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4 Tried and Tested Youth Strength and Conditioning Tips
If there’s one thing you’ll notice when it comes to strength and conditioning it’s the fact that it varies greatly depending on whom you speak to, and indeed, whom it is aimed at.
Strength and conditioning for athletes in their late twenties and even early thirties for example, will vary greatly to the strength and conditioning protocols followed by youths who are still developed and are yet to peak physically.
Now, it doesn’t matter whether the youths in question are training for an endurance race, a specific sport, or simply to try and get themselves fitter and healthier, it’s important to find a program and follow a routine that works for you.
Contrary to popular belief, you can implement free weight movements and compound lifts with a variety of bodyweight exercises and additional training protocols when working on youth strength and conditioning, with no issues whatsoever.
Here’s a look at 4 tried and tested youth strength and conditioning tips.
Suspension training
Over the last decade or so, suspension training has become more common than ever in gyms and Sports training whether its Youth to Professional sports all over the globe, and for very good reasons too.
To some people, the idea of improving strength, flexibility, mobility, and conditioning in general with a couple of oversized elastic bands sounds ridiculous, but take it from us, it really does work, especially when working with younger individuals.
Basically, a suspension trainer is firmly attached to a fixed point above the client’s head and can either act as a form of resistance, or a basis for support when performing bodyweight exercises.
The same principles as calisthenic and resistance exercises and movements are applied with suspension trainers, allowing you to improve conditioning and functional strength, without weights or equipment.
When you perform these exercises, you are literally suspended from the suspension trainers so you can perform bodyweight exercises with additional resistance.
Kettlebells
More and more strength and conditioning coaches are now implementing kettlebells into their routines for clients, old and young, and the results are speaking for themselves.
Kettlebells are basically like cannonballs, except for the fact that they have a handle attached to the top and can be used to perform a series of compound movements and exercises.
Kettlebells recruit more core stabilizer muscles due to the basic body mechanics of the movement so they are ideal for building core strength, which carries over and translates into functional strength.
They are also a great full body workout because each movement recruits multiple muscle groups at once.
When it comes to functional strength and conditioning, kettlebells are ideal.
Compound exercises
Finally, we are going to look at the importance of compound exercises for youth strength and conditioning.
For improving strength and explosive power, compound exercises are ideal as they recruit several muscle groups at once, meaning that one exercise can target multiple parts of your anatomy.
Front squats for example, are great for working the quads, glutes, and hamstrings, with the added bonus of improving explosive strength so that your vertical power levels improve.
Barbell bench presses are ideal as they work the chest and triceps, which improve pressing movements.
Trap bar deadlifts are also ideal for youths as they are less physically demanding than deadlifts, though, again, they will improve explosive power and will strengthen the back and lower body, whilst also improving your grip.
Another benefit of compound exercises is the fact that they also improve your conditioning, due to the fact that they’re so physically demanding, so you need to work harder to complete each lift.
Bodyweight exercises
Finally, when it comes to strength and conditioning, you cannot overlook the importance of bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight exercises utilize your own bodyweight as resistance and are ideal for strength and conditioning as they too are taxing, both physically and mentally.
Pull ups for example, are considered one of the best back exercises you could wish for, and they use only your own bodyweight for resistance.
Pull ups, push ups, bodyweight squats, burpees, leg raises, close grip push ups, and crunches are all popular amongst strength and conditioning coaches, though in reality, there are many more of these exercises to choose from.