The 8 Best Strength Exercises for Youth Athletes
There is one athletic quality that stands above the rest.
It makes athletes faster.
It makes them more agile.
It makes their first step more explosive.
And it bulletproofs them against injury.
In other words, it gives athletes a massive competitive advantage.
That athletic quality is strength.
Strength simply refers to how much force an athlete can create.
The more force they can create:
..the faster they can sprint
...the quicker they can cut and get past a defender
...harder than can hit a baseball or softball
...the faster they can shoot a lacrosse ball
Strength for some athletes is genetically given as they mature early. For most athletes though, this isn't the case.
This leave many athletes behind and much more susceptible to overuse and non-contact injuries like ACL tears.
So how do athletes get stronger? The answer is age-appropriate strength training.
This refers to a training program that increases the strength of the most important muscles and joints for performance. In other words, this new strength needs to transfer to improving their performance on the field, ice, or court.
The program also needs to be fit for their age and strength training level.
Here at DSC we start all of our athletes with our foundational strength training program. This includes a series of exercises that focuses first on technique and not on the amount of weight they lift. Often times we start with just their body-weight as they learn proper positioning and technique. It also focuses on bringing athletes through full ranges of motion to improve strength, flexibility and mobility.
From there we slowly increase the weight and challenge of the exercise to allow our youth athletes to improve and build confidence.
Ready to improve your strength and athletic performance?