Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics

From the article:

Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents Free

Paul R. Stricker, MD, FAAPCorresponding Author;

Avery D. Faigenbaum, EdD, FACSM, FNSCA;

Teri M. McCambridge, MD, FAAP;

COUNCIL ON SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS;

Cynthia R. LaBella, MD, FAAP;

M. Alison Brooks, MD, FAAP;

Greg Canty, MD, FAAP;

Alex B. Diamond, DO, FAAP;

William Hennrikus, MD, FAAP;

Kelsey Logan, MD, FAAP;

Kody Moffatt, MD, FAAP;

Blaise A. Nemeth, MD, MS, FAAP;

K. Brooke Pengel, MD, FAAP;

Andrew R. Peterson, MD, MSPH, FAAP

Pediatrics (2020) 145 (6): e20201011.

https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1011

Key Points

1. Positive outcomes of improved strength in youth continue to be acknowledged, including improvements in health, fitness, rehabilitation of injuries, injury reduction, and physical literacy.

2. Resistance training is not limited to lifting weights but includes a wide array of body weight movements that can be implemented at young ages to improve declining measures of muscular fitness among children and adolescents.

3. Scientific research supports a wide acceptance that children and adolescents can gain strength with resistance training with low injury rates if the activities are performed with an emphasis on proper technique and are well supervised.

4. Gains in childhood strength are primarily attributed to the neurologic mechanism of increases in motor neuron recruitment, allowing for increases in strength without resultant muscle hypertrophy.

5. It is important to incorporate resistance training into physical education classes and youth sport programs to increase muscular strength, reduce the risk of overuse injuries, and spark an ongoing interest in this type of exercise.

6. Certain health situations require consultation with a medical professional before starting a program of resistance training.

Background

Resistance training and strength training are synonymous terms used to denote a component of sport and exercise training that is designed to enhance muscular strength, muscular power, and local muscular endurance for general exercise or competitive sports. Resistance training is a specialized method of conditioning that involves the use of different modes of training with a wide range of resistive loads, from body weight to barbells. Resistance-training programs may include the use of free weights (barbells and dumbbells), weight machines, medicine balls, kettlebells, elastic tubing, or a person’s own body weight to provide the resistance needed to increase strength.

Along with the extremes of inactivity and/or being overweight and the evolution of youth sports into more intense training at younger ages, there is also a change in the landscape of “strength” among children and adolescents. Evidence of decreasing measures of muscular fitness in youth over the years adds importance for involving youth in some form of resistance exercise regardless of whether they are involved in sports.1–3  On the other hand, some adolescents are increasingly using resistance training in pursuit of muscularity without even being involved in sports.4  The type, amount, and frequency of resistance exercises are dictated by the specific and unique goals of the sport and training program as well as the individual child’s resistance training skill competency (RTSC) and accumulated time of formal resistance training (also referred to as “training age”). Table 1 defines an alphabetical list of common terms used in resistance training.