“This is what we should have been learning in gym class.”

- Essentially every person I’ve trained

Part 1 of this blog post focused on the immediate benefits of a training and recovery program for youth athletes. Part 2 is going to focus on the long term benefits, and the possible consequences of lacking this information, with examples that most parents of youth athletes will be able to relate to. Because there is a consensus among the adult clients at Foundation Personalized Fitness that gets straight to the heart of this post. Every single one of them has experienced injury or pain due to muscle imbalances, stiffness, and poor movement patterns. And every one of them has said at one point or another that they wish they had learned these concepts of proper weight lifting and self care recovery when they were younger. And a key element when beginning to understand proper lifting mechanics is a term we like to use called form.

Form is the word we use to describe the specific movement that should be performed when doing a certain exercise or lift. It is deeply tied to the principles of physics, and how the joints in our body act as lever systems. But form is about more than just how we’re supposed to move, it’s an awareness of our center of gravity and how we maintain stability, control, and balance as we move.

When adults come to us with pain issues, movement and balance issues, or the looming threat of surgery, the thing that I can never stop myself from thinking is: if only they had been taught from the beginning how vital it is to understand the fundamentals of movement patterns. Probably the most frustrating part of it all is that this is a completely straightforward and understandable concept, all it takes is someone explaining it and helping you understand how to apply it. When a person understands how to maintain their center of gravity when they squat, or how to stabilize their position and “organize” their muscles when they set up for a deadlift, this allows them to protect their joints and spine and avoid injury. And understanding these concepts and being able to implement them directly translates into how well you run, jump, kick, throw, pick things up, and even hold your posture. For adults it can mean eliminating low back pain, hip, knee, and foot pain, and building up strength that will keep you out of the doctors office and feeling strong and capable. Learning this when you’re young is something that you’ll value and be grateful for the rest of your life.

But the issue is the same over and over again. When we’re younger our bodies are able to withstand and (generally) recover from the negative effects of poor or improper movement patterns and lifting techniques. You may feel a little joint or muscle pain that seems like it’s more than just your typical soreness from working out, but it tends to go away after a day or two. Therefore, there’s no unmistakable indicator that’s telling you something is wrong and needs to be addressed. So we continue these patterns and lifting styles throughout our lives. It isn’t until we’re older and our bodies no longer have the ability to recover so easily that we start to experience the more chronic pain caused by our poor movement patterns. We often attribute this to simply “getting old”, and why shouldn’t we? If you have been exercising and lifting weights the same way your whole life and it’s never been a *major* issue before, then why would you attribute it to that now? And therein lies the problem.

Imagine all the countless aches and pains that could have been avoided, and the time spent going to the doctor to figure out why this or that hurts, simply by understanding from a young age how to move and lift properly. People comment a lot about the failure of our medical system being treatment based rather than preventative. I recently heard it referred to as “sickcare, not healthcare”. Well, what I am suggesting is about as preventative as it gets. And this is just one aspect of why youth athlete training should be compulsory. In the immediate sense it becomes practical because when our athletes train effectively and efficiently, they become stronger, avoid pain and injury, and ultimately their ability to access and generate power allows them to be the best athlete they can be. Which is what every athlete is looking for. And in the long term it is instilling an awareness of how important movement really is, and practicing recovery work to prevent muscle stiffness that can lead to joint pain and injury.

This issue is undeniable and I witness the negative impact of this lack of education every single day, in both the adults that come in to fix whatever pain they’re experiencing and get stronger, as well as in our youth athletes that simply weren’t able to recover so easily from poor movement mechanics and have now developed an injury or chronic pain. This not only deprives them of their full potential as athletes, it potentially sets them up for a lifetime of chronic pain and recurring injury if the underlying problem isn’t addressed and replaced with a proper understanding of movement and training, along with a recovery plan that focuses on reducing stiffness and increasing blood flow to overworked tissues. Please contact us with any questions you might have about personal training for youth athletes. This is something that will not only benefit them now, but have a lasting, lifelong impact.

“The cure for bad mechanics is good mechanics…working on basic motor control.”

- Dr. Kelly Starrett

Two of the best books I have ever read on the constantly expanding topic of exercise and physical fitness were written by Kelly Starrett. He is a consistent source of discovery and progress in a field that, until about 20 years ago, had catered almost exclusively to power lifters and body builders, and the methods being practiced were basically hit or miss traditions that were just being passed down. In a recent interview he discussed the need for youth athletes to optimize their motor control skills, but also recognize the importance of understanding and having a plan for dealing with the aches and pains that come with being an athlete. He signed off with his usual exuberance and enthusiasm by saying, “this is the first generation where we can make it better”.

While a lot of these concepts aren’t new, they are just now barely making it into the mainstream. Terms like self-myofascial release, soft tissue restoration, compression therapy, and blood flow restriction therapy are still unfamiliar to many people, and yet these are the current methods that are producing the most significant results in protecting athletes from chronic pain and injury. And too often there seems to persist a belief that our younger athletes are somehow immune to the muscle tension and strain that exercise and high level activity can put on their joints and tendons. When in fact most likely the opposite is true. Our young athletes are still growing, meaning that the stresses put on their bones, tendons, joints, and ligaments are actually increased due to the constant, and sometimes dramatic, growth changes. And let’s add these into the mix:

less body awareness; therefore difficulty in recognizing a potential problem “hot spot” in their muscles.
sitting for long hours in the classroom; this creates the same “poor position” that adults face who sit in front of a computer all day.
outside of their sport young people today are typically less active (cell phones, video games, television, classroom) meaning that ultimately they go from poor, passive positions straight into high level activity.

If we look at our elite athletes, at least the ones who are taking care of themselves properly, they’re going to be getting deep tissue work done, massages, they have a physiologist, a nutritionist, they have a recovery plan, and experts to advise them. While this isn’t practical or realistic for young athletes it also isn’t necessary. Kids are generally pretty flexible to begin with. They haven’t spent as much time as most adults living in these poor positions that lead to stiffness, which then inhibits range of motion, which then essentially becomes a lack of flexibility. The main thing that a lot of these young athletes are lacking, and then continue to lack as adults later on, is the understanding and ability to organize their movements, to create and maintain a neutral spine, and to implement a recovery routine that addresses soft tissue work and mobility. To put it simply:

poor positions (sitting for long periods, slouching over a phone, etc.) create stiffness in the muscles.
stiffness then reduces range of motion.
but ROM = mobility, and mobility means being comfortable in more demanding positions.

Through training that puts an emphasis on stability and control, and a recovery plan that focuses on reducing stiffness and improving blood flow, we get athletes that are more prepared and capable of performing at the top of their abilities for the entire season, and can easily transition from one sport to another. Because now our youth athletes are safer when they move. They know how to decelerate, move laterally, and reduce the force on their joints when jumping and landing, as well as keeping their hips and core engaged, breathing properly, and maintaining a neutral spine. This is the type of training that we emphasize at Foundation Personalized Fitness, because there’s nothing that takes you out of competition faster than an injury.

Our athletes are taught the proper mechanics for squat and deadlift and how this directly translates to their running and their ability to quickly generate power and stability, as well as their ability to comfortably function at end ranges of motion. They are also taught the importance of properly warming up to ensure that stiffness or tight spots will not interfere with their performance or lead to pain, and how post workout stretching and recovery routines can reduce and even eliminate soreness and fatigue, leading to greater gains and a higher quality of athletic ability.

Please reach out to us with any questions or to inquire about a free consultation. Contact Us

Training For Youth Athletes (Part 2)

Training For Youth Athletes (Part 1)