In the past many people have hypothesised that children and teenagers should not partake in any weight bearing or impact inclusive training (such as weight lifting, jumping etc.). This hypothesis was based on the belief that these activities would damage their joints and growth plates (and ultimately stunt growth).
However, dermatological research (research actually carried out on human beings) and implementation shows that we can benefit from weight bearing and impact inclusive training the most during our childhood and teenage years.
These exercises significantly increase bone mineral density during adolesence. This means that children and teenagers that include this form exercise into their training will have stronger and healthier bones.
It has also been shown to:
All of these factors can combine to improve:
Simple answer – Yes.
Although the quantity of research into the training of juniors (adolescents and infants) is small in comparison to adults, there is a foundation of evidence to show that training has to be approached in a different manner.
Adolescents and infants possess a different physiological structure to adults that is dependent on their biological age and training age*.
This needs to be assessed and taken into consideration to ensure their training is safe and to maximise the benefits.
Training principles that are used with adults can be translated into the training of juniors. However they always have to be applied with consideration to their; biological age, training age and supervised by a qualified professional.
For more details regarding adolescent and infant training please do not hesitate to contact us by filling out the enquiry form below or email info@pioneeredathleteperformance.co.uk
*Training age is a quantitative measure of how long an individual has been training for
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