This is your body, for the rest of your life!
When considering training and exercise prescription, young people have their own specific needs when it comes to injury prevention.
Because this is the body they'll have for the rest of their lives, a training program that accentuates the importance of a great foundation is key. With a strong foundation they'll be able to build up a more sustainable program. If it's not sustainable, it's not useful!
When considering training and exercise prescription, young people have their own specific needs when it comes to injury prevention.
Because this is the body they'll have for the rest of their lives, a training program that accentuates the importance of a great foundation is key. With a strong foundation they'll be able to build up a more sustainable program. If it's not sustainable, it's not useful!
Too many injuries- not the ones caused by actual trauma- can be indicative of weakness, inadequate rest, improper exercise, and poor technique in training.
What makes a strong foundation?
Good mobility in the joints, good posture, and a well balanced body.
Muscle imbalance is common in adolescents and correcting it should be the primary focus in their exercise program. The bone structures grow quite rapidly-especially in young boys- and the muscular growth is much slower. This causes very tight, short muscle tissue, and is the common cause of knee pain-among other pains-in young people. The tightness causes limited mobility in the joints and is observable in young people when they go through a growth spurt. You'll see they become more awkward than usual and seem limited in their movements. It's just a phase, but they become more susceptible to injuries and pains in this phase.
To reduce the tightness and limited flexibility in the growing phase, I recommend all the following mobility exercises.
Quadricep stretch
deep lateral stretch
figure 4 active hip stretch
Contrary to popular belief, weight training is good for young people. Adult supervision is very important because many of the stories that you hear about young people hurting themselves with weights is mostly caused by improper technique and accidents in the weight room. They should also avoid heavy weight bearing exercises like squats with the heavy bar on the back.
I'll leave the weight training recommendations to their coaches but the following exercises should be a staple in whatever program they follow. They will greatly reduce the likelihood of injury caused by muscle weakness and imbalance.
Deep corrective squat
Single leg hip lifts (ball)
single leg hockey squat
Back and shoulder extensions
My experience with young people has taught me that in the adolescent phase; corrective work improving flexibility and postural imbalance lays the best foundation for the traing they will want to do further down the road.
As a foot note, I want to remind you of the importance of rest and recovery. Young people are susceptible to burnout as are adults. It should be early to bed the day before sports and training, followed up by good home made meals,not fast food; that will introduce your adolescent to the first rules of respecting their body.
Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.
What makes a strong foundation?
Good mobility in the joints, good posture, and a well balanced body.
Muscle imbalance is common in adolescents and correcting it should be the primary focus in their exercise program. The bone structures grow quite rapidly-especially in young boys- and the muscular growth is much slower. This causes very tight, short muscle tissue, and is the common cause of knee pain-among other pains-in young people. The tightness causes limited mobility in the joints and is observable in young people when they go through a growth spurt. You'll see they become more awkward than usual and seem limited in their movements. It's just a phase, but they become more susceptible to injuries and pains in this phase.
To reduce the tightness and limited flexibility in the growing phase, I recommend all the following mobility exercises.
Quadricep stretch
deep lateral stretch
figure 4 active hip stretch
Contrary to popular belief, weight training is good for young people. Adult supervision is very important because many of the stories that you hear about young people hurting themselves with weights is mostly caused by improper technique and accidents in the weight room. They should also avoid heavy weight bearing exercises like squats with the heavy bar on the back.
I'll leave the weight training recommendations to their coaches but the following exercises should be a staple in whatever program they follow. They will greatly reduce the likelihood of injury caused by muscle weakness and imbalance.
Deep corrective squat
Single leg hip lifts (ball)
single leg hockey squat
Back and shoulder extensions
My experience with young people has taught me that in the adolescent phase; corrective work improving flexibility and postural imbalance lays the best foundation for the traing they will want to do further down the road.
As a foot note, I want to remind you of the importance of rest and recovery. Young people are susceptible to burnout as are adults. It should be early to bed the day before sports and training, followed up by good home made meals,not fast food; that will introduce your adolescent to the first rules of respecting their body.
Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.
Hey Sean,
According the National Strength and Conditioning Association, 80% of injuries occuring with this age group are related to bad technique and coaching.
Why does that statistic not surprise me? I know you work with lots of adolescents in multiple sports. What do you think needs to be done to improve these statistics at the coaching level? After all, not all young people will continue in their sport; but they may be left with injuries that could have been avoided.
In my opinion there are a few factors contributing to this statistic. First, I don’t think the expertise of a lot of these coaches is where it should be. Just as we have seen in the personal training industry, many trainers out there take a weekend course and then consider themselves as trainers for everything and everyone. Second, I feel many coaches try to take on too much responsibility. Just because you may have played a sport at a high level doesn’t mean you are qualified to instruct strength and conditioning. I see this way too often where a coach thinks more is better and this is not consistent with attaining good results. People have their areas of expertise, coaches should coach their sport and trainers should train the athletes. Finally, some of this dilemma should be placed on the shoulders of the kids themselves. Many either lack the maturity or desire to perform exercises properly, preferring do the workout as fast as possible.