Benefits and Risks of Exercise and Youth

Historically, obesity mainly affected adults, but in the past two decades this has changed. 15-25 percent of children and adolescents in America are now obese. Children are not miniature adults, they have immature skeletons. So they cannot use the same training methods as adults do. They are more prone to growth related overuse injuries. Children and adolescents that participate in exercises can increase flexibility, strength, endurance, power out put and weight control. There are many benefits to exercise for children when proper training methods and guidelines are used. As stated earlier, children are more susceptible to injury, as their muscular systems are undeveloped. Training methods that are used for adults could spell disaster for young children. When training children warm up and stretching must be preformed to help prevent injury. Routines should focus on the basics. Such as proper body alignment, heart rate monitoring, benefit of warming up, ect. Those 5-12 years old should never perform high resistance exercises or use heavy weights. 10-15 repetitions should always be used. Weight training is safe for youth when properly supervised and when proper guidelines are followed for their age range. Fitness should be taught to our youth so they can maintain active lifestyles. Information or content should not be acted upon without first seeking appropriate professional advice.