There seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to how children should train. When it comes to sports, children should be taught to put emphasis on technique and skill as opposed to strength and weightlifting. If a child is seriously involved in sports and wants to continue at a high level as an adult, then it will be talent, skill and coordination of complex movement patterns that will separate them from the competition.
I believe that when it comes to fitness, children should train by aerobic exercising in order to perform their sports without being hindered by fatigue and use bodyweight training for strength. The prime age for children to start lifting weights would be around 15 or 16 when their testosterone levels are through the roof. Adolescence is when they will see the best results in both strength and mass. Anything before that age should be only to learn certain movement patterns but not to challenge them the way adults or older teenagers are challenged. It is not very difficult to improve strength and overall physical performance, but it becomes increasingly harder to develop new skill sets and movement patterns as we grow older.
Not every child is going to be involved in seriously competitive sports, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be involved altogether. The obesity rate in North America is 36%, with estimates suggesting that the rate will increase to nearly half by 2030, and 69% are either obese or overweight. We cannot stop pretending this is OK from a health point of view.
We need to do a better job of highlighting the importance of fitness from a young age. If you think that exercise isn’t important and that gym classes are a waste of time and money, I’m here to tell you that’s absolute nonsense. The fitness industry generates over $75 billion (US) every year worldwide for a reason … more and more people are realizing it’s important. Don’t use the excuse of sports taking away time from schoolwork because there is plenty of time for both.
Sports help children make friends and become more sociable. It improves their self-esteem, it gives them something to do and for some it will be sports that keeps them from falling into the wrong crowds. In addition it can help with depression and anxiety if they actually enjoy participating.
This brings me to my next point: Make it enjoyable for them. As I mentioned at the beginning of this book, find something they like and stick to it. Fitness isn’t always just barbells and iron. Whatever the exercise is, we have to start reversing the obesity trend.
This isn’t about fat shaming, or creating body-image issues. This is about cold, hard, facts that overwhelmingly point to obesity and inactivity as a precursor to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis … and many others.
