www.sprintstrong.com Strength and Conditioning for Special Populations: Children Tim Egerton, BSc (Hons), MSc, CSCS, ASCC Sprintstrong.com

www.sprintstrong.com Talk Overview Important considerations regarding strength training for children Practical examples of appropriate strength training for children

www.sprintstrong.com Learning Outcomes By the end of the session students should have gained an insight into: The appropriateness of strength training for children How to introduce strength training to children Common misconceptions regarding strength training for children

www.sprintstrong.com Important Considerations Safety Benefits Myths and Misconceptions

www.sprintstrong.com Safety Competent Supervision Exercise techniques Exercise prescription Differing needs of children and adults Psychological Maturity

www.sprintstrong.com Exercise Techniques Basic Techniques, good principles Coaching points for the squat… Considerations Myelination completed in adolescence Be patient

www.sprintstrong.com Exercise Prescription Controlled level of resistance Incidence of fractures peaks at… Boys age 12-14 Girls age 10-13 (Zatsiorsky & Kraemer, 2006) 3 per week, 3-5 sets @ 8-12RM 20wks, 9-11 boys 37% & 21% improvements compared to controls (Ramsey et al., 1990)

www.sprintstrong.com Pre-pubescent All strength improvements from neuromuscular development Co-ordination, stability Compound movements

www.sprintstrong.com Needs of children Vs Adults Technical preparation Peak height velocity Adults Technique, but from a corrective standpoint?

www.sprintstrong.com Psychological Maturity Capable of: Listening concentrating Children should have a desire to participate in strength training prior to its commencement

www.sprintstrong.com Benefits Increased Strength Muscular endurance Sporting performance Reduced Injury Risks Development of lifelong exercise habits

www.sprintstrong.com Myths and Misconceptions Stunt growth plates No damage shown to growth plates after 16 weeks (Weltman et al., 1986) Strength training increases bone density

www.sprintstrong.com Workout Considerations: Pre-pubescent Bodyweight variations Postural control Olympic lifts Technique with broomsticks Co-ordination

www.sprintstrong.com Workout Considerations: Adolescence Greater loading Hormonal environment Chronological Vs Biological age Peak height velocity

www.sprintstrong.com Loading and Exercises 8-12 RM intensity appears appropriate (Ramsey et al., 1990) Compound movements NSCA Position (Faigenbaum et al., 1996) 1-3 sets, 6-15 reps, 8-10 exercises, 2-3 days per week

www.sprintstrong.com Example

www.sprintstrong.com Example 2

www.sprintstrong.com Workout Template Components Horizontal push, horizontal pull, vertical push, vertical pull, bilateral knee dominant, bilateral hip dominant, unilateral knee dominant, unilateral hip dominant, spinal stabilisation, rotational movement Sport Specific? Create a robust athlete first Early specialisation?

www.sprintstrong.com Expected Results? Strength gains of 30-40% after 12 weeks in u18’s (Falk & Tenenbaum, 1996; Payne et al., 1997) Aerobic trainability less than adults (Rowland et al., 1998; Williams et al., 2000) Rationale for focus on strength?

www.sprintstrong.com Summary Incomplete myelination Stabilisation difficult Neuromuscular adaptation Technique and co-ordination Subsequent loading @ 8-12RM intensity Peak height velocity

www.sprintstrong.com References Falk, B. and Tenenbaum, G. (1996). ‘The effectiveness of resistance training in children: a meta-analysis’. Sports Medicine, 22, pp. 178-186 Payne, V. G., Morrow, J. R., Johnson, L. & Dalton, S. N. (1997). ‘Resistance training in children and youth: a meta-analysis’. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 68, pp. 80-88 Ramsey, J. A., Blimkie, C. J. R., Smith, K., Garner, S., Macdougall, J. D. & Sale, D. G. (1990). ‘Strength training effects in prepubescent boys’. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 22(5), pp. 605-614 Rowland, T. W., Goff, D. & Popowski, B. (1998). ‘Cardiac responses to exercise in child distance runners’. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 19, pp. 385-390 Zatsiorsky V. and Kraemer, W. (2006). Science and Practice of Strength Training. Champaign, Illinois, Human Kinetics Weltman, (1986). ‘The effects of hydraulic resistance strength training in pre-pubertal males’. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 18, pp. 629-638 Williams, C. A., Armstrong, N. & Powell, J. (2000). Aerobic responses of pre-pubertal boys to two modes of training’. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 34, pp. 168-173

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