More than two out of every three adults in America are either overweight or obese (“Overweight and Obesity Statistics”). America has a reputation around the world for having citizens who are overweight and lazy. This lazy and unhealthy trend in an individual originates when he or she is a child; when one is growing up, he or she is told that strength training is dangerous and can stunt one’s growth. Therefore, as child, one drifts away from the idea of weight training, and unless one participates in a sport, he or she will most likely never exercise with weights on a regular basis. However, recent research has shown that strength training can have numerous benefits on a child’s health. Lifting weights can heighten one’s confidence, increase
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Faigenbaum et al. conducted an experiment in which the psychological effects of weight training on children and adolescents were studied. Although no quantitative data that revealed an increase in self-assurance was obtained during the experiment, “Children stated that they were more confident in their lifting abilities and were more willing to try different sports and activities following the training program” (Faigenbaum et al. 164). Sometimes children are afraid to participate in a certain sport because they feel like they are not athletic enough to play, but Faigenbaum et al. state that weight training can eradicate this lack of confidence and help children feel self-assured in whatever sport or activity they choose. If a preadolescent develops a sense of athletic confidence early in his or her life, this confidence will persist throughout later years, and in turn, he or she will continue to participate in …show more content…
Faigenbaum et al., in “Youth Resistance Training,” provide data that dispels this notion: “The overall injury rate per 100 participant hours was 0.0120 and 0.0013 for resistance training and weightlifting, respectively” (62). These injury rates are markedly lower than team sports such as football, baseball, and softball, which are all sports most adolescents participate in regularly. One can attribute the low injury rates found in weightlifting to a general culture of knowledgeable coaches, strict adherence to proper technique, and a gradual increase of weight load. The Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness also states, “Injury rates in settings with strict supervision and proper technique are lower than those that occur in other sports or general recess play at school” (836). The fact that injury rates in weightlifting when children are supervised properly are lower than the injury rates during recess at school emphasizes the extremely harmless nature of the sport. If a child is told not to lift weights because it is dangerous and is likely to injure him or her, then one might as well also refrain from participating in recess as
Faigenbaum et al. conducted an experiment in which the psychological effects of weight training on children and adolescents were studied. Although no quantitative data that revealed an increase in self-assurance was obtained during the experiment, “Children stated that they were more confident in their lifting abilities and were more willing to try different sports and activities following the training program” (Faigenbaum et al. 164). Sometimes children are afraid to participate in a certain sport because they feel like they are not athletic enough to play, but Faigenbaum et al. state that weight training can eradicate this lack of confidence and help children feel self-assured in whatever sport or activity they choose. If a preadolescent develops a sense of athletic confidence early in his or her life, this confidence will persist throughout later years, and in turn, he or she will continue to participate in …show more content…
Faigenbaum et al., in “Youth Resistance Training,” provide data that dispels this notion: “The overall injury rate per 100 participant hours was 0.0120 and 0.0013 for resistance training and weightlifting, respectively” (62). These injury rates are markedly lower than team sports such as football, baseball, and softball, which are all sports most adolescents participate in regularly. One can attribute the low injury rates found in weightlifting to a general culture of knowledgeable coaches, strict adherence to proper technique, and a gradual increase of weight load. The Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness also states, “Injury rates in settings with strict supervision and proper technique are lower than those that occur in other sports or general recess play at school” (836). The fact that injury rates in weightlifting when children are supervised properly are lower than the injury rates during recess at school emphasizes the extremely harmless nature of the sport. If a child is told not to lift weights because it is dangerous and is likely to injure him or her, then one might as well also refrain from participating in recess as