Myths and assumptions in training young athletes

1
Myths and assumptions in training young athletes

• Objectives
• Identify some common constraining beliefs
• Explore the basis of these beliefs
• Refined, more informed perspective

2
Prevailing beliefs?

• Young people should be protected from stress T/F
• Certain forms of stress are unsuitable T/F
• Low impact/endurance-type training is safe T/F
• High impact/explosive-type exercise is unsafe T/F

3
Common beliefs relating to strength training

• Strength training slows you down
• Strength training makes you bulky
• Strength training reduces flexibility
• Strength and endurance training dont mix
• Strength training is dangerous

4
Definitions

• Strength
• The maximal amount of force a muscle or muscle
  group can generate in a specific movement pattern
  at a specific velocity of movement
• (Knuttgen Kraemer 1987)
• The ability of a given muscle or muscle group to
  generate a muscular force under specific
  conditions
• (Siff 2000)
• But in reality strength is a general term used
  to describe a number of aspects of physical
  performance

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Definitions (contd)

• Stress
• The response of the body to any demand made upon
  it (Seyle 1946)
• Beneficial stress gt Positive response
• Detrimental stress gt Decay, damage
• Training Process
• An exercise in stress management planning,
  application, control

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Historically 2 points of debate relating to
Strength training for young people

• Potential benefits, or lack of, to general health
  /or athletic performance
• Potential negative effects on bone growth
  long-term bone health

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Historical Basis

• Observation of stunted growth/deformity amongst
  Japanese child labourers who habitually carried
  heavy loads (as noted by Faigenbaum 2000)
• A 1978 study in which prepubescent children
  failed to gain strength from resistive training.
  (Vrijens1978)
• National Electronic Injury Surveillance System
  (NEISS) in the United States
• A limited number of case study reports of growth
  plate fractures

8
Accordingly in the 70s 80s

• General consensus that weight training would
  compromise the bone health of growing young
  people
• AAP (1983) an insufficiency of androgens implies
  neither girls nor prepubertal boys will increase
  muscle mass with resistive training and will have
  little or no gain in strength

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Bone Health Facts The Bad News

• Limited number of cases have raised concern about
  epiphyseal injuries in the wrist apophyseal
  injuries in the spine from weight lifting in
  skeletally immature individuals
• (AAP 2001)
• The lumbar back region has been reported as the
  most common injury site in child adolescent
  weight training populations
• (Brady et al 1982, Brown Kimball 1983)

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Bone Health Facts The Bad News (contd)

• Damage cartilaginous cells of epiphysis may
  result in premature closure of the epiphyseal
  plate resulting in bone growth disturbance
  subsequent deformity (Peterson Renstrom 1994,
  Sports injuries in children, Conference report
  2000)
• Adolescent athletes may be at risk of restricted
  growth delayed maturation when intense training
  (of any form!) is combined with insufficient
  energy intake (Lanyon et al 1992)

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Bone Health Facts The Good News

• Bone Mineral Density was higher in the spine
  proximal femur in elite junior weightlifters than
  age-matched controls. There were strong
  relationships between BMD maximal strength,
  suggesting differences were due in part to
  training, not "self-selection due to genetic
  factors
• (Conroy et al 1993)
• Observed that intensive training will increase
  the BMC to an extent that the spine can tolerate
  extraordinary loads
• (Granhed et al 1987)
• It has been demonstrated that high impact
  activity is effective in facilitating an increase
  in bone mineral acquisition thereby promoting
  bone density possibly in decreasing the risks
  of joint deterioration (Heinonen et al 2000,
  Jakes et al 2001)

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Bone Health Facts The Good News (contd)

• Case study of World record holder in the squat
  revealed
• the highest bone mineral density yet measured,
  redefining previously conceived upper limits of
  BMD
• A compressive force that doubled the previously
  perceived critical compression force
• Normal alignment, no evidence of disc herniation
  or compressive disc disease, no frank or neural
  foraminal canal stenosis
• (Dickerman et al 2000)
• Observation that incidence of low back pain in
  retired weightlifters was not different from that
  of the population in general
• Lifters that competed prior to the exclusion of
  the Clean press lift, today incidence of back
  pain in ex-lifters likely to be significantly
  lower
• (Granhed and Morelli 1988)

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General HealthMore good news

• 1RM tests can be performed safely effectively
  with adolescents younger if proper technique is
  used lifting is supervised by a trained SC
  coach. No injuries were reported during or after
  the lifts (Faigenbaum 2003).
• Light to moderate weight training has been shown
  to increase bone density, reduce the level of
  meniscal problems, and increase red blood cell
  production in children aged 8 to 14 years (Lanyon
  et al 1992)
• The majority of studies have concluded that
  weight training programmes do not seem to
  adversely effect linear growth and do not seem to
  have any detrimental effects on cardiovascular
  health (Ramsay et al 1990 )
• Study results indicate that strength trained
  growing subjects experience significant increases
  in isokinetic strength, flexibility, vertical
  jump, maximum rate of oxygen consumption.
  Muscoskeltal scintgraphy revealed no evidence of
  damage to epiphyses, bone or muscle (Tippett
  1986)

14
General HealthMore good news

• ACSM reported that strength training programs can
  prevent up 50 of all preadolescent sports
  injuries
• Skeleton is most responsive to strength training
  benefits during growth. This means strength
  training is most beneficial for young women
  before the age of 16 and young men before the age
  of 18 (Welton et al 1994)

15
Current Opinion on Weight TrainingMajor
Organisations

• NSCA supports the sports of weight lifting and
  power lifting as well as strength training in
  both children adolescents

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Current Opinion on Weight TrainingMajor
Organisations (contd)

• "Studies have shown that strength training, when
  properly structured with regard to frequency,
  mode (type of lifting), intensity, and duration
  of program, can increase strength in
  preadolescents adolescents (AAP 2001)
• Both AAP ACSM now recommend strength training
  for children as young as six years old

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Current Opinion on Weight TrainingMajor
Organisations (contd)

• Current ACSM Recommendations for Physical
  activity bone health
• Impact activities such as gymnastics,
  plyometrics, moderate resistance training
• Frequency of at least 3 d.wk-1
• AAP the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports
  Medicine recommend that until good data becomes
  available children adolescents should avoid
  extreme weight lifting, power lifting,
  bodybuilding until Tanner stage 5 (near physical
  maturity)

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So whats safe whats not safe

• All training modes are unsafe, IF..
• All training modes are safe, IF..
• Dependent on number of factors NOT JUST volume
  intensity of training loadings. For example,
  Nutritional status, sleep status, hormonal
  cycles, circadian rhythms, mood etc etc

19
Implications of Mythology..

• Avoidance of high force/high power output
  training with young athletes
• A bias towards excessive volumes of low load,
  repetitive, cyclical activities /OR therapy
  type training

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Shield or Inoculate?

• The goal is certainly not to avoid stress
  stress is a part of life. But in order to
  express yourself fully you must find your optimum
  stress level and then use your adaptation energy
  at a rate and in a direction adjusted to the
  innate structure of your mind and body.
• (Seyle 1946)

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Shield or Inoculate? (contd)

• Goal of the training process is to provide
  systematic exposure to controlled progressive
  stressors to enable more efficient management of
  future stress
• Stress can start at a low level be progressed
  in gradual increments, but ultimately young
  athletes are preparing for future maximal
  performance