bythemethod.com blog

It is pretty generally believed that children are naturally fit and given an active lifestyle and the right diet they will not need to do any extra exercise. It is also pretty generally believed that exercise (other than just playing their usual games) might even be harmful for children.

As I am trying to get my own children to exercise I thought I should do some investigating and find out what the situation is.

The research says that it is ok for children to exercise

I’ve read several reports that say there is no harm in children exercising. There seems to be a commonly held belief that somehow exercising children might stunt their growth or cause them bone problems. It turns out though that this is simply not true.

If chldren take drugs to enhance sport performance then they might well get a problem but no more than an adult would have a problem if they did the same. Or if children overdo exercise and cause themselves a serious injury then there is a risk that this injury might create joint problems later.

I guess the word of caution might be that if children overdo it and injure themselves then that injury (although it would have to be a pretty serious one) might cause them some big problems later in life.

This research also suggests that weight training is acceptable if children are well supervised. It turns out that it is when children are unsupervised that the big injuries seem to happen.

There is a hormone issue though

You see until a child reaches puberty the results of training are, most of the time, not as impressive as they are for adults. Or to be fair it mainly revolves around strength training. However it also seems that strength training is even more effective for a boy who is after puberty but before he has stopped growing. It all gets a bit complicated.

Should children run a long way?

This is more controversial because most people (without any real research to back it up) have decided that it is harmful for children to run a long way. There is no evidence that running a long way is harmful for children, indeed some of the great African athletes have been running a long way since they were very young. Some running as much as 10 kilometers to get to school and ten back home again – every day.

It’s all about being sensible and not forcing the issue

The best advice seems to be to let the child dictate the programme. We should not make children train harder than they feel they can. If a child goes on a long run they should have the option to walk some of the way if they want. If a child is training for strength then they should not be forced to push themselves to their limit. Injury prevention becomes a prime issue for children taking up sport. The idea that someone is not a team player unless they can “take one for the team” and push themselves to the point of injury is bad policy. This does not mean letting children be lazy but just listening to them and understanding not to push them when they have reached their limits.

Skills are the key

The most important thing for children is that they learn the key skills they need to enjoy a sport and exercise safely. The younger a child can learn how to play a sport or how to jump or sprint the better. When they have gained the core skills they will find it much easier to push themselves later without having to learn the basics. This is particularly important for exercising skills where learning the basics can make exercise more effective and safer.

Can children exercise? Yes. Is there any point? Yes.

Sorry people there are no excuses any more.