In the first article, I discussed why a young athlete should not push too hard in any one sport too
soon. I also discussed how it could not only inhibit progress now, but also later.
This article will focus on the magic bullet of strength training and conditioning. While it is
important to always develop your strength and conditioning - no matter what your age, there are
certain times to avoid certain activities and certain times to add them in.
Importance Of Proper Technique
By the way, the reason to avoid the activities I am referring to seldom has to do with it causing
injury to a young athlete. The number one reason for young athletes getting injured (by far) is
poor exercise technique.
Poor exercise technique can affect the young athlete in other ways too.
It can cause muscular imbalances and cause the athlete to use their muscles improperly in their
sport, which means the athlete will not perform at top levels, and increase the likelihood of injury
even outside the weight room.
I am not writing this article for a discussion of exercise technique, I am writing it so I can help
others understand how, when and what to do to get maximum benefit from their weight training
and conditioning program.
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Young Athletes and Weight Training.
Children training with weights have been taboo in the USA for centuries. In the following paragraphs we will look at what real world
observations, as well as sports science has to say about children and weight training.
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Any time an athlete or coach introduces a new stimulus into the athlete's weight training
program, the athlete's body will react to it by attempting to adapt. This is usually a good thing
because it causes the body to get stronger. However, often coaches will go to a clinic or meeting
and get a "bunch of ideas" without any real understanding of how to implement the ideas
properly.
If you are like me, you like to change your routine around periodically to:
- Keep from getting bored.
- Continue to make progress.
In the right hands, changing the routine is a good thing, making the athletes continually get
stronger. In the wrong hands, it can cause injury to the athletes, or be unnecessary or
inappropriate for the athletes they work with.
A Look At Common Practices
Perhaps the most common thing I see is the use of Olympic style lifts or their variations by high
school coaches. Keep in mind, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Olympic lifts can be very
beneficial to the athletes and are not likely to injure the athlete if done properly. The key word
here is properly.
Most of the athletes that do power cleans cannot do a proper deadlift or power pull, nor a proper
front squat (two preliminary lifts to a power clean). How can they be doing good power
cleans without being able to do a good power pull and front squat?
Proper Technique Of The Barbell Deadlift
The answer is - they can't. They are doing the power cleans WRONG!
Another question is - is the power clean even necessary for a high school athlete to optimally
gain strength and power for their age and lifting experience?
In many cases - NO!
In my scenario above, the power clean is the magic bullet (exercise chosen to bring about a
desired result). By incorporating it into a program too soon you limit the athletes' ability to:
- Gain much needed muscle mass by building a strong lifting foundation.
- Benefit from power cleans later.
- Gain over all body strength.
- Develop strength in weak areas.
Remember, the earlier you introduce a stimulus into a program, whether it is a sport skill, or
weight training exercise, the less beneficial that stimulus will be down the road to bring about a
desired benefit to the athlete.
Please do not think that I am anti-power clean, or anti-Olympic lifting. I am pro-Olympic lifting
at the correct time and under the correct circumstances. Most kids are doing them without the
correct background and technique coaching.
Common Mistakes
By the way, I just used the Olympic lifts and their variations as an example. There are several
advanced techniques and exercises that coaches use because they look cool and think that it will
help break monotony of the regular training sessions.
Most all of these exercises and methods
have validity with the right athlete at the right time. However, it is a common occurrence to see
athletes doing exercises they have had no qualified coaching to perform.
Here are a couple more examples of things athletes often do without proper coaching and
background:
Accommodating Resistance Using Bands Or Chains:
A great method for advanced or late
intermediate lifters (at least 2 years of training experience and at least 18 to 20 years of
age), but the technique used is often poor and is often used too early in an athletes training
career. This method should only be used once using traditional progression methods
have ceased to work.
Supra-Maximal Eccentric Training:
Once again a great method for the advanced,
physically mature lifter. More likely to injure a young and/or inexperienced athlete.
Swiss Ball Training:
Can be a useful tool in a trainee's arsenal, but over use of this
implement reduces the weight an athlete can lift and keeps the body from being loaded
sufficiently. This means they will not get stronger.
Conclusion
Keep in mind, the reason for waiting to add these methods in later is not necessarily because
they are dangerous or likely to cause injury (although they might). The reason has more to
do with the fact that they are unnecessary for the athlete to continue to make progress. If
added too soon, they may be beneficial, but they would become a less effective stimulus for
progression later on.
Also, more conservative progression systems are likely to bring about
progress just as much as these methods - at least in the young athlete.
Simply Alter The Acute Exercise Variables To Bring About Progression:
- Exercise selection
- Number of sets
- Repetitions per set - Learn More
- Weight lifted or load
- Speed of movement - Learn More
- Rest period between sets and exercises - Learn More
- Training frequency - Learn More
I will give examples of how to alter these programs in future articles.
ckscarbo@bellsouth.net
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