| 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. |
