A few highlights from the NSCA’s updated position paper on Youth Resistance Training.  Well worth the full read, but I list several highlights and conclusion to get you started for the health of your kids.
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Physical Fitness (Photo credit: Justin Liew)

• Current findings from prospective resistance training studies indicate a low risk of injury in children and adolescents who follow age-appropriate training guidelines.
• There are many health and fitness benefits associated with regular physical activity in children and adolescents. Not only is habitual physical activity essential for normal growth and development, but also participation in age-appropriate fitness programs can enhance the physical and psychosocial well-being of youth. Although a majority of the pediatric research has focused on activities that enhance cardiorespiratory fitness (¹⁹⁵), recent findings indicate that resistance training can offer unique benefits for children and adolescents when appropriately prescribed and supervised.
• Although there is no minimum age requirement at which children can begin resistance training, all participants must be mentally and physically ready to comply with coaching instructions and undergo the stress of a training program. In general, if a child is ready for participation in sport activities (generally age 7 or 8 years), then he or she is ready for some type of resistance training.
  The program variables that should be considered when designing a youth resistance training program include (a) warm-up and cool-down, (b) choice and order of exercise, (c) training intensity and volume, (d) rest intervals between sets and exercises, (e) repetition velocity, (f) training frequency, and (g) program variation.
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