Children and Resistance Training: What does current research suggest?

Should children be resistance training? If so, how should we be preparing children for it?

For the sake of this discussion, “children” will be defined as those who have yet to reach puberty, so generally somewhere between 6-13 years old depending on sex. Secondly, under what context would we consider resistance training for children? Again, for the sake of this post, the demographic would be elementary P.E. class or general physical conditioning for kids not necessarily involved in a specific sport(s). According to our text, general guidelines for resistance training are having 2-3 sessions per week with a duration of 20-40min each and progressing from 40-60% 1RM loads of simple movement to eventually higher loads and more complex patterns (Jacobs, 2018). Other general guidelines provided by Jacobs are resting about 60 seconds per set relative to the intensity and beginning at 1-2 sets per exercise and progress to more volume as needed.  

\

Movement and exercise should be fun, exciting and friendship building. So, a goal is to use a variety of exercises and implements. Personally, when my 7 year old plays with weight sleds, ropes, sandbags, and bands he has a blast. Plus, the safety of these implements and margin for error of hurting oneself (or others nearby) can be reduced when dropping a sandbag versus a steel plate or bar. Secondly, these implements reflect real-life movements compared to machine or barbell-only training (Sell, 2011). Myers (2017) also recommends plyometric training (for power-strength integration) by used 2-3 times per week for both upper and lower body. Guidelines for incorporation for plyometric training are provided by Johnson et al. (2011) suggests a twice a week program beginning at 50-60 jumps/ contacts with weekly progression in load and/or volume getting to around 200 contacts per session after 3 months for improvement in running and jumping performance.

Recommendations for other modes of exercise are neatly explain by Radovanovic (2019) as follows:

-        Barbells

-        Medicine balls

-        Machines

-        Plyometrics

-        Balance/ coordination

Training specific recommendations by Jacobs (2018) are as follows:

-        1-3 sets of 6-15 reps for strength

-        1-3 sets of 3-6 reps for power

-        Follow a 5-10% load/ intensity increase per week

-        Adequate warm-up

-        Focus on training large muscle groups and core/back

-        Frequently changing (weekly undulated) can keep training fun and motivating.

Rationale for using resistance training in children is improvement in motor skills, improve body composition, decrease injury risk in sports/ life, improvement of cardio-respiratory endurance, increase bone density, positive impact of psychosocial status (positive self-esteem), improved speed & coordination (Radovanović, 2019). Rationale for plyometric training is improving running, jumping, throwing, balance, agility, robustness, resilience to injury in sports, increased neuromuscular coordination to foster increased strength (Johnson et al., 2011).

Therefore, if one wanted to start a formal resistance training program for children, a sample workout from the first week could be as follows:

-        5 min warm up: relay run or game of “tag” or skipping exercises

-        5 min of plyometrics

o   Med ball overhead throw: 5 x 5reps

-        30 min of strength training circuit

o   2 sets of unilateral lunges (15 reps)

o   2 sets of sandbag or bungee row (15 reps)

o   2 sets of push ups (15 reps or to 6 RPE)

o   2 sets of sandbag front squats (15 reps or to 6 RPE)

o   2 sets of sandbag drags (30 secs or to 6 rpe)

o   1 set of push-up planks (10 secs on, 5 sec rest, until 6 rpe/ or 5 min)

-        Total time: 40min

References:

Jacobs, P. L. (2018). NSCA’s Essentials of Training Special Populations. Human Kinetics.

Johnson, Barbara A; Salzberg, Charles L; Stevenson, David A. A Systematic Review: Plyometric Training Programs for Young Children. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 25(9):p 2623-2633, September 2011. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318204caa0

Myers, A. M., Beam, N. W., & Fakhoury, J. D. (2017). Resistance training for children and adolescents. Translational pediatrics, 6(3), 137–143. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2017.04.01

Radovanović, Dragan. (2019). Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents: From a Physiological Basis to Practical Applications. Physical Education and Sport Through the Centuries. 6. 47-54. 10.2478/spes-2019-0005.

Sell, Katie PhD, CSCS1; Taveras, Kurt BS2; Ghigiarelli, Jamie PhD, CSCS1. Sandbag Training: A Sample 4-Week Training Program. Strength and Conditioning Journal 33(4):p 88-96, August 2011. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e318216b587