News For
SWIM PARENTS
Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association
5101 NW 21 Ave.,
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Should Age Group Swimmers do Weight Training?
“My daughter is 10 years old and not very strong. Should she be involved with a
weight training program at this age?
From the
editorial Staff at ASCA: First, let’s be clear on what we mean by “weight
training” or “resistance training” or “strength training” – all are used
interchangeably in the literature and in popular usage. While there is no
official definition of weight training, to most people it implies the lifting of
heavy weights. Visions come to mind of a red-faced and straining athlete
with arms quivering attempting just one more repetition of a weight loaded
barbell during a bench press. There is a place for this type of training,
but probably not with most children under the age of pubescence.
Weight
training is, in fact, a very broad term encompassing use of all types of
equipment from no equipment at all – body weight exercises (calisthenics) -- to
stretch cords, to medicine balls, to dumbbells, to machines, etc.. A
better term for weight training in our swimming world is “dryland training.”
Dryland
training is a crucial part of a swimming program for all ages. With the
decline of quality physical education in many parts of the country we are now
seeing children with poorly developed basic skills such as balance,
proprioceptive ability, and coordination. Dryland training can help build
these skills as well as help swimmers improve strength.
Let’s look at
the strength component of dryland training as this is the area many parents have
concerns over safety and injuries.
Research has
shown that weight training carries the same risk for children as it does for
adults, no more and no less. The majority of injuries come from
overreaching with too much weight or from accidents from dropped weights or
overcrowded conditions. Reports of damaged growth plates from lifting
heavy weights have been exaggerated, research shows. However, caution is
still important and pre-pubescent children should not be lifting to failure
using weights which limits them to 6 repetitions or less. Use less weight,
more reps; at least 8 to 10.
Age 7 and
under’s can do basic exercises with little or no weight, calisthenics, and
balance and coordination exercises. Learning proper technique is very
important. Children 8 to 10 can increase the number of exercises and add a
bit of weight. 1 to 2 pound Dumbbells are highly recommended as they
require balance and each side of the body to do its own work. 11 to 13
year olds continue to add exercises, improve technique, and add resistance.
Noted major league baseball trainer
Vern Gambetta says he can make a professional athlete wince using only 15
pound dumbbells – surely our 11 – 13 year olds can receive significant results
with much less than 10 pound weights.
There are
hundreds of light resistance exercises available for the coach to prescribe to
prepubescent children without danger of injury. We believe that a well
balanced, well supervised, and progressive dryland program is beneficial to a
young swimmer’s total fitness as well as long term swimming success.
Portions of
this article refer to material from Drs. Kraemer and Fleck’s
Strength Training for Young Athletes and Dr. Ernie Maglischo’s
Training Age Group and Masters Swimmers.