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KIDS LIFTING WEIGHTS Yes No
Which Side Are YouOn?
BY MARCIA BRADFORD
Many years ago, my brother's high school baseball coach put him on a weight-training program, including weightlifting, to improve his pitching skills. A relatively new approach at the time, especially for a 15-year-old ath- lete in a small school, the experi-
ence proved beneficial for him. Today, elementary school children are involved in a variety of strength and weight train- ing programs, including competitive weightlifting, raising questions about whether these activities are effective, safe and age appropriate. For parents, coaches and athletes concerned about injuries or even long- termed damage to bone and muscle development, the medical advice is mixed. The Mayo Clinic, for example, states that strength training offers many bonuses to young athletes and can also
put non-competitive kids on a lifetime path to better health and fitness. However, the same report advises in favor of resistance-based strength build- ing exercises and against weightlifting, bodybuilding or power lifting. The con- cern is that weightlifting could put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and areas of cartilage that haven't yet turned to bone (growth plates). The American Council on Exercise
(ACE), a nonprofit organization focused on safe and effective exercise and phys- ical activity, has a different take on the issue. ACE's "Strength Training for Kids: A Guide for Parents and Teachers" states that "two of the most common miscon- ceptions ➤
www.sportseventsmagazine.com July 2012 33
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