Fitness Training for Children
Schoolboy motocross is a very popular sport here in the UK and with the increase in popularity comes with it an increase in the desire to win and be successful. The schoolboys are seen as the future of the sport, the pool of talent from which the next big thing will come and big teams often have an eye on youngsters from an early age - with a view to taking them under their big winged awning, come adulthood. With this comes an increased focus by parents and teams on success. This word should be used with caution when it comes to pre-pubescent kids whose mates probably measure success in house-points and playstation scores as opposed to championship points, and future contracts. I am wary of putting children under too much pressure; however there is every reason to help a keen young rider improve their riding and training is an integral part of this. It is not only beneficial for their riding, but will really improve their health too.
People often ask me if strength training is safe to do with young, pre-pubescent children. I think the picture they have in their head is them with heavy free weights and me with a whistle. Children increase strength with age; if a 6 yr old can do 3 press ups, an 8 year old can do more, and a 12 year old can do more again. This is logical and is independent of any training they do, but we can improve the actual strength of an individual too. What is interesting is that when studies were done researching this, the strength gains were similar to what an adult could expect, but there was no muscle growth seen. The development was all due to neuromuscular development. This means the brain was 'learning' to lift a weight, perform an exercise and activate the muscles required. This shows the potential children have - regardless of muscle size or development, and we must try to fulfil some of this through training. With this in mind it is advisable to focus on exercises that use body weight as the resistance and just try to do with the best technique. Press ups, sit up, dips and chin ups all train upper body strength very well, are very relevant for motocross riders and will not put children at huge risk from muscle injury. Lifting heavy weights does bring up many red flags - although many are unsubstantiated. However it can damage bone fusions and ligaments is some circumstances with very heavy weights and for this reason, using similar weights protocols to that of adults is not recommended.
I am a P.E. teacher and I know that the kids love using the gym at school. With growing boys the competition aspect is always evident. We start on cardiovascular equipment to warm up and then move onto the multi gym. The weights lifted will be limited to only a couple of plates and attention will be given to technique. This also helps those less developed to compete too. The dip bars and chin up bars are also great for them to learn on - just doing one or two is often a struggle and they enjoy the challenge. This is much safer than trying to lift weights to 8-10 reps to failure, as technique becomes poor as they try and lift more than their best mate. This is where injuries happen.
I have mentioned the merits of strength training to begin with as this is the first thing people think of when referring to children 'training'. However, I do not see it necessary to try and get special permission for under 16's to get access to the weights rooms in gyms if they follow the guidelines above and start simple and aim to increase strength endurance. The major area we can work on - and get MASSIVE improvements, is in cardio training. Gone are the days when punishments were in the forms of laps of the fields or lengths of the pool (maybe that was just my school?!). I find it amazing how unfit the school children I teach are. 5 minutes of constant running is a struggle, the pace is often very laboured and it is always clear who does any out of school activity. If your child races at the weekends and his only other form of exercise is P.E. during the week, there is massive potential for increased fitness through a few training sessions throughout the week.
Cardio training for children should have a very different focus to that for adults. I use heart rates, durations and intensities as strict parameters for adult training plans. However this is too serious for children and training should be in the form of 'play'. The effort levels need to be steady so duration can be maximised but many will find a simple run boring. Try cross country runs through a park or in a forest. Fartlek training is ideal for kids - this involves varying speeds. So start steady and then have a mini race to a lamp post, park bench etc. This keeps the heart beating and effort up there and can be repeated as necessary. This can be done on a bicycle too and these too exercises can form a great backbone to a weeks training. Think of 30 minutes as an optimal starting time for duration of sessions and work from this. It is important to point out to children why they are doing something. Especially when coming from Dad! Explain the better they can do in their training, the longer they can go in their race, the more laps they can stay near the front, and the more fun it will be.
Now then parents - why should your son or daughter go out in the cold training if you are just going to sit in a watch The Bill?! Be prepared to go with them, even if you are just going to watch, offer encouragement or do every other lap. Swimming sessions allow you to go along and maybe swim a little less than the next Bubba Stewart, but still be there and support them in their efforts.
One of the best things about getting your child into training is that they will develop an interest in their health; what they are eating, how to stay healthy etc. Test them on what they are eating at dinner and why they need to eat it. Help them with healthy dinners and snacks and you will often find that if they know why they are eating it - and that it will make them go faster on their motorbike they will be happy to eat it. I have taught many boys who, once they hit year 10, won't want to touch too many snacks or fizzy drinks as it holds no benefit for them and they understand why. They might be trying to look good for the girls as well as perform better, but they are at the gym every lunch time and ask me more questions than many of the riders I train...
A structured training plan for children will offer great improvements in health, fitness and their performance on the bike. However do be aware that it should not be done as a very serious, rigid chore, but as something fun to do and something the top pros do too - as this will motivate them to copy their role models. Use goals for them, but make them realistic and help them enjoy it. They will see the results when they hit the track and this will lead to better adherence to training and more fun when it comes to riding the motocross bike.
Top Tips for improving fitness for children
- Plan a couple of after school sessions a week that focus around enjoyment and are not too strict but maintain steady effort for up to 30 minutes.
- As you develop the training add more goals to reach - laps done, lengths swam etc and add more of a challenge.
- Think of suitable rewards! A meal out on a friday, 50p per lap, new plastics for the bike, anything that might get their attention without adding too much pressure to the training.
- Be prepared to get involved! Dads, you are the biggest role model and they will want to try and beat you.
- Use simple strength exercises such as press ups and chin ups before bed each day and note improvement. If you want to progress onto weights machines seek guidance for good technique.
- Monitor progress and keep it fun! If kids like it they will keep it up, so set a good foundation now and it may help them keep it up and take their riding to the next level and also avoid some of the health pit falls come 16-18...
