{"id":179,"date":"2022-02-23T19:53:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T19:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-745980-3098690.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=179"},"modified":"2022-03-03T15:16:57","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T15:16:57","slug":"when-can-an-athlete-start-a-strength-conditioning-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elkinsportsperformance.com\/when-can-an-athlete-start-a-strength-conditioning-program\/","title":{"rendered":"When Can An Athlete Start A Strength & Conditioning Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

The question of when can my athlete start a strength and conditioning program is one that I get asked multiple times each week.<\/p>\n

This is a great question and has a few parts to it. Many parents want their young athlete to run faster to be more productive in the sport of choice. To run faster, the athlete will need to have base strength levels to apply force into the ground.<\/p>\n

With proper mechanics being developed at a young age and strength levels progressing, the athlete, over time will see big gains.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, if the proper techniques of running, strength training and agility work are properly taught, when the athlete matures through the pubescent stage, they will see great results.<\/p>\n

The key is consistency within any program and this includes young athletes as well.<\/p>\n

When Should an Athlete Begin a Strength Training Program?<\/h2>\n

First, because it is the myth that seems to never go away and something I get asked as much as anything \u2013 No, resistance training is not harmful for youth athletes. No, it will not stunt their growth or any of the other stigmas that are associated with weight training with young athletes.<\/p>\n

This myth has been debunked\"Opens<\/a> time and time again.<\/p>\n

Having said that, where you can go wrong with youth athletes is by not teaching proper technique or trying to progress with weight too quickly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Start Young Athletes With Bodyweight Exercises<\/h3>\n

I like to start young athletes with base body weight strength exercises.<\/p>\n

As said earlier, to get faster the athlete needs to have a base strength level. The athlete must first learn to master a body weight squat.<\/p>\n

The athlete will have feet hip to shoulder width apart, keep a flat back and sit down on their heels while maintaining a solid body posture. This form will be duplicated as they get older and start working with actual weights.<\/p>\n

Next is a body weight pushup. This exercise will help to determine core and upper body strength. The hands will be next to their chest and the athlete will lower themselves down, keep a flat back and push themselves back to the starting position.<\/p>\n

The next two exercises are the full sit up for core strength and a full pull up. We know that the pull up is a very hard exercise and if an athlete cannot master at least one, we will begin with standing on a band to offer assistance in performing this exercise.<\/p>\n

What Age Should a Youth Athlete Start Lifting Weights?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve talked about bodyweight exercises, but what about lifting actual weights?<\/p>\n

When is a good time for athletes to begin lifting weights?<\/p>\n

In my opinion, this is more a matter of level of maturity than it is a matter of age<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to be starting out with VERY light weight at the beginning and teaching proper lifting fundamentals so the athlete doesn\u2019t get injured.<\/p>\n

My focus with a youth athlete just getting started with lifting weights is are they able to focus for an extended period of time<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Can they focus on listening to instruction from the coach? Can they focus on trying to apply the coaching they are receiving when performing the exercise? Can they stay focused on the task from set to set and rep to rep?<\/p>\n

If the answer is yes, then that athlete is probably ready to perform lifting light weights with the goal of learning technique and in my facility we\u2019ll start athletes as early as 7 years old.<\/p>\n

If the answer is no, and the athlete begins chasing butterflies every 30 seconds, then we\u2019ll stick to bodyweight exercises and make sure the athlete is still enjoying the process of training.<\/p>\n

What age should you start conditioning?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nothing drives me more crazy than watching a group of 9 year olds lined up on a line and doing sprints for the sake of doing sprints.<\/p>\n

Conditioning does NOT have to mean running wind sprints or jogging laps.<\/p>\n

With our youth athletes, we like to incorporate \u201cconditioning\u201d into our running activities like speed training, agilities and plyometrics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speed Training for Youth Athletes<\/strong><\/p>\n

In our young age group, our goals for speed training will be set for the athlete to have a solid grasp of basic speed mechanics like:<\/p>\n