“Children shouldn’t strength train”
I have heard this surprisingly frequently over the past few days and now it is half-term it gives us a great opportunity to educate children and parents alike about the huge benefits physiologically, psychologically and emotionally that exercise, specifically strength training, can have.
Strength training is “a type of physical exercise specializing in the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles”.
Benefits to Children who strength train (at the right time) during their maturation can:
Significantly improve overall muscular strength and localized muscular endurance,
Improve sports performance,
Substantially reduce risk of injury during sport performance and daily life (pretty key to getting the most out of life i would say).
Regular exercise can teach and instill lifelong exercise habits which will ultimately improve quality and increase longevity of life (disregarding other obvious factors).
And to just finish with a Myth buster – Appropriate exercise and strength training doesn’t stunt structural growth in children as proven by multiple studies and can actually have many beneficially effects (stated above)
So lets encourage our kids to get active and undertake regular physical activity whether it’s training for a specific sport, to stay fit or just for fun.
Thank you, gooday, much love
Your friendly neighborhood Personal Trainer
James Allen
Sevenoaks Personal Training
