Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Exercise in Youth Athletes

Exercise in youth athletes is important to athletic development. Resistance, aerobic, and flexibility are all equally important. Around 42% of 6 to 11-year-olds are meeting guidelines of being physically active, 7.5% for 12 to 15-year-olds, and 5% for 16 to 19-year-olds. In youth athletes compared to adults, they tend to have a lower absolute oxygen uptake (VO2) but a higher relative VO2. Cross-sectional studies that focused on the effects of resistance training on youth athletes compared youth athletes with controls and children with adults. Longitudinal studies were also used by examining effects of resistance training in untrained children, youth athletes, and adolescents. Resistance training for youth athletes should be done at least 3 days per week. Each workout will be using bodyweight as resistance with 8-15 submaximal reps. If using free weights, 6-7 perceived exertion (RPE) on the 1-10 RPE scale is used. It should be part of at least 60 minutes of exercise. Some activities that may be included in resistance training are push-ups, curls, and resistance band exercises. Progression can be increasing resistance or weight each week to get stronger. Results from all these studies showed training induced changes in motor performance as well as enhanced neuromuscular control. Changes in muscle size, muscle fibers, and muscle composition were also found. Training in youth athletes also leads to an increase in bone mineral content. More research in this area is needed to understand true physiological stimulus-response relationships necessary for effective training programs in youth athletes.