Overtraining in Children

Longevity Exercise Physiology and Personal Training Edgecliff, Lindfield, Marrickville, Randwick, Drummoyne, Balmain and Bella Vista today look at overtraining in children, the signs to look out for and how to avoid it.

As a successful junior athlete herself, and school athletics coach for five years, our Exercise Physiologist Georgia has learnt through her own experience the importance of appropriate training for children. Being labelled a “child prodigy” can often be a hindrance to that child’s likelihood to become a successful senior athlete. Too easily do coaches, parents and children get overly excited by the prospect of success and can begin overtraining without even realising it. Not only can this increase risk of injury and have a negative effect on their performance, but it can also ultimately result in loss of enjoyment in the sport. In Georgia’s opinion, this is the real tragedy and what we absolutely must avoid. Enjoyment needs to be prioritised over success.

Overtraining can occur when we do not allow enough time for our body to recover between sessions. This can result in poorer performance. Many athletes can mistake this for weakness and see it as a sign that they need to train harder, finding themselves stuck in a chronic overtraining cycle. Signs of overtraining include decline in performance, disturbed sleep, persistent muscle soreness or injury, decreased immunity, and fatigue. Often the symptoms of overtraining can be reversed with either complete rest or a significant reduction in load. If done correctly, a return to training that sees no more than 10% increase in load each week, an individual will experience no long-term side effects from a period of overtraining. However, when we look at children, we must remember they are still growing, and this poses another risk.

In children there is a finite point we cannot exceed without damaging the growth plate, which can result in long term implications. Growth plates are made up of cartilage cells at the end of long bones, these cells are softer and more vulnerable to injury. In most girls, growth plates close from age 14-16 and in boys 16-18. It is important we understand the that children’s bodies cannot train the same way as adults; their bones cannot endure the same load. Often children can be so blinded by the prospect of shiny trophy that all they can think about is what can they do to get to the next level. That is where we as adults need to step in and keep perspective and look towards the bigger picture. Short term success is not worth the risk of long-term damage.

Being involved in a variety of different sports can also help avoid  burnout and contribute greatly to the likelihood a child being successful in their future athletic endeavours. Another good strategy is to include cross training in your routine.

We know that overtraining and early specialization have immediate negative impacts on performance, but it can also hinder and individual’s ability to be successful as a senior athlete. Concentrating on one sport from a young age, using your muscles, bones and ligaments in the same way repeatedly can lead to an increased risk of developing overuse injuries and residual fatigue. It can also limit your ability to develop all aspects of athleticism including power, agility, speed, coordination, and endurance. Being involved in a variety of different sports can also help avoid  burnout and contribute greatly to the likelihood a child being successful in their future athletic endeavours. Another good strategy is to include cross training in your routine. As a late teenager, our Exercise Physiologist Georgia was a middle-distance runner but only completed 4 running sessions a week. The rest of her week was bulked up by a combination of swimming and cycling.

Georgia competing at the IAAF world junior championships

During Georgia’s time as a junior athlete she can only recall 2 or 3 girls who are still racing competitively as seniors. Most of the girls stopped competing by the time they were 18, or even earlier. In Georgia’s opinion, the two major reasons for drop out in young athletes is repeated injury or lack of enjoyment, two things that can easily be avoided! It is one thing to avoid overtraining to ensure success as a senior athlete, but more importantly it needs to be avoided so that children do not fall out of love with their sport. It is essential children do not develop a negative relationship with physical activity to ensure they lead healthy lifestyles in the future.

Contact Longevity Personal Training and Exercise Physiology Edgecliff, Lindfield, Marrickville, Randwick, Drummoyne, Balmain, Bella Vista on 1300 964 002 to enquire today.

Written by Georgia Wassall