When I am speaking of structure, I don’t mean following a properly outlined program for the developmental stage of

There are thousands of articles that discuss the strength and conditioning of athletes. Some of these articles are excellent reads with plenty of information beneficial to the strength coach. Others are good, some just ok, and some should never have been written. However, most don’t address what should be done with the athlete who has never seen the inside of a weight room.

Credit to www.Bodybuilding.com Will weight training stunt an adolescent's growth? How old is old enough to begin weight training? What type of program should adolescents follow? These are all questions commonly asked when dealing with weight training and adolescents. More often than not, the answer received is an opinion. This article will answer these questions and more by examining what science says.

      Many of us grew up in a time when fitness was all about cardiovascular endurance. As youngsters, we were encouraged to perform volumous cyclic activities like running, cycling and swimming as means of conditioning for sport or for general fitness adaptations. These recommendations came regardless of chronological age, physiological age, structural differences, psychological development and individual functional efficiency. If you wanted to be fit, you had to be performing aerobic exercise. There was little regard for other physical stimuli. Unfortunately, this dogma continues to permeate the youth fitness industry today. This article will review the key components of fitness as it relates to our children.

Credit to www.medscape.com August 22, 2006 — High- vs low-intensity physical activity (PA) results in improved cardiovascular fitness and obesity in children, according to the results of a cross-sectional study reported in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Cretit to www.sportsspeedetc.com Three of the most common exercises we think of when strength training is the bench press, squat, and dead lift. All three are great exercises with general and specific applications; however, many other exercises such as the clean, military press, and seated row can be dominate in any given program. Once again, these all are great exercises with general and specific applications, but more and more we are seeing a greater emphasis on unilateral exercises that force the athlete to use more stabilization from muscles and joints not directly involved in executing the exercise. Hmmm, think of the possibilities for kids…

For many years you have heard me speak or write about how it is essential young athletes are treated as young athletes. Too often younger athletes are pushed into adult based programs. This is inappropriate on many levels.

Credit to www.Baseballtrainingsecrets.com Strength training for young athletes is a simple, yet very complex topic. The information floating around these days leaves little to be desired. The goal of this article is to teach you how young athletes should train for maximum effectiveness, optimal performance and utmost safety.