Weightlifting for Kiddos 101

Kids are miniature versions of adults themselves. So is it okay to give them the same exercise program?Adults and children have a whole lot of similarities. What makes up an adult makes that of a child – muscles, tissues, organs. But why can’t they train the same way?

As you may notice, kids like to do their activities if it is fun. These little kiddos like to play games like there’s no tomorrow. Psychologically, there is a huge difference in attention and focus between a child and an adult. Here are some methods used in developing

LTAD Method

The Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) method was developed by Istavan Balyi. It aims to develop youth into adulthood with safe and efficient training strategies. The idea is that there are optimal ways of opportunity during the development of kids to advance certain physiological characteristics of their body.

Weightlifting

There is no such thing as a certain age when kids can start lifting. As kids, it depends on their focus and engagement. An interesting fact: It has been proven that late maturers may actually develop into better athletes than their counterparts in various sports. So don’t worry if the kids can’t yet get their focus, no one knows how they might just develop!

Teaching Little Jaysee Weightlifting

Here we have little Jaysee, aged between 10-14. Little Jaysee wants to start weightlifting. Technically we can’t let him do what the adults do. We’ll end up breaking Little Jaysee to pieces.

Weightlifting is a technical sport. It is not that easy, you know. You can’t just load 5kg dumbbells against Little Jaysee. Weightlifting is a gradual process. No need to rush. 

Why is this? Well, one way to view it is fairly simple and logical. You need to learn how to ride a bike before you can ride a bike really fast. If you can make the movements of the lifts second nature, then adding loads will be the simple progression. Additionally, it will be a lot easier to focus on strength without the concern of “forgetting” how to lift.

So, don’t get carried away trying to make your lifters super strong straight away. With a bit of organization and planning, you can get the most out of your lifters. Emphasize technique to begin with, and make the shift to strength as your lifter attains mastery for the lifts. Don’t rush - you and each child have a whole lifetime ahead of you!

source: http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/weightlifting-development-for-children-the-importance-of-the-long-term-approac