| Author |
Message |
David Andrew Turnbull (Dat4678)
New member
Username: Dat4678
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2011
| | Posted on Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 2:33 pm: |       |
Do you think there should be a minimum age where it should be considered cheating for a coach to have his players lift weights? Do you feel like lifting weights at too young of an age should be controlled in sports? Obviously it benefits for a coach to have his players lift weights, but if these young children are not ready for it, should a rule be put in place? |
Nicole Himpele (Nhimps03x)
New member
Username: Nhimps03x
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2011
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 04, 2011 - 9:17 am: | |
I have read that weight training for young children does not pose any serious problems. This of course, like anything, is only if the program is designed properly and specifically for that child. I do not beleive that it is cheating if a coach wants to do weight training with their athletes, however, I do not believe it is a good idea. Especially at a young age, children are developing different and are not always at the same level. I would say about 7th grade is a good level to start team lifting. Coaches can suggest the child to weight lift if the child wants to, but it should not be a mandatory team activity. It would also be good for the coach to offer proper technique and help if specific students would like to do it on their own time. Just remember to make sure the work out is age appropriate. Weight lifting can improve flexibility, cardio respiratory fitness, reduce injuries and increase performance. |
Michael Schleiden (Mschleiden23)
Junior Member
Username: Mschleiden23
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2011
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 04, 2011 - 5:09 pm: | |
I agree with what Nicole says and I will add from a physiological stand point. There have been plenty of studies that have shown that pressure and stress on bones cause bones to become stronger due to osteoblasts laying down more calcium. This is really Wolff's Law but to get back to your questions, the more active you can get the kids at a young age (age appropriate and properly designed) the higher the BMD will be and the less likely the kids are to get injured. There was actually a research study done in 2001 by Fuchs that had 45 kids for 7 months, 3 times a week, they did 100 two footed jumps off of 61cm boxes. The study found that the jumpers had significantly higher BMC in the femoral neck and lumbar spine and higher BMD in the lumbar as opposed to the controls. Bottom line, no, it shouldn't be cheating and kids should lift, but very low weight, high reps, do a lot of plyos, isometrics and lots of jumping. 6th and 7th grade is a good age to go heavier but not a lot. |
Kevin Jewel (Kevinj)
Junior Member
Username: Kevinj
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2011
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2011 - 5:20 pm: | |
I don't know so much about weights, but I think starting some level of body weight exercises young is fine. I help out with a summer track team and we have all the kids, from ages 6 and up do some push-ups and some core work, sit-ups, six inches, and simple things like that. I think in middle school mixing in pull ups, dips and other body weight activities is fine. It allows the athletes to work at their own level, they're not pressured into using more weight, and you don't have to worry about improper technique because they don't have any base strength. Another plus is that if it's an a sport like track, they're not going to bulk up as much as they would with weights. |
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