Get Your Kid Fit This Summer

Strength & Fitness training for kids is not about pumping iron or how much you can bench. Today's young athletes can enjoy greater success if they are instructed in proper movement patterns and the acquisition of speed, agility and quickness. 

Parents generally do not understand what personal training for children is all about. Below is an article from the Mayo Clinic about this very important topic. Enjoy.

From: Strength training: OK for kids? (Mayoclinic.com)
For kids, what are the benefits of strength training?

Done properly, strength training can:

* Increase your child's muscle strength and endurance
* Help protect your child's muscles and joints from injury
* Improve your child's performance in nearly any sport, from dancing and figure skating to football and soccer

And strength training isn't only for athletes. Even if your child isn't interested in sports, strength training can:

* Strengthen your child's bones
* Help promote healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels
* Boost your child's metabolism
* Help your child maintain a healthy weight
* Improve your child's self-esteem

What's the best way to start a strength training program for kids?

A child's strength training program isn't necessarily a scaled-down version of what an adult would do. Keep these general principles in mind:

* Seek instruction. Start with a coach or personal trainer who has experience with youth strength training. The coach or trainer can create a safe, effective strength training program based on your child's age, size, skills and sports interests. Or enroll your child in a strength training class designed for kids.
 
* Warm up and cool down. Encourage your child to begin each strength training session with five to 10 minutes of light aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging in place or jumping rope. This warms the muscles and helps reduce the risk of injury. Gentle stretching after each session is a good idea, too.
 
* Keep it light. Kids can safely lift weights, as long as the weight is light enough. In most cases, one set of 12 to 15 repetitions is all it takes. The resistance doesn't have to come from weights, either. Resistance tubing and body-weight exercises, such as push-ups, can be just as effective.
 
* Stress proper technique. Rather than focusing on the amount of weight your child lifts, stress proper form and technique during each exercise. Your child can gradually increase the resistance or number of repetitions as he or she gets older.
 
* Supervise. Adult supervision is an important part of youth strength training. Don't let your child go it alone.
 
* Rest between workouts. Make sure your child rests at least one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. Two or three strength training sessions a week are plenty.
 
* Keep it fun. Help your child vary the routine to prevent boredom.

Results won't come overnight. But eventually, your child will notice a difference in muscle strength and endurance — which may fuel a fitness habit that lasts a lifetime.


From: Strength training: OK for kids? (Mayoclinic.com)
 
Call Advanced Fitness (610-444-1711) to discuss our youth programs  

You will be amazed at what youth fitness training has evolved to over the last several years. Once you see how our Assessment and Programming model works, you will understand why every major health organization is touting the benefits of strength training for kids.