overtraining or overuse. The adolescent body is still developing and maturing physically. Overtraining muscles that are not fully formed could cause injury or damage to soft tissue or tendons. According to Dr. Wayne Westcott, Director of research for YMCA, there has never been a case of epiphyseal injury (growth plate) from lifting weights at a young age. The majority of in injuries that occur do to the lack of supervision and lack of weight lifting knowledge.
III. Optimizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Risks
Developing a proper training program can optimize the benefits for the adolescent and the risks can be minimized. It is a very common practice to find teacher doing before and after 1 rep maximum efforts so they can show improvement. DO NOT EVER DO A 1 REP MAX TEST WITH ANY AGE STUDENT!! You will find strength improvements on a weekly basis if done correctly with safe and progressive overload. One rep max efforts places the student in a very high-risk situation, especially with minimum weight lifting experience, for serious injury. A proper training program includes the following elements:
a. A complete physical examination before program begins
b. The inclusion of a strength-training program as part of the overall conditioning program
c. Each exercise must be performed through its full range of motion. This improves flexibility and allows maximum muscle development.
d. MUST have proper movement speed: 2-3 seconds positive (concentric) and 3-4 seconds negative (eccentric) NO EXCEPTION!!
e. MUST have a distinct pause at full contraction. That means STOP!
f. Emphasis on teaching perfect form to create muscle balance within the muscle
IV. Preferred Training Prescription
With these points in mind, there is a preferred training prescription for adolescent that must be followed strictly:
A. Frequency: 2-3 times a week
B. Duration: 20-25 minutesC. Intensity:
1) Always start with light resistance until the student learns proper form
2) One set per exercise. Always perform a warm-up set before your first exercise. A set consists of 12 to 16 perfect repetitions (approx. 50 sec. - 70 sec. to complete).
3) Absolutely no maximum lifts or reps below 10 to see how much you can lift.
D. Recovery between sets should be range between 30-60 seconds
E. "Common Sense" Progressive Overload: Weight or resistance is increased in 1-3 lbs. increments or 3-5% of the weight lifted after the adolescent can do 16 repetitions for three sessions in a row with perfect form. It is O.K. for the student to eventually get to the point where they are pushing toward failure as long as they are performing perfect reps and have a distinct pause in the mid portion of the lift. If the perfect form is broken then they a cheating and doing to much weight! It is not how much you can lift that counts it’s how you lift that impresses me!
F. Number of exercises for upper body should not exceed 8 (primary double jointed or compound movements) and lower body exercises not exceed 6.
G. Create a balanced program with 4 pull movements and 4 push movements for upper body.
H. For the first four weeks use basic exercises that the student can master. Then as they become comfortable with the lifts start to add variety to challenge and develop their neuromuscular pathways.
If these program design variables and prescription guidelines are followed, the Conditioning Specialist will administer safe and successful strength training programs for young boys or girls. Most injuries come from programs that do not have any discipline over the students and the instructor does not know how to properly design and implement a program for young students.
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