The greatest mistake a person can make when exercising with children is to treat them like little adults. Children are growing and developing rapidly. This means that certain physiological issues must be considered when they are exercising.
Bone Injuries That Affect Growth
When most parents think of children and weight training
their first concern is the possibility of it affecting
their growth. Contrary to popular belief, weight training
will actually improve the bone and muscular systems. It is
when children have a lack of qualified supervision that accidents occur. Actually, growth problems are extremely rare when children are given well-designed programs with qualified supervision. In fact, growth problems occur more frequently in dynamic sports such as Tennis, Swimming, and Baseball, than they do in weight training.
Another misconception about growth related injuries is that
it will happen without you noticing it. It is actually
quite painful because you are actually cracking the top of
the bone. It will cease the growth in that bone only so if
you get this injury in your upper left thigh (femur), only
your left femur will stop growing. Your right femur will continue to grow.
Kids Have Higher Heart Rates and Lower Blood Pressure
A child has a smaller heart and less blood volume than an
adult so the childs heart compensates by beating more
often (per minute). A childs blood pressure is also less
than an adult because this is directly proportional to body size. It reaches adult levels in their late teens.
Children Dont Perform Well Without Oxygen!
Children have a limited ability to perform anaerobic
activities due to the limited production of the enzymes required for provide energy in the absence of oxygen.
Keep Kids Cool In The Heat
A childs sweat glands are not yet fully developed so they
are less effective at cooling down through evaporation then adults. Make sure they drink lots of water and always exercise in light, cotton clothing.
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