oxologic

Please take a look at this people : https://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0830.htm

Here are the more important points to note:

- In addition, longitudinal studies analysing VO2max development in young endurance-trained athletes have shown that they benefit from a jump in VO2max levels around puberty of sometimes as much as 10 points.

-By extension, the same may be true for children and that to significantly improve their already good 'natural' fitness they may need to train to a higher level than the average adult model prescribes.

-The average adult will have an AT around 75% of max heart rate, but research has shown that children's AT is around 85% of max heart rate, suggesting that higher intensity training will be more appropriate for children. If we assume that a child's maximum heart rate is 205 bpm, then the optimum training heart rate for continuous CV training will be 174 bpm (205 x 0.85) which is considerably higher than the rate normally recommended for the average adult.

-The most effective kind of endurance training for children will be high-intensity continuous or interval training, where heart rates reach AT and above. It is likely that children have an AT if around 85% of max HR and, for elite young endurance athletes, it may be higher still.

Okay, that's about it and here's some questions.

- Children? Do they mean those that have not finished their puberty?

- Should they always train at a higher intensity?

- Is a base of at least 3 months still required for them?

oxologic

No one has answers for my questions?

Guest

It's difficult to answer questions regarding children- here in the States, if you want to exercise children, they pull that stuff out of the adult physical education classes. With teaching aerobics classes, my association gives out very few guidelines on how to train children, although those guidelines are specific. What they do say, is that children= under 19 years of age. Let me give you some specific quotes from them regarding children and exercise:

"To provide an aerobic training effect, an activity should provide a sufficient overload to maintain a training heart rate. The aerobic portion should resemble a normal bell curve, as recommended for hi-impact aerobics. Intensity will vary depending on activity selected. Adult standards may be used to set and monitor the exercise intensity, but insructors should be aware of the limitations and controversies regarding their use. It may be mor appropriate to use 2000 bpm minus age vs. 220 bpm minus age for estimated maximum heart rate. Other ways to monitor exercise intensity may be used instead, such as the RPE scale. It is suggested that the RPE scale be modified for youth fitness programs so that it is easier to understand. For an aerobics class, exercise seletion, elevated movement, movement patterns and sequencing, speed and lever length are important in regulating the exercise intensity. "

"For cardiorespiratory condition, when referring to adult norms, a class should include a minimum of 20 minutes and up to 45 minutes of aerobic activity within an individual's training heart rate range or rate of perceived exertion (RPE). An additional 3- 10 minutes should be added and static stretching to facilitate range of motion development ..."

"The variety of movements used and choice of exercise appropriate for the child's fitness level will be a determining factor in raising or lowering exercise intensity, as well as maintaining a consistent intensity level thoughout the aerobic portion of the class."

"Special Concerns- Aerobic capacity- a prepubescent child's maximum capacity for oxygen utilization (VO2 max) averages 1 liter per minute compared to 3 liters per minute for a 21-year-old. A 7-year-old boy has approximately 1/4 the muscle mass of an adult male. This difference in size is the primary reason for the variance in aerobic capacity between adults and children. Due to this reduced work capacity in children, adult norms should be adjusted accordingly for aerobic activities when programming youth fitness.

Children's capacity for anaerobic exercise is also dramatically reduced due to size, growth and development. Therefore, fatigue may occur sooner than expected during high-intensity activities. Intersperse anaerobic activities with breaks to enable and the children to rest and hydrate."

Reading all this (Guidelines taken from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, or AFAA), I don't see any recommendation to take children anaerobic regularly. I do see that we can take children anaerobic, but only intermittently, with appropriate rest and hydration breaks. Just because a child's heart rate is faster than an adult, doesn't mean that it should follow that we should work them harder.... there are many considerations to take into account- children are still growing, still developing, still overcoming hormonal fluctuations, so I would say that if children are taken anaerobic, they are for very brief periods of time, and really should mostly be a concern when the child is training (at an appropriate age) for a sport that may require it.

As far as a base, if they are training for a sport, and they are of an appropriate age for training, then base training should be determined as the adults base training should, just as the guidelines state- using the adult standards but being aware of the limitations and controversies of training children.

This is a tough subject to tackle, which is why I believe a lot of people would shy away from the subject. Having said that, I also maintain that if you want to train a child, take them to a professional who is versed in the training of children. Personally, I wouldn't touch them. I've only seen one child in all my indoor cycling classes, and he came with his father (late, so no setup or time to explain the bike, and no heart rate monitor either), so I kicked them out. They complained to management, and management totally backed me up and gave them the clearance to come back to my class, after signing a specific waiver of responsibility. Even then, I took a lot of class time cycling in the bike next to his to monitor his activity. When management gave him clearance to come to my class, the manager called me, and we discussed the matter at length and reviewed the child guidelines I outlined to you. We wanted to be on our toes for this one. To this day, children's classes at every club I teach at are always separated out, and children (under 18 years) are not allowed into the classes.

Is there a reason you are interested in this?

Koffee

RWTD

I don't know about aerobics but for weight training it is usually recommended they not go too heavy as long as they are still growing because it can risk shut ting off the growth plates at the ends of the bones.

oxologic

Okay, using simple maths, a 7 year old boy should have a greater capacity for work. 1 / 1/4 = 4 and 3 / 1 = 3. Thus a child has a great VO2 max than would a adult. The child would then be capable of slightly greater cardiovascular effort right? The only thing would be that the child would have a smaller power output due to the lack of muscle mass.

The reason is that I personally feel that anaerobic workouts bring me more improvements and I somehow recover better after anaerobic workout than I would for aerobic workouts ... seriously.
Also, before I built my base properly, I did anaerobic workout once a week and had significant improvements in my running. I'm not sure how much of a base would help but now I'm including anaerobic workouts after my base. I do find myself recovering better. Right now, I'm monitoring the improvements I've made. I'm improving as well but I'll have to see how much better would I improve my monitoring it in the long run. A 12 min mile pace was what I ran before at an avg HR of 167 which was about 2 weeks ago. I started adding anaerobic workouts less than a week ago and I ran a 9 min mile pace at an avg HR of 173 just yesterday. Hoepfully more improvements will come.

Guest

Noooooooo....

A child has 1/3rd of the aerobic capacity of an adult.... they have a LESSER capacity to do the work, not a greater capacity. They also have 1/4th of the muscle of an adult, so they have less capacity for power to do the work. Your simple math is off....

Re-read my post again and send me a PM and let's talk about this some more. I suspected you were wanting to do some stuff for yourself. Good job for seeing the importance of working on a good training program so early on!

Koffee

Gojohnnygo.

Take the Sony play station away from them.