When Is The Right Time To Begin Training? Part 1
First, it is always a great time to begin training and working towards your goals, or simply, strengthening your body for life.
That being said, there are always variables:
Age
Sport(s) Goal(s)
Health Issues
Needless to say TIME is not a variable.
No matter who you are, so long as you have two legs that work efficiently, a brain that can reason, and eyes that can view the world you will always have 2 or 5 minutes available to sprint, perform jumping jacks, walk up and down stairs for fitness and health, curl a laundry basket full of clothes, and use your broomstick to perform front squats, single leg deadlifts, stretch and shoulder mobility exercises.
THERE IS ALWAYS TIME, AND ALWAYS RESOURCES SURROUNDING YOU.
Now, for age, we begin lifting items as soon as we can grasp and not let go. As we grow we carry stones, logs, drag stuff, and jump off of anything we can climb.
We even bounce off the earth when we fail at these things. We seem to survive.
To that, I say a child can begin training at any age, so long as they have good form, are never near their one rep max (or even 3 rep max) before the age of 12.
Of course, a adult should be supervising this. But the idea that a child is too young to take on more, when they clearly can, seems a little far-fetch.
Do I train young athletes with weights at Belley Fitness 12 and under?
No. But that is because I find the maturity level of children within my studio not quite up to par with potential danger if they make a mistake and hurt themselves with some weight plate, a dumbbell falling on their foot, etc.
Belley Fitness can resemble a playground at times, and to have focus, not just jump, play and possibly break stuff by accident (or on purpose as teenagers have in the studio) can be challenging.
And trying to monitor and help 2 or more kids at once potentially making a mistake can lead to missed observation of the athlete lifting the weight, or even worse, 2 kids really hurting one another.
It’s not like they’re running wild on a field or basketball court.
There’s actually really heavy weights that can literally lop off a finger or easily break a bone being used in the studio. so safety first with this age bracket.
Will my own children one day be training with weights before the age of 12?
Absolutely. So long as it interests them I will lovingly be there to guide them towards a much easier physical life through the gift and ability to perform fitness and prepare nutritious foods.
Not too mention the confidence and feeling of empowerment that comes with physical and mental strength.
Part 2 will cover sport and goal setting.
Robert Belley
Belley Fitness : Pembroke, Massachusetts
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