Not every kids loves team sports. I know I didn’t.
Strength Training can be a great option for teens looking for other ways to stay fit.
It used to be that if you weren’t good at a team sport at school you’d still have to do it because that was all there was on offer. You'd be relegated to the C or D team where you did a lot of standing around and fumbling the ball if it ever came your way, with other equally unenthused and unskilled team members.
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Strength Training can be a good alternative for teens who perhaps don’t like team sport, who want to do some exercise but maybe don’t know what they’re good at yet or just want to do something physical on their own, work at their own pace but still be in group environment.
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Strength Training
Strength training is different to weight lifting, which is a competitive sport in its own right. Strength Training is a systemic, planned program of overloading muscles by applying load and moving weight. All of the major muscle groups including the chest, shoulders, back, arms, legs, abdomen, and lower back are worked with a balanced effort between muscle flexors and extensors and upper and lower body. When performed in a controlled, supervised environment, Strength Training can help adolescents of all athletic abilities safely improve their strength and overall well-being including their mental health. Never have a group of teens been so aware of their mental health than the teens of 2021! The ones I regularly come in contact with are very much up-to-speed on the benefits of mindfulness, meditation, diet, sleep, and the concept of ‘holistic wellness’… they just need to put it all into practice… as do we all☺
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The Science Is In
According to the studies listed below, teenagers have shown to improve strength by up to 50% after 10 weeks of a well-designed strength training program. Teens who exercise with weights, and include some cardiorespiratory exercise, reduce by half their risk for sports injuries.…And Teens who establish regular exercise habits are more likely to continue those habits into adulthood.
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Injury???
The old fallacy of potential injuries such as bone-plate fractures and lower back injuries occurring from starting strength training too young have been completely debunked with the minimum recommended age to start strength training now being 8 years old. Most injuries occur due to lack of supervision and/or attention to form. Hospital Emergency rooms are 100 times over move visited with kids injured form playing team sport at school and on the weekends.
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The benefits of Strength Training for teenagers include but are not limited to:
Increased muscle mass
Improved mental health
Improved flexibility
Improved mobility
Improving self-esteem and confidence
Stronger bones
Healthy blood pressure
Healthy weight management
Healthy insulin sensitivity
In my experience, Teen Strength Training Programs can be more functional and appealing when they are individualised, particularly at the start. We all have our own physical biases and mobility issues which are completely normal but it can help establish good training practices when they are acknowledged from the start. This evolves to a common language between trainer and coach so that in future group sessions, individual cues can be given that the individual can recognise, relate and respond to.
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A well-planned and developmentally appropriate strength-training program will allow a teenager to track improvements in strength and endurance and possibly motivate fitness habits that last a lifetime.
Finally
Strength Training can be a way for teenagers to impact others. With their new found confidence and self-efficacy, they may just inspire a friend or family member to get stronger too!
Get in touch if you think its something that may appeal to your teenager because its never too late or too early to start :)
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REFERENCES
American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness Strength training for children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2008;121:835-840
Dan Pohanka (2020) Weightlifting Should Not Be Taken Lightly: Do You Know What's Happening in Your Gym?, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 91:2, 3-4, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2020.1696133
Dahab KS, McCambridge TM. Strength training in children and adolescents: raising the bar for young athletes?. Sports Health. 2009;1(3):223-226. doi:10.1177/1941738109334215
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