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Stretching and Strength Training in the Young Athlete
Written by:
Rachel Brewer, MD
Dr. Brewer is a board certified pediatric sports
medicine specialist and contributing writer for Girls on
the Run of the Rockies. She practices at Rocky
Mountain Youth Sports Medicine, an affiliate of
Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children.
Strength training (sometimes referred to as resistance
training) and maintaining flexibility in young athletes can
be essential to injury prevention as well as performance if
done appropriately. Both facets are also crucial in
rehabilitation from injury as well as maintaining long-term
health. How does this apply to your young athlete? Here
are the frequently asked questions related to strength
training and stretching:
Is flexibility important in young athletes? It is important
for growing athletes to maintain flexibility to assist in
prevention of overuse injuries. During periods of rapid
growth, flexibility can easily decline, which contributes to
overuse injuries of the lower extremities. Also, a decrease
in flexibility can also be a significant factor in the
development of overuse injuries around open growth
plates in young athletes.
How often should kids perform stretching exercises?
Stretching should follow 10-15 warm-up and cool-down
periods for any athlete during activity. Focus should be on
the lower extremities (for example, hamstring and quad
stretches) for runners.
Is strength training safe in kids? Strength training can
absolutely be safe in kids if proper resistance techniques
and safety precautions are followed. Strength and core
training is beneficial for maximal performance,
rehabilitation from injury, and enhancing long-term
health.
What are the benefits of strength training? As mentioned,
strength training has the obvious positive consequence of
increasing overall strength, in addition to playing a role in
injury prevention and long term health. Strength training
in youth may also stimulate bone mineralization and have
a positive effect on bone density. Appropriate strengthtraining programs have no adverse effects on linear
growth or growth plates.
What are the risks of strength training? The risks of
strength training in kids come from unsafe lifting
techniques and equipment being used improperly in an
unsupervised setting. Children and adolescents should
avoid power lifting, body- building, and maximal lifts until
reaching physical and skeletal maturity in order to avoid
injuries.
Core strength, resistance exercises, and flexibility are
crucial elements of keeping active kids healthy in their
sport and long term!
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