There is a large contingency of people who believe that any weight training at an early age will stunt growth and lead to injury. There truth is that body weight exercise like pushups, situps, pull and chin ups, dips, and the use of elastic bands are vital to the muscular development of all children. Free weights and nautilus machines are the real problems. Those machines are meant for essentially 15 and up. Body weight exercise not only stregthens the target muscle, they also encorporate key stabilizing joints, and strengthening of the core. Soooooooooooo..........not only does moderate weight training help with overall strength, it PREVENTS injury from occuring.
Tip of the Week: Take your child to a yoga or pilates class. They are offered at almost all YMCA's and other fitness clubs. Show them the importance of strength and lengthening of the muscles as well.
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