Whether your child is involved in sports or not. Physical activity is a must. -Nate
Children in the U.S. today are less fit than they were a generation ago and showing early signs of cardiovascular disease such as weight gain, higher serum cholesterol, and cigarette smoking.
Inactive children, when compared with active children, weigh more, have higher blood pressure and lower levels of heart-protective high-density lipoproteins. Even though heart attack and stroke are rare in children, evidence suggests that the process leading to those conditions begins in childhood. The 1987 National Children and Youth Fitness Study indicates that at least half of youth don't engage in physical activity that promotes long-term health and that less than 36 percent of elementary and secondary schools offer daily PE classes and that most classes were unlikely to foster lifelong physical activity.
A fitness testing program sponsored by the Chrysler Fund Amateur Athletic Union, which tracks fitness among 9.7 million youngsters between the ages of 6 and 17, shows that children are getting slower in endurance running and are getting weaker. Since 1980 there has been a 10 percent drop off on scores for distance runs and an 11 percent decline in youngsters who achieved at least a "satisfactory" score on the entire test.
An estimated 2.1 million adolescents age 12 to 17 are smokers. Nine million American children under age five live with at least one smoker and are exposed to second-hand smoke for virtually the whole day. It is estimated that 3,000 American young people become smokers every day.
Children spend an average of 17 hours a week watching TV in addition to the time they spend on video and computer games. Inactive children are more likely to become inactive adults. Healthful lifestyle training should begin in childhood to promote improved cardiovascular health in adult life. The following good health practices should be promoted among children:
- regular physical activity
- a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet after the age of two
- smoking prevention
- appropriate weight for height
- regular pediatric medical checkups
Copyright American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
Let US Sports Online Strength and Conditioning help your child get off on the right foot of his/her fitness lifestyle with our Youth Fitness Programs:
Youth Strength Training Programs are designed for overall health and the achievement of a leaner, stronger body. These programs are an excellent first step in helping a young person learn how to lift weights safely. Done correctly, and with adult supervision, weight training can be an excellent form of exercise that, once learned, can provide a lifetime of health benefits.
Throughout the length of the Youth Strength Training Programs, the manipulation of the sets and repetitions for each exercise will be based on periodization concepts that involve changing the intensity and the volume of the workouts. The weights are lighter and the repetitions will be higher for added safety!
As with all the programs, the starting point of the workouts are based on the child's initial fitness level. With feedback, the actual progression of the program will follow the child's unique adaptation process to exercise.
Fine tune the programs to include various exercises that can be matched to equipment at home or in the gym! In addition to strength training, encourage children to participate in their favorite sports for a well rounded fitness program. Have fun and get healthy!
Select a Program
| 3 Day Youth View a Sample Workout of this Program below:
Click on an Exercise Name to view a description of that exercise
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