Advice on Weight training For Kids

[H-U-G-E]

I posted a question in the Ladies portion cause the question pertains to my Daughter. I'll ask the question here in hopes i can get some support or some advice anyway.


First ill introduce my self and my daughter....

My name is Chase and my daughter's name is Alise.

My daughter is a very out going athletic girl and being that we decided to introduce her to weights and other training. A lil back ground on my daughter and sports she plays: 2 years ago she started BMX racing. She acceled very quicky and became one of the top riders, in soccer her coach said he had never seen a more agressive and athletic girl. In softball she made girls that have played for 2 to 3 years look new tho the game and it was her first time on the field.
Now as for training for BMX we do a few things she sprints down hill 20 times 3 times a week (to condition her fast twitch muscles) 250 sit ups a nite and 100 push ups. 2 times a week she does free squats 5 sets of 5 reps (110 lbs.) On squats she started out at 30 lbs and worked her way up. She also does some bench pressing and decline and incline and also does a some curls. Like i said she is very active and i do push her a lil but she is always comeing to me with new exercises to improve her self. Heck i didn't know she was doing 250-300 sits ups a nite till a few months ago, LOL.

My main question is this since ive been told a women's muscles are different that a man ( i am geussing they mean well heck i don;t know what they mean) but is there anything i should watch for and is there any thing else i can do to support such a great Girl (my daughter).

As far as supplements she is taking a womens daily vitamin based on a vegatarian pill. takes 30 grams of Protein (and not soy). And i try to have her eat as much fruit as possible.

Is there anything i am missing any input is much apperciated....and feel free to ask any questions.

She is 11 and if there are any other exercises to increase explosivness in here leggs and to help build legg speed i'd apperciate any input good or bad.

I know alot of peeps that i mention that i train my daughter says she never has time to fun things. She is very and i mean very competitive and she loves to exercise and when she performes out on the soccer field/swimming/BMX and any other sport she always thanks me and hugs me cause she know all her hard work pay off. And most of the parents that mention that she never has time for other things "well they are the ones yelling and screaming at their child" while my daughter and i are enjoying what we do best Compete.

 

[mayhems]

jump squats work real well... for explosiveness in the legs... simply stand in the rack with the barbell on ur shoulders squat down and jump and high as u can

 

[Tedster]

She could work on the strength of her calves by excercising one leg at a time on a step. Jump roping and running sprints may also help out. Last of all -- something to work her hamstrings -- I'd recommend lunges.

 

[H-U-G-E]

k we tried these tonite, by lunges u mean the long step with knee bent, not extending the knee past the tip of the toe "correct" or ?


thanks for the input.......

 

[squatpuke]

Sounds cool...I have a 5 year old daughter and hope she turns out like yours.

Get into jump-roping. Great for foot speed and cardio.

Also since she's athletic, do some core strengthen as well...beyond situps/crunches...try a wobble board...work on balance and strength together.

I'd also advise keeping her Iron levels supplemented and keeping her well hydrated...she's probably gettin' ready to be a REAL lady soon....

 

[Tedster]

Here's some info on the lunges -- they're great for the hamstrings.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.php?Name=Dumbbell+Lunges

Definitely keep up the squats. If you do the lunges and something for the calves, then all of the muscles in her legs will be worked.

You should be proud to have a daughter who is so disciplined and motivated. I'm impressed!





Tedster

 

[H-U-G-E]

She didn't get motivated till she was 8 and she never rode a bicycle, we went to the local bmx track and she borrowed a bike and beat all the boys that day and since then she loves to ride. Her first national event she didn't make her main, she wasn't upset but asked me " Daddy what can i do to beat those girl and be better cause they was making fun of me" I told her hard work and dedication so when you decide u wanna learn what that is you tell me. Well at 5 an that next morning she woke me up and said "daddy can you teach me hard work and dedication. I told her you have already learned the first step "waking up early"

In her first year of soccer she averaged 3 points a game from the mid field position. In water polo she averaged 2 points a game. And in here eyes no matter what she does she now knows shecan always do better. After every race, game she still askes me that same question " What can i do to be better ?".

