Trainability of the Prepubescent Child

In brief: It is difficult to interpret studies of training-induced physiologic changes in prepubescents because the results may be confounded by the effects of growth and development. Thus studies of this group must carefully equate the training dose and include a control group. The research reviewed in this article indicates that aerobic power, muscle strength, and anaerobic muscle power are trainable. However, the degree of trainability of aerobic power seems somewhat lower in prepubescents than in more mature age-groups. Strength training is recommended for prepubescents only when needed for rehabilitation or for developing well-defined skills; lifting of maximal weights is discouraged.