Strength Training for Youth Athletes

Foundational Movement Patterns

In any athletic training regimen, mastering fundamental movement patterns is crucial. These patterns lay the groundwork for athletic performance and serve as the basis for more complex exercises in the gym. Among these fundamental movements are:

• Squat

• Lunge

• Hinge

• Push

• Pull

In this article, we'll focus on the squat pattern, with plans to cover other essential movements in subsequent pieces.

These movements not only feature prominently in sports, but also form the cornerstone of weight room workouts. They can all be executed using just the athlete's body weight as resistance. It's imperative, especially for young athletes, to start with body weight resistance or extremely light resistance bands to prevent injury and promote proper form.

Squat

An effective way to assess an athlete's readiness for squatting is by evaluating their overhead squat technique. Proper form assessment should begin from the ankles, moving up the kinetic chain, ensuring proper alignment through the knees, hips, lower back, upper back, shoulders, and cervical spine.

How to Perform an Overhead Squat

• Start in a standing position with toes pointed forward and feet shoulder-width apart, distributing weight evenly across the foot, with emphasis on the heels.

• Extend both arms overhead, palms facing each other.

• Initiate the squat by "sitting down in an imaginary chair" behind you, bending both knees until they reach a 90-degree angle, with knees and hips aligned, and thighs parallel to the ground.

• Once at the bottom position, extend the knees and hips to return to the standing position.

Common Mistakes and Corrections

One common mistake observed in youth athletes during the overhead squat is spinal rounding, indicating weakness in the hamstrings, adductor magnus, rectus abdominis, and external obliques.

Corrections:

• Prone back extensions: Perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps to strengthen the erector spinae muscles.

• Front elbow planks: Hold for 3-5 sets of 15 seconds to strengthen the rectus abdominis and external obliques.

• Hamstring curls with light resistance bands: Perform 12-15 reps per leg to target the hamstrings.

Another common error is the forward falling of the arms during the squat, suggesting underactivity in the latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles.

Corrections:

• Bodyweight inverted rows: Execute 3 sets of 6-8 reps to strengthen the shoulders and lats.

• Banded external rotations: Perform 12-15 reps with a light resistance band to strengthen the teres minor.

An athlete can progress to an assisted squat once they can perform 10 repetitions of an overhead squat without significant postural mistakes. Each progression should be undertaken cautiously, ensuring the athlete maintains proper form and experiences little fatigue.

It's crucial to understand that progressive overload for youth athletes should prioritize increasing repetitions or exercise difficulty rather than adding load to prevent injury to growth plates. While weight training has its benefits when done correctly, it's essential to consider each athlete's physical limitations.

Important Considerations:

Athletes progress at different rates, and it's essential not to succumb to pressure from sources advocating premature heavy lifting or risky exercises for young athletes. Progress should be measured by improvements in form, posture, and range of motion, rather than comparison with peers.

Exercise Library

• Prone back extension - lying on the ground on their stomach with arms at 90 degrees from their shoulders, cue the athlete to lift their chest by engaging the muscles in the low and mid back, and the shoulders. Simultaneously have the athlete engage their glutes and hamstrings to lift their legs off of the ground. Their mid section will remain on the ground and the athlete will resemble a sky diver fee falling. 

• Front elbow plank - the athlete will by lying with both elbows and forearms on the ground and their legs straight back behind them with their feet close together. The athlete will then lift their hips to the ceiling engaging the lower and mid core, trying to keep their hips, shoulders, and heels in a straight line with each other. The athlete will hold this position for the determined duration of time. 

• Hamstring curl - attach a light resistance band to the ankle of the athlete. Have the athlete in the prone position with the banded leg extended , and que them to pull their heel towards their lower back , engaging the hamstring in flexion. After they complete a full range contraction where the heel reaches the glute, have them slowly extend the leg back into the starting position. 

• Body weight inverted row - have the athlete lying on their back underneath an elevated bar that is placed arm length above their head. Athlete grips the bar with hands shoulder width apart. With feet flat on the floor and knees bent, que the athlete to pull their chest up to the bar while activating the muscles in the shoulders, continuing to apply force until the arms reach 90 degrees of flexion at the elbow. The athlete then slowly extends the arms back into the starting position. 
  

• Banded external rotation - attach a light resistance band to a sturdy base. Have the athlete stand facing perpendicular to the band attachment while they hold the band at waists level with a bent arm, holding the elbow tight to the side of the body. While maintaining the elbow tight to the hip, externally rotate the shoulder away from the attachment site while maintaining posture through the spine and shoulder, then slowly internally rotate the shoulder back to the starting position. 

• Assisted Squat -  have the athlete in a standing position with both hands grabbing a pole, column, or sturdy structure they can firmly grasp. Que the athlete to “sit in an imaginary chair” similar to the overhead squat description while using the support structure to keep their back straight and maintain posture, achieving 90 degree flexion at the knee with upper leg parallel to the ground, then extending back into the standing position. 

  Stay tuned for our next strength training post where we take a deeper dive into the push / pull series of movements. After touching on each of the basic movements, we will conclude on how to implement each of these movements into your workouts.