When a child reaches puberty, hormones, such as Testosterone are released into the body. The body requires Testosterone for visible muscle gains, thus, building muscle size or “bulking up” is not typical for children prior to puberty. However, strength training DOES change the way a child’s muscle nerves fire by allowing nerves to activate more muscle fibers, i.e. more of the muscle will be used to perform the movement. As a result of this, children can improve strength prior to going through puberty.

This is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

 Resistance training can enhance strength. Such gains in strength can be attributed to neuromuscular “learning,” in which training increases the number of motor neurons that will fire with each muscle contraction

With summer here preseason training for fall sports begins. Remember, your young athlete CAN get stronger and better prepared, even if they are not “bulking up”.  If there should be any injuries throughout the training process, or if you are looking for safe effective training tips, stop in to Hands On Physical Therapy to get back on the field and maximize training results.