A workout routine is something that has become a daily part of a large number of individual’s lives all over the world, and weight training is something that is increasingly becoming a popular part of many of their workout sessions.
It is a safe way to increasing the health of your body when it is done properly, and in many cases it can even reduce the likelihood of injury occurring.
Something else that has seen a steady climb in the number of people that are involved is obesity. Every single year, more and more adults, as well as children are affected with the frustrating problem of being obese.
There are many times that parents of obese children will support and often encourage their children to become active in sports. Weight lifting is something that can be a great sport that is beneficial for adults, so would it not also be a benefit to our children as well?
The Center for Sports Medicine and Health Fitness, that is located in Peoria, Illinois, performed a study that involved 18 boys that ranged from ages 7 to 9, that were put on a supervised weight training program for a fourteen week period.
There were also 10 boys that were matched with activities according to age, and they were to be used as a control group. These boys however were not put on any type of training program.
The children in the weight-training group were involved in three sessions a week. During each of these they were placed on hydraulic machines, working seven of the lower body motions and eight of the upper body motions, and the training consisted of a 45-minute session.
There was a significant increase in the strength in each of the 15 motions that were worked on, in all the boys who trained, compared to those that didn’t. There was also an increase in flexibility and in the vertical jump in the boys who went through the training.
A bone scan that was performed on each of the boys showed no damage whatsoever to the bone, the muscle, or in the growing bone end plates. A blood test performed also showed no damage to the muscles.
In both the trained and the untrained group, there were no significant changes in blood pressure, resting heart rate, sexual maturity rating, height, blood testosterone levels, or hemoglobin. Although the trained group did show weight gain, there was no change in body composition.
There was only one injury of a mild shoulder strain that did occur, which was due to a training-related injury, and after a week of rest it was cured.
The weight training that these boys engaged in caused no detectable bone damage, no muscle damage, and no growing bone end plate damage. There was also no affect in development, growth, or flexibility, and rate of injury was not even increased.
In relation to these findings, it is safe to presume that as long as it is supervised, weight training in male athletes of the prepubescent stage, is quite safe.
As with any type of exercising or training, there are a few things that you will need to take into consideration. Each of these boys was under very close supervision by both medical and fitness professionals.
The training that they underwent was also that of concentric training, and the type of resistance that was applied was from hydraulic machines.
To get an idea of what concentric work is, imagine doing a bicep curl using a dumbbell. The bicep, being the targeted muscle goes through a controlled shortening when the weight is raised or concentric contraction. As the weight is lowered, it is also lengthened in a controlled manner or eccentric contraction.
Concentric work is in contrast to the effects received from free weight training, by instead using hydraulic training. The eccentric contraction is typically not included when hydraulic machines are used for various exercises.
The overall activities of major muscles are also not used – as in having to keep your body in a stable position while you perform a rep. The study is unable to be considered beyond the concentric contractions because both concentric and eccentric contractions in adults have different effects.
Another note to consider is the fact that during the study, the children trained under a close supervision, and this is more than likely the main contributor for such a low injury rate.
It is a safe way to increasing the health of your body when it is done properly, and in many cases it can even reduce the likelihood of injury occurring.
Something else that has seen a steady climb in the number of people that are involved is obesity. Every single year, more and more adults, as well as children are affected with the frustrating problem of being obese.
There are many times that parents of obese children will support and often encourage their children to become active in sports. Weight lifting is something that can be a great sport that is beneficial for adults, so would it not also be a benefit to our children as well?
The Center for Sports Medicine and Health Fitness, that is located in Peoria, Illinois, performed a study that involved 18 boys that ranged from ages 7 to 9, that were put on a supervised weight training program for a fourteen week period.
There were also 10 boys that were matched with activities according to age, and they were to be used as a control group. These boys however were not put on any type of training program.
The children in the weight-training group were involved in three sessions a week. During each of these they were placed on hydraulic machines, working seven of the lower body motions and eight of the upper body motions, and the training consisted of a 45-minute session.
There was a significant increase in the strength in each of the 15 motions that were worked on, in all the boys who trained, compared to those that didn’t. There was also an increase in flexibility and in the vertical jump in the boys who went through the training.
A bone scan that was performed on each of the boys showed no damage whatsoever to the bone, the muscle, or in the growing bone end plates. A blood test performed also showed no damage to the muscles.
In both the trained and the untrained group, there were no significant changes in blood pressure, resting heart rate, sexual maturity rating, height, blood testosterone levels, or hemoglobin. Although the trained group did show weight gain, there was no change in body composition.
There was only one injury of a mild shoulder strain that did occur, which was due to a training-related injury, and after a week of rest it was cured.
The weight training that these boys engaged in caused no detectable bone damage, no muscle damage, and no growing bone end plate damage. There was also no affect in development, growth, or flexibility, and rate of injury was not even increased.
In relation to these findings, it is safe to presume that as long as it is supervised, weight training in male athletes of the prepubescent stage, is quite safe.
As with any type of exercising or training, there are a few things that you will need to take into consideration. Each of these boys was under very close supervision by both medical and fitness professionals.
The training that they underwent was also that of concentric training, and the type of resistance that was applied was from hydraulic machines.
To get an idea of what concentric work is, imagine doing a bicep curl using a dumbbell. The bicep, being the targeted muscle goes through a controlled shortening when the weight is raised or concentric contraction. As the weight is lowered, it is also lengthened in a controlled manner or eccentric contraction.
Concentric work is in contrast to the effects received from free weight training, by instead using hydraulic training. The eccentric contraction is typically not included when hydraulic machines are used for various exercises.
The overall activities of major muscles are also not used – as in having to keep your body in a stable position while you perform a rep. The study is unable to be considered beyond the concentric contractions because both concentric and eccentric contractions in adults have different effects.
Another note to consider is the fact that during the study, the children trained under a close supervision, and this is more than likely the main contributor for such a low injury rate.