Ill tell her she is already the best in my eyes and that hard work, dedication will take you where ever you want in life. Stay focused and most of all have fun.

someone pm'ed me about her size but i deleted it on accident, so ill just post it here:
she is 4ft 6in 87 lbs and will be 11 in Oct. and yes she squats about 110 to work out with but has maxed out at 130 so almost 2x her weight .....


thanks guy

 

[mayhems]

question did u try those jump squats?

 

[H-U-G-E]

question did u try those jump squats?

Yes she did she said they made her leggs burn, so i know they are working. I also went to the gym and had an instructor make sure she was doing them correctly. Deffinatly adding them to our work-outs thanks.

Her thighs are getting pretty bulky, Is there any suggestions (she is complaining about them rubbing together when she walks or exercises).
We've been focusing on strenght and not bulk. Any suggestions

 

[BiggT]

h-u-g-e,

First of all, I want to commend you for having such a good relationship with your daughter. A lot of parents push and push a child and make them hate sports, but you on the other hand seem to be supporting your child pushing herself, and with guidance, a motivated kid can stay injury free and give themselves a real edge. The key is that she WANTS to and you support her, not YOU want her to and drive her.

Also, as parents, things need to be kept in perspective. At a young age, I find that kids excel at sports based on their rate of physical maturity more so than anything else. When everyone is done with puberty, competition changes drastically, but I think it is excellent that she wants to train and gain an edge. She sounds like a natural athlete. If done correctly she could enjoy weight training and conditioning the rest of her life, whether she is involved in sports or not. If done incorrectly, she could be the next Todd Marinovich, lol. Your role is very important right now.

At this point it is about her. She is very young, and my advice to parents has always been that a child is old enough to train only when they are mentally mature enough to want it themselves. It sounds like she does, so now it is just your job as the parent to make sure she keeps it in perspective and doesn't become crazy and lose sight of the fact that at her age, there are many other important aspects to life.

If you are concerned about excess bulk, it is all diet related. Don't let anyone tell you squats and weightlifting make you bulky, blah, blah, blah. However, at her height and weight, I seriously doubt she looks big/bulky by any means, lol.....A female athlete needs to think a little different than the average girl wanting to wear a size zero.....a little muscle helps....and make sure she is eating a healthy balance of foods to both fuel workouts and prevent injuries....I am sure you know this, but concentrate on nutrition and not appearance, and help her develop healthy eating habbits and not a complex. if she wants to cheat every now and then, let her, she is still a child. She needs to feel good about herself first and foremost.

I hate conflicting advice, but I have to disagree about jump squats, I think they do nothing but invite a breakdown of form, thereby causeing zero carryover to the squat and making an injury only a matter of time.

As for the squats.....I would worry more about form than weight, especially at her age. i have had so many guys tell me "My boy squats 550, my girl squats 185 and she only weighs 100lbs"....then I see the squat and it resembles either a knee twitch or a grand mal seizure. As an athlete, you want her to perform the full range of motion and do so in a correct manner. She needs to be able to handle the weight and not let poundages come before form. I am not saying be afraid to go heavy, but don't get caught up in numbers and bragging rights, because execution comes before anything else. Sprints are great, and I highly recommend she learns the olympic lifts from a good coach. Most PT's in a gym don't know their ass from a hole in the ground, so you should seek out someone like a USAW club coach or a college strength coach.

As far as training.....keep it simple.....with weightlifting, new and cutting edge is just a way to sell, what has always worked will never change. Basics like squats, flat and incline bench, overhead presses, dips, chins, situps, pushups, deadlifts are what to center a routine around. Teach her that killing yourself isn't necessarily better. I would recommend a full-body routine twice a week at this point.....she has her whole life to spend hours in a gym, just have her build a base and gain experience, and see results and learn to enjoy what she does.

If you're interested, PM me and I can point you to some places where you can get some great info.