| Children and
Bodybuilding Back in the fifties,
it would have been unheard of for children to body build with
equipment almost totaling the mass of their body. Just as the
rules of courtship and corporate loyalty have shifted over the
decades, the same applies to youngsters who would like to get
physical. In recent trends, kids are opting for exercise activity
to develop muscle via weight training.
Nonetheless, the fad presents the question
of when is it safe for children to employ weight lifting in
their regimen. There is significant controversy over the efficacy
versus the hindrance in child weight lifting. In the opinion
of many physicians, premature bodybuilding my hinder the body’s
ability to develop muscles too early.
On the contrary, associate professor and an
expert in child orthopedics at University of Texas-Southwestern
Medical School, Dr. Maureen Finnegan dismisses the idea that
lifting weights may be detrimental to the physical development
in youthful children. Based on Dr. Finnegan’s expertise, lifting
weights is not harmful as long as the child lifts weight in
the appropriate form.
The risk increases when children disengage
or drop equipment and cause injure to themselves. In Texas a
fitness director of the YMCA deems weight lifting as an exciting
experience for youngsters. Fitness instructors and trainers
are endorsing weight lifting for several reasons.
Primarily with the onslaught of obesity in
children, weight training is merely another facet of exercises.
Physicians and teachers are promoting any type of physical activity
to motivate children to make fitness a part of their daily lifestyle.
With technology and video games, many children are not socializing
outdoors anymore. To incite socialization skills, confidence
and well being, weight lifting can play a life changing role
in youngsters. |
