Strength Training Recommendations for the Young Athlete

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In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of youth participating in organized and competitive sports. Recent studies have supported the participation of preadolescent athletes in strength training to improve health and performance in sports. This article presents the most recent data available to help youth develop a safe and effective strength training program. Variables, such as the recommended rate of progression, the number of sets and repetitions an athlete should perform on each exercise, and how often an athlete needs to workout to avoid loss of strength achieved during a period of strength training are presented.

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Age

The first consideration involving age is whether strength training is safe for the prepubescent athlete. Much of this concern is related to the open physis. Because cartilage is weaker than bone, many have considered the physis to be the “weak link” in the skeleton. Their concern has been that placing the physis under superphysiologic and repetitive loads would potentially damage the physis, causing it to prematurely fuse, resulting in limb deformity and cessation of limb growth [9], [10].

Training frequency

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that children strength train two to three times per week on nonconsecutive days [10]. Too much exercise may lead to overuse injuries by not allowing adequate time for musculoskeletal tissues to recover between training episodes [7]. Too little strength training may lead to loss of the strength gained during a period of training [2], [21]. To avoid overuse injury, Micheli recommended allowing adequate recovery time between training sessions and

Repetitions

A few studies have examined the influence of exercise volume on strength gains in children. In 1999 Faigenbaum and colleagues [4] performed a study comparing a group of 15 children, strength training using a heavy load and performing one set of six to eight repetitions (low repetition-heavy load), to a group of children training with a moderate load and performing one set of 13 to 15 repetitions (high repetition-moderate load). Participants were assigned to strength train twice per week for a

Single versus multiple sets

Whether a single set is as efficient in making strength gains as performing multiple sets of the same exercise has been the subject of several studies and meta-analysis [28], [29], [30] in the adult population; however, no studies have been performed specific to the preadolescent athlete. Recent studies in adult populations support greater strength gains when using multiple sets rather than single sets, especially after progression occurs and higher gains are desired [29].

In a study by Rhea and

Rate of progression

Progression during a strength training program can lead to improved strength gains and make it more fun, as an athlete sees himself or herself set and reach goals. Work-out cards or journals can be very useful in helping children keep track of the exercises they are performing, the amount of weight they last used, and the number of sets and repetitions that they performed during the last work-out session. An additional benefit of using workout cards is that it helps children avoid competition

Maintaining training induced gains and detraining

Because the amount of time an athlete spends strength training may fluctuate throughout the year, it is important to know how often an athlete needs to strength train to maintain the strength he or she has made. Some of the reasons for decreased participation may include time restrictions while they are participating in their sports season, scheduling conflicts, decreased motivation, or injury rehabilitation.

Sewall and Micheli [2] demonstrated the effect detraining has on strength gains in

Summary

Developing a strength training program for a preadolescent athlete that is both safe and effective involves the consideration of many variables. Some of these include: the age a child should begin strength training, the number of sets and repetitions an athlete should perform, how long to rest between sets, and how many times an athlete should exercise per week. While some of these variables have yet to be studied in the preadolescent athlete, knowledge of the current literature will help a

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