Matt Hank

The NSCA is the leading authority in the US on sports performance.  They recently came out with a new position statement regarding youth resistance training.  This paper includes more than 250 cited references on this topic.  The paper made many interesting points, and also validated the benefits associated with youth resistance and sports performance training.

Here are few key points I took from this paper that apply directly to the training programs I implement.

Injuries

• “Current findings from prospective resistance training studies indicate a low risk of injury in children and adolescents who follow age-appropriate training guidelines.”
• “Research studies indicate that plyometric training can be safe and worthwhile method of conditioning.”
  - Children perform these activities in the play ground every day – hop scotch
• “There is no evidence to suggest that resistance training will negatively impact growth and maturation during childhood or adolescence”
  - Most injuries are due to “improper lifting techniques, maximal lifts, or lack or qualified adult supervision.”

Effectiveness of Training

• “A compelling body of scientific evidence indicates that children and adolescents can significantly increase their strength-above and beyond growth and maturation- providing that the resistance training program is of sufficient intensity, volume, and duration.”
• “Children as young as 5 and 6 years have benefited from regular participation in a resistance training program.”

Reasons for Strength Gains

• “In children it appears that training-induced strength gains are more related to neural mechanisms than hypertrophic factors.”
  - Youth training (strength, speed, and agility) will enhance coordination and movement patterns.
  - I do not train youth athletes to make them bigger or significantly stronger – instead my goal is make them more coordinated at their sports movements.

Benefits of Strength Training

• Strength training has been shown to improve “motor performance skills (ie. long jump, vertical jump, sprint speed, and medicine ball toss)” after training with “machines, free weights, body weight strength exercises, and medicine ball.”
  - More statements that justify and solidify the need for sports performance training
• “Gains in motor performance skills” have improved when youth participate in plyometric training programs.  In fact, “The effects of resistance training and plyometric training may actually be synergistic.”
  - To maximize athletic development, the optimal training techniques should be applied.  It’s important to improve relative strength (strength training) but also improve rate of force development (plyometrics).

Train Hard-Train Smart
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 8:06 pm and is filed under Injury Prevention, Program Design, Research, Strength Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.