Should Kids Do Resistance Training?

The age old question should kids get involved with weight or resistance training when there young. When is a good age to start? With the raise of the obesity rate in children these days, some sort of early training in both nutrition and exercise is obviousley needed, so kids don't struggle with fat loss and problems associated with it.
Here is a question that was posed to CEDRICK X. BRYANT, PH.D AND JAMES A. PETERSON PH.D., that I found a few years ago on the internet.

Q: I've always heard that resistance training will "stunt a child's growth." Now I hear it may be advisable for children to strength train. Is strength training safe for children?

A: Based on the available scientific information, strength training won't inhibit a child's growth under normal circumstances. Strength training can, however, cause injury when heavy weights are used or improper exercise techniques are employed. When carefully supervised and correctly performed, strength training can actually lower a child's risk of sustaining a sports-related injury, since muscle tissue protects the musculoskeletal system. Strength training can be a safe and productive exercise for children who show an interest in the activity. Perhaps the two most critical factors to make strength training safe, effective and enjoyable for children are quality supervision and adherence to the concept of minimum effective dosage (i.e., the training program should be designed using only the minimum levels of resistance needed to produce a training effect).

A great answer to a very good question.

One way to introduce kids to resistance training and keep them very safe in the process are the new Circuit Training for Kids Facilities popping up all over the country. Because of the unique way Hydraulics handle the resitance, there is less applied stress to the joints, and the workout itself encourages high repition, lower resistance, rather than higher resistance and lower repititions. On top of that it's fun. The best equipment for kids on the market is built by Genesiscircuits.com website. Just go to this page and scroll down to the Kidz Zone.

Rather than building a circuit to small for older kids they build a circuit that is smaller than the womens circuit, called the junior circuit, which will handle kids in all sizes from age 8 to age 16. The system spares no expense and builds with the same quality materials as their adult lines. Kids today are very conscious of trends and don't want the toy look of some of the older circuits. What they want is a circuit just like the adults but in a size to fit them. You can still have great fun being creative with your recovery stations and the colors and logos for your machines.

We all know the wide range of heights and sizes kids are at this age, and one of the problems becomes the fact that the pivot point on alot of kids circuits on the markets are at the wrong point to have any benefit for the older kids, and can actually do them harm, by putting them in an unnatural position for effective training.

BodyWorx also has a small kids circuit available for those targeting only very young children.