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	By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc. President CB Athletic Consulting, Inc. "It is no secret, nor is it offensive to any true and qualified professional, that the fitness industry is loaded with inadequate and unqualified professionals. It seems, unfortunately, that now the sports training industry is following suit...What may be the most concerning fact to that reality however, is that many of these unqualified professionals are now becoming heavily involved in the largest sport-based market in existence...Young Athletes." - Brian Grasso, www.developingathletics.com "In the case of disc herniation, repeated flexion under moderate (or greater) loading is a well-known injury mechanism?(in) normal healthy populations, maintaining a natural (neutral) curvature is the safest spine position during physical activities. This is one definitive statement that can be made with confidence." - John R. Gray, M.Sc., C.S.C.S., C.K. Ph.D. Candidate in Spine Biomechanics Department of Kinesiology University of Waterloo If your son or daughter, or any young athlete you know has a strength-training or conditioning session tonight, don't let them go. Don't let them go until you know that their training routine has been designed by a knowledgeable strength coach with years of experience and an in-depth understanding of the physiology of young athletes. From what I've seen of most youth training programs out there, this certainly isn't the case. The article will cover training techniques that shouldn't be used by any young athlete. Some are traditional training methods and others are advanced, high-risk high-reward training methods that don't belong in your child's program, no matter how good the coach's intentions. In part II of "How Young Athletes Should Train", we'll discuss 4 elements that must be in your child's training program. Let's start by looking at 4 training methods that shouldn't be included in any young athlete's training program. Machines High-intensity shock plyometrics Isolated muscle group "bodybuilder"-style training Traditional abdominal workouts that include hundreds upon hundreds of repetitions 1) Machines We don't use strength-training machines when we train young athletes (or healthy adults either, but that's another article). We don't believe young athletes should be locked into a movement pattern by machines that have been designed for the average-sized adult. In fact, we can add inches to a young athlete's vertical jump and improve their speed and agility without a single piece of equipment. Bodyweight strength training is a must. Machines are not. Machines are built for an average sized adult. Not a child. Sure, some machines are benign, but some, such as the leg press can be an absolute nightmare for the low back of athletes and the general population. Here's how to observe the detrimental effects of the leg press. Step 1 - Wait till someone sits down to use the leg press. Step 2 - Walk up and monitor their lower back as each repetition is performed. Note how repeated flexion under moderate (and often extreme) loading takes place. Step 3 - Refer to John Gray's quote at the start of this article. Step 4 - Never use the leg press again. Instead substitute one of the dozens of standing leg exercises that will help you achieve the same gains in strength and mass at a much greater risk of back stress. We believe the gains achieved with standing leg exercises are more transferable to sport. Step 5 - If you know the person on the leg press, approach them and kindly offer an alternative exercise. 2) High-intensity shock plyometrics & High-volume plyometrics Plyometrics (also known as jump training) do have a place in advanced training programs, however shock methods (such as depth jumps) and high-volumes of plyometrics (i.e. anything over a couple of dozen jumps per session) don't have a place in the training of young athletes. You'll be amazed by how much an athlete can improve by using Athletic Movement Training and bodyweight strength training. CB Athletics has spent months working with elite, physically mature male basketball players in Toronto, using only these basic concepts and achieving stellar results for power and athletic ability. And I don't even think we've achieved all we can with these methods. The kids will get faster simply by getting stronger (think lunges) and by improving mobility (think better movement at the hips). Here's what the basketball team's head coach has to say: "The boy's basketball program at Scadding Court has worked extensively with CB Athletics. Our team speed has improved; player's footwork has improved immensely as well as our agility and co-ordination. We are a stronger and fitter team than we have ever been. This training has allowed several of our athletes to excel at the university and college level on both sides of the border. Due to the CB Athletics training program we have four of our current athletes playing on the Toronto all-star team and many more athletes that are getting scholarship opportunities." - John Clara, Head Boys Basketball Coach, Scadding Court Ballhawks This isn't to say John's basketball players never use jump training. However, we keep the volume low (2 exercises, 3 sets, 1-6 repetitions per set). We also stress technique over volume. You can't ask an athlete to do a set of 10 maximal jumps when the athlete can't even do one jump with proper technique. Just as running form must be emphasized in the Athletic Movement Training, proper jumping form must be adhered to when using plyometrics. If you insist on using plyometrics in your program, please do so conservatively. Please don't perform your plyometrics on concrete (this occurs far more often than common sense should dictate), limit the volume (focus on quality, not quantity), and emphasize proper technique. 3) Isolated muscle group "bodybuilder"-style training Look at this one in terms of "return on investment". Spending 5 minutes doing biceps curls won't make you a better athlete. We won't spend any more time on this topic. 4) Traditional abdominal workouts that include hundreds upon hundreds of repetitions We've discussed scientific-based core training in recent CB Athletic and grrlAthlete.com newsletters. While these articles on not specific to young athletes, proper core training principles are similar across ages and performance goals. You can re-read those articles here: http://www.cbathletics.com/issues/113.htm http://www.cbathletics.com/issues/114.htm http://www.grrlathlete.com/issues/issue27.asp We also encourage you to re-read the opening quote in this article from John Gray. Future articles in this youth athlete series will feature an interview with John Gray. John will discuss core training and low back issues for young athletes. John will tell us about the "Big 3" core training exercises athletes should include in their training programs to develop core endurance. Until then, resist the urge to have young athletes perform hundreds of crunches per session. In Part II of "How Young Athletes Should Train", we'll discuss 4 elements that must be in your child's training program, including: A Proper Physical Assessment Athletic Movement Training? Eccentric & Isometric Strength Training Methods Bodyweight Strength Training Exercises This article may be re-printed and distributed to anyone involved with youth sport provided that all text is copied intact and proper recognition is included. Please include the resource box at the end of the article in order to provide proper recognition. Craig Ballantyne and CB Athletic Consulting, Inc. are available for seminars, program design and consultation, speed clinics, and other team training sessions. Please contact us at [email protected] or at 416.919.4579 for more information. The information on cbathletics.com is for education purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health-care professionals. Consult your physician before beginning or making changes in your diet or exercise program, for diagnosis and treatment of illness and injuries, and for advice regarding medications. © 2004 CBAthletics.com. All Rights Reserved.
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