The Benefits and Risks of Exercise and Youth

Unsupervised physical activities among children have been discouraged for various reasons. Children’s safety, physical and emotional development, and interference with bone and muscular growth became rising concerns. Everyone’s physical fitness levels declined in all areas. As a result, today’s youth are faced with dealing with adult diseases; heart disease, obesity, lack of flexibility and muscular atrophy. “Muscular strength increases through muscle size and the more efficient recruitment of existing muscle fibers” (Williams, 2004).

The first Mr and Ms Olympia title holders worked out with plastic dumbbells and no certified personal trainers in their teen years; they are all in excellent health today.

“The time to build strong muscles and a skeleton system is in the pre-teen and teen years. " ("A Fitness Center for," 2005, p. BS1) The central nervous system, the muscles, and the skeleton all develop; some changes are prescribed by heredity, but our biological heritage is modulated continuously by our environment and our life experiences.

(Clark, 2007) Infants gain strength and balance to lift their heads, roll over, sit up, stand, and walk.

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Infants physically exert and push their bodies to maximum physical limitations they are capable of while progressing through all these stages. Weight trainers apply the same methods when working out. Weight training is not a complete fitness program. All physical activities decrease flexibility unless stretch routine equals the sport. Weight training will not enhance other athletic skills.

Experts claimed weight lifting decreases flexibility, but all physical activity does such as running, walking, hip-hop dancing. A five or ten minute warm-up is not adequate stretching.

Tight muscles limit overall mobility leaving the exerciser more prone to injury at all times. A fully equipped gym repeatedly exercises the same muscles, in the same way leaving certain areas of the muscles unused. Six upper body weight machines targets the triceps, biceps, shoulders but there are no machines using the supporting and connecting muscles.

For a preteen or teen, male or female, internal and external muscles used for growth may be unbalanced causing lifelong problems. The exerciser does not have to workout at athletic levels to develop an unbalanced muscular system during growth periods. Students who carried book sacks on one shoulder is now developing problems with physical alignment. Weight training can have the same consequences. Society learned to be overly cautious about exercising without supervision for various reasons. Sometimes they have the targets best interest in mind.

Sometimes it is nothing more than a controlled factor. Youth, kids, teens and preteens incorporated physical activity into their lives without certified trained professionals for years. The earliest body building champions, Lou Ferigno, Schwargeneggar, Rachel Mclish trained with plastic dumbbells wherever they could, without certified trainers or modern gyms. Young people who are in acceptable physical health considering weight training programs will increase internal physical health, bone development, decrease chances of sugar problems, decrease obesity than if they chose to stay sedentary.

References Clark, J. E. (2007). On the Problem of Motor Skill Development: Motor Skills Do Not Develop Miraculously from One Day to the Next. They Must Be Taught and Practiced. JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 78(5), 39+. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5021484850 A Fitness Center for Kids Only; the Sarasota Family YMCA's New Room Promotes Healthy Habits for Children. (2005, January 24). Sarasota Herald Tribune, p. BS1.

Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5008430631 Garcia, R. , Flores, E. S. , & Chang, S. M. (2004). Healthy Children, Healthy Communities: Schools, Parks, Recreation, and Sustainable Regional Planning. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 31(5), 1267+. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5008590790 O'Connor, J. P. , & Temple, V. A. (2005). Constraints and Facilitators for Physical Activity in Family Day Care. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 30(4), 1+.

Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5012125114 Raudensky, J. , & Lamberth, J. G. (2004). An Innovative Mechanism for Youth Fitness: Want a Fitness Program That Is Engaging, Easy to Implement, and Inclusive for All Students? Try Stretch-Band Exercises. JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 75(4), 44+. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5002651190 Weight Training Builds Up Bones. (2004, July 11).

The Washington Times, p. C12. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5006251662 Williams, K. (2004). What's Motor Development Got to Do with Physical Education? Learning Basic Motor-Development Concepts Will Help Students Understand the Skill Differences They See in Their Classmates and in Themselves. JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 75(6), 35+. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5006819749