Strength & Conditioning for Juniors.
Strength and conditioning for juniors is on the rise. More and more gyms are allowing junior memberships as parents and athletes look to gain an advantage over their competitors to stand out and gain scholarship or academy spots in their chosen sports.
In this blog I will discuss the myths around young athletes lifting weights, the benefits of strength training (physical and mental) and the importance of a structured training plan to help you reach your potential.
First of all I will touch on the main myths, the first one and the one I hear most often is that lifting weights is high risk and you are more likely to get injured. If left unsupervised or following a program not suitable for them then I would be inclined to agree, but given the correct training plan and supervision the benefits far out weigh the risks. If you think about sport as a comparison, it is uncontrolled in its nature. Add that to poor quality pitches, fatigue, and the emotion of competition you have a perfect storm when it comes to injury risk. Now i’m not saying we should stop people playing sport, I worked in professional sport for 10 years and it brings with it a wealth of attributes to help young people develop physical, mental and social skills that will help them throughout life but in comparison to the controlled and progressive nature of a well written Strength and Conditioning program you begin to better understand that done properly strength training is low risk in comparison.
Another I have heard in the past (although i’m not sure anyone genuinely believes this any more) is that it stunts growth. This is completely unfounded and the opposite is more likely true. Weight bearing exercise along with correct nutrition will help your bones develop stronger and ultimately reduce risk of injury.
Strength and conditioning isn’t just lifting weights. To be successful in sport you need to learn how to run, jump, land and change direction as well as improving fitness, speed, balance and coordination. Although it is difficult to cover all of these within a strength and conditioning program the things you do will transfer across to the aspects and ultimately improve your sporting performance.
From a mental point of view being able to work hard when you’re tired or turning up to the gym when you can’t be bothered takes a lot of mental resilience, putting yourself through the paces in a controlled environment will give you better clarity under fatigue. Being able to make good decisions when you are in the thick of it only comes from practicing being tired. Being taught how to work well even when you are out of your comfort zone brings with it life skills that are otherwise hard to come by.
If you are thinking of getting started with a strength and conditioning program just remember to take your time. Building genuine strength and athleticism can be boring, as you need to do the right things consistently well and that takes repetition. You need to look for the wins, that could be performing a better rep, or mastering a movement that you had been struggling with. It’s not all about the weight you move, remember you are training positions to be more athletic, not chasing numbers to say you’re the strongest.
A structured strength and conditioning program is the difference between being ready to sprint the full length of the field in the last minute and not, the extra yard it takes to win a ball or the extra strength to dominate the collision. It will also help your body cope better with the demands of sport and recover faster.
We are always looking for more juniors to join the gym, it is the reason Chaos Coaching was started. Life is different now and the skills kids learn now are unfortunately lacking in key components of athleticism. We are the missing link in most young athletes careers. If you want to talk more about how we can help drop us an email at chaoscoachinginfo@gmail.com always happy to answer questions!
