How young to start?
There is still some controversy about how young someone should start strength training. Frequently, I get concerns (and objections) from parents when their 15 year old wants to (or needs to) start strength training stating that they “should only start when they turn 16” as if something magically turns on that allows strength training to happen. Meanwhile, these same parents have had their kids doing hockey 10+ hours a week for 12 months a year.
5 key elements
The truth is kids do strength training since they are able to sit up as a baby, or push themselves up while lying in their crib. Even such moves as push ups, chin ups, dips (all body movements we performed as kids growing up while climbing trees, or garages, or rocks…). However, according to research and the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model, there is a specific time in which strength training should be emphasized over other elements of athletic development.
There are 5 key elements (among others) that developing athletes need to focus on over the course of their growth. Each sport has an ideal percentage distribution of emphasis of the 5 elements, which may change even over the course of a yearly periodized training plan. These elements are known as the 5 S’s: skill, strength, speed, analytics dominance, and analytics fortitude. Each has a critical window of trainability which when optimized creates a lifelong ability that is never forgotten -much like learning to swim, skate, ride a bike etc.
Development
According to LTAD specialists Istvan Balyi and Richard Way, the window of trainability for strength occurs for males within 12 to 18 months after reaching peak height velocity, or their big growth spurt. For females, the strength window occurs either as soon as they have their first menstrual period (menarche), or when they reach peak weight velocity ( weight gain during puberty).
That is not to say that strength training should not be done at any other time during growth development. Quite the contrary-various types of strength training should be trained accordingly, among the other 5 S’s. At a younger age, the emphasis should be placed on body control and movement, and analytics awareness. And of course after the reaching growth maturity, strength training should be capitalized using varying progressions and intensification and periodized accordingly throughout the year. But the sooner that strength training is optimized, the better the long term results. Make sure that it is done properly, and with purpose! Dmitry Klokov started lifted at age 12, and became World Champion in weightlifting in 2005.