Having your child perform bodyweight exercises several times per week is a safe and effective way to increase the strength of her bones, connective tissues and muscles, as well as her muscular endurance and power. Achieving these objectives will enhance her overall health and may help prevent and/or treat certain injuries and improve her athletic performance. Additionally, performing bodyweight exercises can teach her the proper techniques for basic weightlifting exercises, which she can begin at your discretion. Consult a personal trainer to develop a program that suits your child's goals and needs.
Abdominal Exercises
Isometric exercises, such as the front and side plank, and traditional bodyweight exercises, such as crunches and situps, strengthen the abdominal muscles. Have your child add a twisting motion occasionally during the upward-movement phase when performing crunches and situps to emphasize the oblique muscles on the sides of the abdomen.
Arm Exercises
Chinups and pushups are two bodyweight exercises that your child can perform to build his arms. Chinups target the elbow flexors -- which include the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis muscles -- and pushups work the triceps, particularly when hands are placed close together on the floor. You may need to assist your child until he gains the strength necessary to perform the exercises on his own.
Back Exercises
Have your child perform pullups, horizontal pullups and supermans to strengthen her back. Pullups emphasize the latissimus dorsi muscles, or lats, on the sides of the back; horizontal pullups target the lats and the rhomboids and trapezius muscles of the upper back; and supermans work the lower back. As with chinups, you may have to help her up when performing pullups and horizontal pullups, but she should be able to do supermans without your assistance.
Chest Exercises
Pushups target the pectoral muscles of the chest when your child performs them with her hands at least shoulder-width apart on the floor. Let her start on her knees at first, if necessary, and make sure she keeps her spine straight throughout the movement. Tell her to move slowly during the downward-movement phase of the exercise and quickly during the upward-movement phase.
Leg Exercises
A variety of exercises target the muscles that act on your child's hip, knee and ankle joints. Lifting his legs at various angles while lying on the floor strengthens the muscles surrounding the hips, for example. Exercises such as deadlifts, the leg press, lunges, squats and stepups target the hip and knee extensors simultaneously. Additionally, lifting his heels off the floor repeatedly from a standing position strengthens the calf muscles.
Shoulder Exercises
The pike press is a bodyweight exercise that targets the shoulders. It's a challenging exercise, however, so you may need to provide assistance for your child or just wait until she's older. The exercise requires that your child lower her body between two benches from an inverted letter "V" position and then push her body back to the starting position by contracting her shoulder muscles. Additionally, along with the chest and triceps, pushups also work the shoulders.
Recommendations
Have your child perform a full-body routine several times per week, allowing one to two days of rest between sessions. Have him start by performing one set of eight repetitions for each exercise at first, and then add one repetition per week until he's performing one set of 15 repetitions during each session. Then, have him add a second set of eight repetitions, and so on. Consult your child's pediatrician or your family physician if he experiences any pain.
Member Comments