Mayo Clinic promotes Strength Training for Kids

The very prominent and well respected Mayo Clinic addressed the question of whether or not it is appropriate for children to engage in strength training. They begin their article with:

"Strength training for kids? You bet! Done properly, strength training offers many bonuses to young athletes. Strength training is even a good idea for kids who simply want to look and feel better. In fact, strength training can put your child on a lifetime path to better health and fitness."

At Advanced Fitness we focus on Functional Training every client based on the internationally known Functional Movement Screen where we can focus on rehabilitating the client while training them as safely as possible. Our Youth Athlete strength training will focus on body weight and core stability training. Here's what Mayo Clinic recommended youth training shoulder involve:

"For kids, light resistance and controlled movements are best — with a special emphasis on proper technique and safety. Your child can do many strength training exercises with his or her own body weight or inexpensive resistance tubing."
It seems the Mayo Clinic has been keeping a close watch on what's going on at Advanced Fitness. We recommend starting Youth Sport Training at 12 years of age. We do believe there is a place for fitness training for ages 8-11. It's just where we want to start. At twelve, children are usually capable of working in a small group better and can follow verbal cues for proper training. I have read a few really strange articles recently about starting kids as early as 4 months of age. There are facilities where you can sign you 6 month old up for fitness / sport training. Check out this N.Y. Times article for a quick laugh.

The Big Mistake...

So many people feel that they are qualified to train children or even themselves for that matter. Nothing makes me cringe more than hearing a parent talk about how he/she is putting their child through their workout. Would these same parents act as their child's pediatrician if the child were sick? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal Online documented that there is a significant rise in youth fitness training in the U.S. today. They also addressed the fact that youth fitness training should not be considered something that any parent can do.

""I'm not a fan of strength training at home unless Mom or Dad has a background in PE and understands pediatric strength-training guidelines," says Avery Faigenbaum, a supporter of youth strength-training, a professor of exercise science at the College of New Jersey and lead author of the NSCA position paper."(The NSCA is a leading organization in Sports Training. At Advanced Fitness, we have 2 NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer)

At Advanced Fitness we are offering an opportunity to experience Youth Sports Training. We will be providing a complimentary Youth Sports Camp every Sunday from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Each Youth Athlete will require an Initial Assessment and Functional Movement Screen to determine if they can participate. Send us an email at info@fit224.com if you are interested in determining if your child can participate.

Advanced Fitness is a Functional Movement Screen Certified Center, check out our listing on the Functional Movement Screen website. We are listed under Dr. John Wilkins, CSCS - Advanced Fitness of Kennett Square. Click here to find out a little more about the FMS.

Youth Sports Training, Everybody's Doing It!

Childhood obesity is skyrocketing and kids are spending too much time with mind-numbing, brain-melting video games.

Keep your kids healthy and ensure their success on the playing field by getting them the professional sports training coaching they deserve. For a limited time, experience what Youth Sports Training is all about.

We are offering a FREE camp on Sundays from 4:00-5:30pm. Each youth athlete must pass an initial assessment and Functional Movement Screen to be eligible. The first 10 athletes that are interested will receive their initial assessment and Functional Movement Screen at no cost to them (regular fee $49.00)

Stay tuned for more information!