One of the most common myths about fitness programs for children and teens is that strength training is allegedly dangerous and harmful to the child's body during the growth period.
Sadly, these outdated beliefs persist even today. Despite the fact that health organizations emphasize the importance of children's involvement in various types of muscle-building activities, most people still believe that training is harmful for children.
There are no scientific studies indicating that properly ( and I stress this word) developed training programs for children will slow down their growth and harm their bodies. In fact, childhood is one of the best periods for strength training, which increases the mineral content of bones and strengthens them. The problem also lies in the lack of understanding of the "strength training" term itself, as most parents imagine training with huge barbells and kettlebells, while in fact strength training of children involves exercises with their own weight and with moderate additional weight.
Since today's children are physically weaker and less active than the previous generation, supervised strength training is especially relevant today. Strength training not only strengthens muscles and bones, but also has a positive effect on the overall health (development of cognitive abilities, memory improvement, etc.) and helps prevent a number of diseases.
Moreover, new research on fitness programs for children highlights how important it is to develop the necessary skills from childhood in order to lay the foundation for the child's future development.
The main task is to teach the child the correct technique of performing exercises with safe equipment, considering physical and psychosocial characteristics. In addition to the right amount of exercise (weight, reps, sets, and rest), it's also important to keep things interesting, promote socializing, and encourage a healthy lifestyle. If children enjoy it, they are more likely to continue training and achieve their goals.