Should my Child start Strength and Conditioning?
Should my child start strength and conditioning?
This is a common question I receive and figured I would touch on it today.
Is there a RIGHT age for teaching kids to lift weights or doing strength training?
The answer is no…. and before I have all my critics attack me let me explain
Kids are meant to be active such as jumping, running, playing, actually using their muscles. Weight lifting is just another form of activity, but there are guide lines that come along with it.
Just think of PE when you were in school. You all did different things, but they main goal was movement and getting you to be active.
At different ages there are certain exercises that are better to work on then others. Such as when kids are younger (under age of 12) Kids should work more on motor movements. Skipping, hopping, and how to properly move. Weight lifting can be involved, but they won’t start actually have the ability to see huge muscular differences until puberty starts kicking in and the body starts producing more hormones.
TECHNIQUE is always the most important when it comes to weight lifting.
Now I know a lot of people are thinking I’m talking about loading heavy weights and having kids lift them… NOPE, actually the opposite of what I’m saying
Kids should always learn how to properly perform an exercise and then once they master the movement weight can be added.
Just going over the main parts here. There is no right moment for kids to strength and conditioning, but there are certain ages where you want to focus on certain areas more than others.
And always remember TECHNIQUE is always the most important when it comes to weight lifting so the athlete actually benefits from the exercise and avoids injury!
So until next time …do something active and keep being awesome!
Jacob McLaughlin ~ Jeremy Scott Fitness
Scottsdale Personal Trainer