Running Head: STRENGTH TRAINING IN CHILDREN 1

The Effects of Strength Training in Children

Daniel Richard

University of Central Arkansas

Introduction to Exercise Science Research Paper

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Part 1

Physiological Aspects of Early Specialized Athletic Training in Children

Strength training for children was an almost frowned upon practice until very recent

years. Until it began to be studied, it was believed that strength training in children under a

certain age would lead to damage to the immature skeletal muscles. After recent studies,

strength training has been found to be a safe way for children of certain ages to increase their

athletic performance and decrease their risks for potential sports related injuries.

Research has shown that through instructed strength and performance training that

children and adolescents can improve at the same rate of success as adults can. The only factor

that potentially obstructs this is the training being in prepubertal children due to the difference of

hormone levels. In cases of post-pubertal adolescent’s strength increases have been relatively

similar. The research that was done for these findings was done under close supervision and

instruction. Without proper instruction these factors could greatly change, and, since the bodies

of children are continuously maturing, the increase in strength and performance and injury

prevention could completely differ. It is very important that strength training is done properly

for both adults and children of all ages.

It must also be considered that the bodies of children are constantly developing, causing

the strength of children to continuously increase. Strength training in children is merely a way to

not only harness this continuous development, but also a way to improve upon it so that strength

increases will be much greater. Although strength training can be a determining factor for

increased strength and performance in young athletes, “the principal determinant driving this rise
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in strength and explosive power during childhood is increase in muscle size,” which is from the

normal development of children.

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IS IT BENEFICIAL?

Strength training has many positive affects on children. These affects can include an

increase in strength and performance, a decrease in obesity, and can also help to build stronger

bones in children. It was previously believed that strength training for children was a dangerous

practice with many negative effects. More recent research has found that strength training can be

done to not only improve the lifestyle of children, but it can be done with no negative effects to

the health of the children performing the exercise.

The most important aspect of strength training with children is that the exercise is done

properly. For this to occur their must be close supervision and proper instruction from an

individual who is qualified and experienced to do so. When safety is the number one concern,

strength training can lead to large improvements to the health of the children, along with the

prevention of obesity, injury during physical activity, and illnesses that can come later in life due

to sedentary living.

Proper technique goes along with performing the proper exercises, and there is a wide

range of different exercises that can be used for strength training. Some training methods are

used to teach the body how to involuntarily protect itself from injury. These involuntary

movements could include how to land, stop, start, and how to react in other situations. There is

also the aspect that with stronger muscles and bones, there is a lesser chance of injury due to

force or incorrect movement. Other methods are used to increase speed and strength so that

tasks can be performed faster and with more power.

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Other aspects of the lives of children who perform strength training can also be enhanced.

Due to possible increases in athletic performance along with a healthier body, the confidence of

children can greatly improve. Athletes are typically very confident with the ways they can

perform but are constantly striving to better themselves. Setting personal goals and working to

achieve them in athletics can increase the chances of success in adulthood because of the

previous knowledge of having ambitions and achieving them and also knowing how to compete,

both of which are very good skills that will help individuals to further succeed in life. Strength

training in children can have both physiological and psychological advantages.

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Part 2

Total Training for Young Champions

Chapter 8: Excelling in Competition

Competition among children and adolescents is a very controversial topic. There are

arguments that competition can lead to further success in adulthood due to knowing how to face

problems and accel over others, but there also arguments that competition can lead to the idea

that if an individual is not winning, then they are failing. There are many ways to look at

competition and the ways that it can affect children, and, depending on how children are taught

to compete, they can be impacted either positively or negatively.

A lot of the time children are forced to compete constantly, and while they are competing

they are taught that if you are not a winner then you are basically nothing. If loss is experienced

when winning is the only way to be glorified, it often leads to an excessive amount of training so

that winning can be achieved. Increased training can lead to both physical and mental stress on

the children because they may feel as if they will never be as good as they are expected to be. At

times this can lead to children eventually giving up on the sport or exercise before they fully

develop the skills for the activity they were performing, preventing them from ever reaching

their peak or greatness.

On the other hand, competition can show children how important it is to continue to work

at something until you succeed at it. This will help throughout adulthood when competing for

things such as jobs, because you must out-perform your “competition” in order to get the job that

you are applying for. When children grow up competing with other goals in mind than only

winning then they will also enjoy the physical activity of the competition. Enjoying this physical
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activity can have health related advantages for them because they will most likely lead a

healthier and more active lifestyle as they progress through life.

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Part 3

Montalvo v. Radcliffe

This court case was very interesting to read, but it is difficult for me to understand the

plaintiffs’ standpoint. The Montalvos took U.S.A. Bushidokan to court because they believed

that their son’s rights were violated because he was not allowed to participate in the group karate

lessons provided by U.S.A. Bushidokan since Michael Montalvo, the “victim,” has HIV. They

believed that his HIV was a disability and that it did not pose a risk to others that participated in

the karate class. Both parties brought in experts on whether HIV posed a significant risk to

others in the karate class. The experts provided by both parties concluded that due to open

wounds being an often occurrence during sparring sessions at the karate class that Michael

Montalvos HIV in fact did pose a significant threat to the others in the class.

I do not see how the plaintiffs believed that they had a case in this matter. It does not

seem reasonable at all to put your son who has HIV, a disease that is spread by blood, into an

aggressive karate class where it is very likely that he will at some point have an open wound.

This open wound could then bleed, potentially getting blood in the eyes or wounds of others

participating in the class. With HIV being a highly contagious, fatal disease, why would you

want to risk transmitting it to other children just so that your son can participate in a karate class

with his friends. U.S.A. Bushidokan even offered to give Michael Montalvo private karate

lessons so that the risk of him transmitting his disease to others would go away, but his parents

did not believe that to be a sufficient compromise. It seems to me that the Montalvos were being

very selfish in this matter, and I do not believe that this case could have went any differently than

it did.
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References

Rowland, T. W. (2015). Physiological Aspects of Early Specialized Athletic Training in

Children. Kinesiology Review, 4(3), 279-291.
Christopher, B., & Mariana, P. (2009). STRENGTH TRAINING FOR CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS IS IT BENEFICIAL? Ovidius University Annals, Series Physical
Education & Sport/Science, Movement & Health, 9(1), 12-14.
Bompa, T. O. (2000). Excelling in Competition. Total Training for Young Champions. United
States: York University.