Exercise for Children

[sherlyk]

About Strength Training

Strength training is the practice of using free weights, weight machines, and rubber resistance bands, or body weight to build muscles. With resistance the muscles have to work harder to move. When the muscles work harder, they grow stronger and more efficient.

Strength training can also help fortify the ligaments and tendons that support the muscles and bones and improve bone density, which is the amount of calcium and minerals in the bone. And the benefits may go beyond physical health. Young athletes may feel better about themselves as they get stronger.

The goal of strength training is not to bulk up. It should not be confused with weight lifting, bodybuilding, and powerlifting, which are not recommended for kids and teens. In these sports, people train with very heavy weights and participate in modeling and lifting competitions. Kids and teens who do those sports can risk injuring their growing bones, muscles, and joints.

Safety

As with any sport, it's wise to have your child visit a doctor before beginning a strength-training regimen. If the doctor signs off on the idea, you'll need to make sure that your child will be properly supervised, using safe equipment, and following an age-appropriate routine.

Muscle strains are the most common form of injury, and the lower back is the most commonly injured area. But these injuries usually happen because the child has not used the proper lifting technique or is trying to lift too much weight.
As long as your child is using the proper techniques and lifting an appropriate amount of weight, strength training shouldn't have any effect on growth plates, the layer of cartilage near the end of the bone where most of the bone growth occurs.

Strength training should not involve the use of anabolic steroids. Some young and professional athletes have abused these drugs to build muscles and improve athletic performance and appearance. But these drugs, some of which are illegal, can pose severe risks to physical and psychological health.

Program Guidelines

The NSCA offers these guidelines for strength-training programs:

• An instructor-to-child ratio of at least 1 to 10 is recommended.
• The instructor should have experience with kids and strength training.
• When teaching a new exercise, the trainer should have kids perform the exercise under his or her supervision in a hazard-free, well-lit, and adequately ventilated environment.
• Calisthenics and stretching exercises should be performed before and after strength training.
• Kids should begin with one set of 8 to 15 repetitions of six to eight exercises that focus on the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body.
• Kids should start with no load (resistance). When proper technique is mastered, a relatively light weight can be used with a high number of repetitions. Increase the weight as strength improves.Progression can also be achieved by increasing the number of sets (up to three) or types of exercises.
• Two to three training sessions per week on nonconsecutive days is sufficient.

It's important to remember that strength training should be one part of a total fitness program. It can play a vital role in keeping your child healthy and fit, along with aerobic exercise such as biking and running, which keeps the heart and lungs in shape.



BizHat.com - Health

[wiley27804]

Really nice post.....now-a-days schedule of children are so hectic....that they can't even find time to exercise or play.....well...playing is the best exercise for children...i think one must allow his kid to play for atleast 2 hrs. in a day....my kid is so small to play outside in a playground and i get little worried whenever he goes out. so i have created a playground for him. I have installed really cool slides and swings for him and this will help him in gaining strength also.
If anyone interested in such playgrounds for their kids..they can visit to a website Playground Equipment for Outdoor Commercial Playground | AAA State of Play . They have very good collection of both indoor and outdoor playgrounds.