Pitchers working with Weights

[Sam]

This is a quote from The American College of Sports Medicine.

"Children and adolescents can participate in strength training pro-
grams provided that they have the emotional maturity to accept and
follow directions. Many seven and eight year-old boys and girls have
benefitted from strength training, and there is no reason why younger
children could not participate in strength-related activities, such as
push-ups and sit-ups, if they can safely perform the exercises and follow
instructions. Generally speaking, if children are ready for participation in organized sports or
activities -- such as Little League baseball, soccer, or gymnastics -- then they are ready for some type
of strength training.
The goal of youth strength training should be to improve the musculoskeletal strength of children and
adolescents while exposing them to a variety of safe, effective and fun training methods. Adult strength
training guidelines and training philosophies should not be imposed on youngsters who are anatomically,
physiologically or psychologically less mature. Strength training should be one part of a well-rounded
fitness program that also includes endurance, flexibility and agility exercises.
Properly designed and competently supervised youth strength training programs may not only increase
the muscular strength of children and adolescents, but may also enhance motor fitness skills (e.g.,
sprinting and jumping) and sports performance. Preliminary evidence suggests that youth strength
training may also decrease the incidence of some sports injuries by increasing the strength of tendons,
ligaments and bone. During adolescence, training-induced strength gains may be associated with
increases in muscle size, but this is unlikely to happen in prepubescent children who lack adequate
levels of muscle-building hormones. Although the issue of childhood obesity is complex, youth strength
training programs may also play an important role in effective weight loss strategies."

Also more information from Mayo Clinic if anyone cares to read further

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/streng ... ng/HQ01010

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Weig ... tions.html

I personally believe in this day our children have sedentary lifestyles and are overweight. It takes a certain amount of discipline to maintain any type of training regimen. If you have a young athlete in your family willing to put forth the effort to train it can only benefit them in the long run.
Hopefully, it will also create better habits for their adult lifestyles.

ACSM....Mayo Clinic.....hmmm....don't they stay in business by treating injuries....so it would behoove them to cause them.

A 12 year old child doesn't have fully developed anything....so they are going to recommend that they complete repetitious exercises designed to increase muscle....weight training won't strengthen tendons or ligaments.

Let them be kids for Christ's sake.

[blackwidow]

Sam..
I "think" you are saying that there is a conspiracy to get our children to lift weights in order to injure them??
You are entitled to your opinion.

For anyone else that is interested
One last link:

http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitf ... itemid=339

There is a plethora of information available from many authoritative sources on the internet, in the library etc... that will dispel the myths that weight-strength training is harmful to kids. Under the right guidance it is greatly beneficial but if your child resists I would not force the issue.

[Sam]

Sam..
I "think" you are saying that there is a conspiracy to get our children to lift weights in order to injure them??
You are entitled to your opinion.

For anyone else that is interested
One last link:

http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitf ... itemid=339

There is a plethora of information available from many authoritative sources on the internet, in the library etc... that will dispel the myths that weight-strength training is harmful to kids. Under the right guidance it is greatly beneficial but if your child resists I would not force the issue.

What I'm telling you is that these are the exact same authorities who recommended treatments for my kid....they will tell the parent what they want to hear....that they can put their kid back to work so that their own egos may be re-inflated ASAP. They are the people that treat the injuries and run the gyms. They create their own artificial demand.

Your child isn't going to resist at 10 or 12...she will do everthing she can to see that gleam in you eye that says you are proud of her.

Go ahead and kill your kids if you like....you brought them into the world, so I guess you can take them out...

[blackwidow]

There is no empirical evidence that strength training kills children.

There is plenty of evidence that it helps in injury prevention for athletes of all ages in organized sports.
Stretching and cardio are also important components.
For the original poster...do your own research and decide for yourself. Do not rely on the ad hoc opinions of people on a message board.

[Sam]

There is no empirical evidence that strength training kills children.

There is plenty of evidence that it helps in injury prevention for athletes of all ages in organized sports.
Stretching and cardio are also important components.
For the original poster...do your own research and decide for yourself. Do not rely on the ad hoc opinions of people on a message board.

Exactly how can lifting weights prevent injuries in 12 year old kids? Where is this study....the empirical evidence? Lifting weights overdevelops muscles which are attached to underdeveloped tendons, ligaments, bones, and joints.

These kids already do the cardio, stretching, and non-weight strength training at practice. The OP is talking about taking these kids into the gym and pumpin arn. The manager is trying to develop his own Master Race of softball players.

[artomatic]

Lefty slapper with speed, looking for a tounament team



ugh...i'm sorry people, i really can't stop myself from posting these....

[Cannonball]

Strength training and weight training are two different things. Did I miss something in that notated article that said that they should lift weights?

My dd started a weight program at 14. That was last year. She did so with the direction of a trainer who devised a program specifically for her. That was after a number of "test" to determine exactly what areas she needed to improve as well as her age. HER AGE AT 14! Further, she was tested, retested and constanly monitored by a trained person who didn't have any financial stake in her workouts. This trainer is our school trainer who is on staff and at our school each day starting at 10:00 and leaving late in the evening. I'd be very suspect of anyone wanting a 12 year old to go do squats.

[KT93]

Lefty slapper with speed, looking for a tounament team



ugh...i'm sorry people, i really can't stop myself from posting these....

What age group? Think I may have nightmares for a while now....

[KT93]

Weight lifting at 12yo.... I think that is a bit much. As Sam so delicatley put she is still a little girl & still developing / maturing at this age. Core strengthing, using body wight as resistance is ok but using actual weights is a bit much at this age I think...

DD is a freshman this year & just started lifting with the HS team. Befor this we she just did the core work outs.

We came up with our own personalized work out routine that she has dun ever since she was 10. I talk with a few trainers about it... some said it was ok while others were against it... For part of it I bought 5lb leg weights with the removeable sections. She would jump rope 3 days a week with the leg weights on (3 sets of 100) & pitch one-two days a week with them on. We started with them weighing 1lb at 10yo & gradually increased... I think she was around 14 when we made it up to the 5lb mark...

[Fuddrules]

Contrary to the melodrama and hysteria, strength training, at any age, is not unsafe as long as you're lifting correctly and are not "maxing" out. The old, back in my day, belief still permeates the masses. But then a lot of that group start out any athletic activity with static stretching so....

However, how much benefit can it really provide? Is it worth it at a young age?

That's for you to decide.