Weight Lifting in Children and Adolescents

By: Clancy DavidTexas Tech University

Thesis

• The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize the studies in the positive areas, negative areas, and safety issues that go along with weight training.

Weight training by adolescents and children was once considered to be detrimental to their health, but recently some

new studies seem to show just the opposite.

• Faigenbaum and Kaufman and Schilling did their research on children ages twelve and under. Each group was put through a twelve-week study and then observed. However, Kaufman and Schilling were more detailed in their research. They had a larger test group, and they had a control group in their tests. Faigenbaum and Kaufman and Schilling both said that weight training by children and adolescents was good, but they did not show results pointing to exactly how much of an effect it had on their bodies or the best way to go about it like an earlier article written by Faigenbaum and Westcott. In their research, they had two different weight training groups in order to see the best program for children and adolescents. They found that a program with high repetitions and moderate weight was better than low repetitions and heavy weight on children and adolescents bodies.

Though many positive things have been uncovered through recent research, there have been some negative things as well.

• All of these articles describe the dangers that are associated with children and adolescents lifting. In the research done by Benjamin and Glow, they only describe the negative things that can happen when putting children and adolescents through a weight training program. However, the article written by Kaufman and Schilling also talks about how weight training can be beneficial if the children and adolescents are taught the correct way to do each lift before they begin lifting (461).

The best way that you can make lifting a positive experience is by teaching safety to the participants.

• All of these authors emphasize the importance of teaching safety to the children and adolescents who are going to be lifting. They say that lifting can be very good for children and adolescents if they are done correctly.

• After looking at the past and current studies regarding weight training for children and adolescents, research shows that the positive effects out way the negative effects when you take into account safety.

Works Cited• Benjamin, Holly, and Kimberly Glow. "Strength Training for Children and Adolescents." . The Physician and Sports

Medicine, 1 Sept. 2003. Web. 13 June 2014.• • Bernhardt et.al."Strength Training by Children and Adolescents.” .Pediatrics, 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 13 June 2014.• • Faigenbaum, Avery. "Strength Training for Children and Adolescents." . Pediatrics, 1 Oct. 2000. Web. 14 June 2014.• • Faigenbaum, Avery, and Wayne Westcott. "The Effectiveness of Resistance Training in Children." . Pediatrics, 1 July

1999. Web. 14 June 2014.• • Faigenbaum et.al "Effects of a Short-Term Plyometric and Resistance Training Program on Fitness Performance in

Boys Age 12 to 15 Years." . Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 1 Dec. 2007. Web. 13 June 2014.• • Hewett, Josh. "The Benefits of Resistance Training for Youth." . Top Form Fitness, 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 13 June 2014.• • Kaufman, Linda , and Denise Schilling. "Implementation of a Strength Training Program for a 5-Year-Old Child With

Poor Body• • Kilgore, Lon. "Misconceptions About Training Youth." . Aasgaard Company, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 13 June 2014.