INERTIA: A Therapist's Thoughts

INERTIA - Archive

6/29/2011

Kids These Days

Summer is here in the Sports Medicine Center which means we have a lot more young athletes in the clinic either rehabbing injuries or starting PEP programs to get ready for the fall sports season.

Most of the time, these kids come in with concerned parents who have plenty of questions about their child's injury and what they can do to prevent it from happening again. One common question we get is what age is appropriate for starting weight training.

When I was a kid growing up, most people felt you shouldn't start weight lifting until after puberty. It was thought that starting too soon could stunt your growth.

Current research has not found any evidence to support that thinking. Instead, they are finding the biggest risk for injury is improper technique. With that in mind, the National Strength and Conditioning Association's recommendations on resistance training for youth revolves first and foremost around qualified supervision and instruction. The goal should be to teach youth about their bodies, and get kids excited about physical activity along with increasing muscle strength.

Below are some guidelines from the NSCA on starting resistance training once the above criteria are met:

A child may be ready to do resistance training once they have the emotional maturity to accept and follow directions. This usually is around age 7-8 when they are in other sport activities.
Begin with two days per week performing one set of 10-15 repetitions. Focus on the major muscle groups to build confidence before advancing.
Eventually work towards performing 1-3 sets of 6-15 repetitions with a variety of exercises 2-3 days per week on nonconsecutive days.

I hope this helps if you're trying to decide when to start some resistance training with your children.

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The following is feedback received for this blog:

Griffin, If my memory is correct, there was a very young kid that lifted weights like crazy. I think they called him "little hurcules". What ever happened to him? Does he have any side effects from lifting so early?

Thanks
Richard

Posted 3:58 PM

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6/8/2011

Watered Down

After several weeks of hearing myself and other people complain about the weather not cooperating to allow for our favorite activities, the summer heat has officially descended upon us.

I thought I would take this chance to send a reminder to make sure you are properly hydrated to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Adequate hydration can also decrease fatigue and chances of poor performance in your events.

Here are a couple of quick tips:

1. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids (a sports drink can help increase fluid retention and prevent dehydration) the day before strenuous exercise. Drink at least 8 cups (64 oz.).

2. Slowly drink 2-3 cups of fluid a few hours before activity and another 1-2 cups just prior.

3. During exercise, it is important to continue to drink 1/2-1 cup for every 15 minutes. This number may need to increase if you sweat excessively.

For most people who exercise at a low-moderate activity level, water or flavored water is sufficient. For those who exercise more than an hour or sweat heavily, supplementing with a sports drink is a good idea. A sports drink provides about 40-100 calories from carbohydrates to help improve fluid absorption.

I hope this information if helpful. Just remember to use common sense as well and limit outdoor activity when the temperature and heat index get too high.

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Posted 10:59 AM

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Time to get the upper extremities involved in the "Exercises I Love" series. We treat a lot of shoulder injuries in the Sports Medicine Center, so I want to make sure to include some of the exercises that I use a lot for these injuries also.

Prone Scapular Strengthening

Some call these “Y,” “I” and “T” exercises, and I understand that I am kind of cheating adding three exercises into one here, but they go together well and I usually give them out all at once. Most people do not address the posterior shoulder stabilizers with workouts, and combining that with poor posture, leads to weakness around the shoulder blade. I hate to say all, but I’m pretty sure that all of my patients with shoulder issues get these exercises (or some variation) as part of their home program.

Prone Extension

Lie on stomach with involved arm hanging off the table. Set shoulder blades back and hold position. In a thumb-up position, slowly raise your arm behind you to table height keeping your elbow straight.

Prone Shoulder Abduction

Lie on stomach with the involved arm hanging off the table. Keeping the elbow straight, pull the shoulder blades back and hold. In a thumb-out position, slowly lift arm sideways to table height and maintain the retracted position as you return to the starting position.

Prone Shoulder Flexion

Lie on stomach with the involved arm hanging off the table. Keeping the elbow straight, pull the shoulder blades backward and hold. Slowly lift arm forward to table height and maintain the retracted position as you return to the starting position.