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SWIM PARENTS
Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association
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Weight Training for Age Group Swimmers
By Jack Wilmore, Ph.D.,
Physical Education professor at the University of Texas and Austin.
Generally, youngsters adapt well to the same type of training routine used by
the mature athlete. One area of concern, though, is the use of weight
training to develop muscular strength and muscular endurance. For many
years, young boys and girls were discouraged from using weights for fear that
they might injure themselves and prematurely stop their growth processes.
Results of animal studies suggest that heavy resistance exercise leads to
stronger, broader, and more compact bone. However, since it is nearly
impossible to load these animals to the same extent as youngsters, it has not
been practical to design an experiment that accurately defines the risks
associated; therefore the potential for injury and structural damage from heavy
resistance appears to be extremely low. Still, since the future of the
youngsters is at stake, it is appropriated to take a conservative approach until
additional studies can be conducted.
Thus, to strength-train a young athlete, a program using low weights and high
repetitions would be preferred to one using high weights and low repetitions.
One of the safest techniques for strength training in youngsters would be to use
the isokinetic concept of matching resistance to the force applied, so that the
youngster does not have to contend with actual weights, such as barbells and
dumbbells. Cybex, Orthoton, Mini-Gym, and Hydra-Gym are examples of
isokinetic equipment.
It has been suggested that since young prepubescent boys have relatively low
circulating androgen levels, there is no reason to expect them to benefit from
strength training prior to adolescence. Several recent studies have
demonstrated that prepubescent boys can not only participate in this form of
activity but also can gain substantial increases in strength.
In a study conducted by Sewall and Micheli, prepubescent boys and girls took
part in a nine-week progressive resistance strength training program, 25-30
minutes a day, three days a week (J Pediatr Orthop 1986;6:1234-6). They
experienced a mean strength increase of 42.9%, compared with a 9.5% increase in
a non-training control group.
Weltman and his colleagues followed 16 prepubescent boys (mean age 8.2 years)
through a 14-week strength program using isokinetic techniques with hydraulic
resistance (Med Sci Sports Exerc 1986;18:S55). Isokinetic strength
increased 18-37% in these young boys. Only one injury was recorded causing
the boy to miss three training sessions. In the control group of 10 boys
six injuries were recorded as the result of activities of daily living.
None of the boys had any evidence of damage to bone, or the muscle structure as
a result of strength training. Form the results of these studies, one can
conclude that young, prepubescent boys and girls can increase strength from
using resistance exercise, and that few risks of injury are associated with such
exercise. However, it should be noted that in both of these studies, free
weights were not used. The resistance was provided by pneumatic (CAM-II),
hydraulic (e.g., Hydra-Fitness and Orthotron), or fixed stacked weights (e.g.,
Universal Gym or Nautilus). The use of free weights provides a much
greater potential for serious injury.