Health Benefits…
Whatever your age, size or gender, resistance training is good for your health. And you don’t have to
take my word for it. The World Health Organisation – generally considered a pretty credible
authority when it comes to, well, health – now include resistance training as part of their physical
activity guidelines when it comes to children and adolescents.
But why? How can lifting a heavy thing and putting it back down be beneficial to the health of a 13
year old? Simply put, as with any physical exercise, it reduces body fat, improves overall body
composition, and enhances cardiac function – all things that are necessary to promote good physical
health.
Ok then, why not just get kids on a treadmill, doing some low-intensity aerobic exercise? Well,
contrary to the traditional view, this is often not the safer option, particularly for those children and
adolescents carrying excess body fat. Additional body fat can hinder motor co-ordination and
postural stability, rendering a child twice as likely to obtain an injury from physical exercise.
Resistance training can improve muscular strength, co-ordination and stability, making injury far less
likely.
In short, as part of wider programme, resistance training has the potential to offer observable health
benefits to children and adolescents. Far from being something to fear, weights can make for strong,
healthy young people.
Ed Capstick
Whatever your age, size or gender, resistance training is good for your health
