Training Information
Posted by dinh on January 3, 2009 | Comments Off
Strength Training for Children and Teens
What do you think of when you hear the words weightlifting or strength training: Arnold Schwarzenegger, the "Rock," Mr. "T," or Jonny Bravo? Just how did they get those big muscles?
The muscles in your body do a pretty good job when you use them for easy stuff, like picking up a pencil or walking across the street. But what about using them for harder stuff, like lifting a backpack full of schoolbooks, sprinting the 100 meters or dunking a basketball? That’s where strength training comes in: it makes your muscles get bigger and stronger. For the girls out there, don’t worry, you can get a lot stronger without getting bigger muscles – but more on that later.
Getting stronger can mean two things, lifting a heavy weight one time (absolute strength) or lifting a moderate weight many times (strength endurance). An example of absolute strength is the weight lifting done at the Olympics. The lifter tries to lift the weight one time, either he or she (yes, girls compete in weightlifting) lifts the weight or he or she doesn’t. An example of strength endurance is a sport like rowing. The athletes pull the oars through the water, which takes tremendous strength, and they keep going until the race is over which takes tremendous endurance.
There are a few things that you should know about strength training. First, it is very safe. As long as you have a good strength coach showing you what to do, the chance of injury is very small. As a matter of fact, one of the best ways to prevent injuries in sports is to strength train, especially for girls. Strength training is very important for girls for another reason – it is the best way to build strong bones. And don’t worry about the big muscles – girls will get big muscles only if a girl does vigorous weightlifting for many years. Weightlifting can give you that "toned" look if you workout hard enough. For you guys, it can give you that "ripped" look. It is also great for helping you lose weight. One of the best things about strength training is the confidence it builds. You will feel much better when you get stronger. When combined with flexibility, agility and aerobic training, it will make you a better athlete.
So, how old should you be before you can start? If you are old enough to play sports, than you are old enough to strength train. You must start slowly and learn the proper technique of lifting the weight from a certified strength coach. Also important is learning proper posture. You can’t slouch and lift weights!
When we talk about strength training we need to understand a few terms. A repetition or rep is the number of times the weight is lifted. A group of reps is called a set. Say you lift a 20-pound weight 10 times. Then you put it down for a minute and lift it again 20 times. You would say you did two sets of 10 reps. A workout or training session would be doing different lifts for a certain number of sets and reps. The last term is called a spotter. This is the person that watches you do the lift and is there to help if you can’t lift the weight. You must ALWAYS workout with a spotter.
When you start a strength-training program, you must start slowly. In the beginning, the strength portion of a workout should be about 30 minutes long, two to three times per week. Don’t do strength workouts two days in a row. Start by warming-up – take a five-minute walk and then gently stretch your muscles. Then perform one to two sets of 10 to 15 reps of five or six exercises that target the different muscles in your body (legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders, abs). The weight should be lifted slowly and in control. Don’t hold your breath. Again, a qualified strength coach should supervise all strength workouts.
[Source YouCanBeFit]
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