Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

There have been many controversies in whether resistance training is safe and effective for pre-adolescents. Pre-adolescent is defined as girls twelve and under and boys thirteen and under.( Falk & Tenenbaum, 1996) Is it possible to obtain strength gains through resistance training programs? This essay will investigate the benefits and consequences that occur through resistance training in children. At the end you should be able to clearly choose a side, based on the research. Traditionally resistance training was considered ineffective and potentially harmful; However, coaches found that if their young athletes used control and progressed gradually their performance increased. This is best exemplified by gymnasts because they repeatedly generate high levels of power outputs and impose heavy loads to their muscles, bones, and connective tissue in the process of learning new skills. (Blimkie & Marion, 1993) There have been many arguments that include strength gains can not be made before puberty, and will harm their growth plates, and may cause other injury. These studies conducted in the 60’s and 70’s believe this because people associate gains with hypertrophy and children show limited capacity to this. (Blimkie & M