The benefits of strength training for youth are clearly documented. Yet
teachers, fitness instructors, and youth coaches are often not sure how
to proceed, and they end up watering down adult versions of
strength-training programs.
That is definitely not the way to go. But authors Avery Faigenbaum and
Wayne Westcott, with their 50 years of combined experience in teaching
youth strength-training classes and coaching, can tell you the way to
go--and back it with the most current research on instructional
techniques and program design for youth.
Long recognized as leading authorities on strength training, Faigenbaum
and Westcott guide you in designing efficient, enjoyable, and productive
programs for kids of varying abilities in elementary school (ages 7 to
10), middle school (11 to 14), and high school (15 to 18). You will
focus first on broad-based, balanced muscle development, and then move
into comprehensive, sport-specific strength-training programs.
In addition, Youth Strength Training will teach you
- productive protocols for warming up and cooling down;
- procedures for enhancing joint flexibility;
- innovative ways to incorporate resistance exercises into physical
education classes, sport practice sessions, and exercise facilities; and
- proper exercise technique for 111 resistance exercises using weight
stack machines, free weights, medicine balls, elastic bands, and
body-weight resistance.
Much has changed since the authors first wrote a book on strength
training for youth, and those changes--including information in the
areas of nutrition, hydration, and recovery to maximize the effects of
strength training and minimize the risks of overtraining--are
incorporated in this book. Additional changes, based on the authors'
studies, are reflected in workout frequency, exercise repetitions,
related training components, and other factors that affect program
design and conditioning results. All programs were fashioned with the
latest NASPE standards in mind.
Faigenbaum and Westcott have included new information on periodization
and long-term planning, perceived exertion scale for youth, overtraining
and undertraining, dynamic warm-ups and static stretches, new exercises,
effective instruction of youth, and plyometrics.
Through strength training, kids as young as 7 can safely develop a
strong musculoskeletal system that can help them improve their health
and fitness and also withstand the rigors of sport participation.
Youth Strength Training is the definitive source to guide you in
designing and overseeing the programs of the kids you work with, whether
you're in a school, fitness center, or home setting. If you want to see
high rates of strength development and spark a lifelong interest in
strength-building activities, rely on Youth Strength Training.
