Why should a young athlete perform strength and conditioning training?
Throughout my career as a strength and conditioning coach, this is a question I have been asked a lot by both parents of child and adolescent athletes as well as athletes themselves. And it’s a fair question, training can take a lot of investment from multiple perspectives. Being able to make time in a busy schedule, the time it takes to do the actual training sessions, and of course the financial cost are all things that need to be measured. However, there is absolutely no question that if ANY athlete is looking to improve their capabilities both in and out of their sport, strength and conditioning training is critical to be able to achieve this.
To begin with, let’s focus on the benefits of strength training. From a purely physical aspect, children and adolescents see the same effects as an older athlete would. Increased power output, strength endurance, bone density, tendon resilience and injury prevention. When performing a well organized, progressive plan that allows the athlete to fully explore their capabilities in a safe, supervised, and controlled environment, the translation of these qualities to increased sports performance is undeniable.
When taking into consideration the effects of including conditioning for a young athlete, we once again clearly see a vast variety of benefits. To begin with, increased cardiovascular health in all individuals is extremely important, and the earlier the inclusion of this training begins the earlier we can begin to see the effects. Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, decreased blood pressure, improvements in body composition and metabolic rates, increased blood sugar regulation and increased perceived energy levels. In conjunction with these longer term health factors, athletes can immediately see an improvement in VO2 Max levels and endurance, being able to push and stay controlled and focused for longer and harder than their competitors.
Finally, it cannot be understated that there is a further effect upon an athlete engaged in a well designed program. The mentality of an athlete is a field that is becoming more and more recognized as being a crucial area of focus and development. Athletes can find a sense of personal and group responsibility, unshakable confidence in themselves when confronting difficulty and of course discipline. The sense of focus needed to be a successful athlete of any kind requires a certain amount of discipline, a skill of which can applied in any field and be met with a great amount of success.
Our Youth Program here at Defy is designed for exactly this. To give our young athletes all the skills, tools, and qualities needed to be successful. And maybe even have some fun along the way.
Be on the lookout for more articles with a deeper focus on all of the subjects mentioned in this article and more!
Article by Coach Neil – Defy’s Youth Program Director
