Exercising and Routine for young athletes

Nowadays parents pressure their kids into specializing in a particular sport at a very young age. Parents and
coaches apply a very adult approach into developing the young athlete whereas a young athletes body develops and
strengthens at a different pace. Hence, It’s very important to provide a proper routine for these young athletes.

Research has proved that it’s always preferable that the young athlete practices a variety of sports before
specializing in one. This allows them to understand the primary movements and gain basic coordination skills.
Younger people might not gain muscle weight at that age but are prone to achieving great agility and learn how to
use their bodies more effectively.

Strength training:

Young athletes don’t have to necessarily go to the gym and lift heavy weights in order to increase their strength, it is
more preferred for them to use their body weight to gain the strength they need to play sports. Exercises such as
push ups, pull ups, squats and lunges are enough to gain strength. They need to be mentored in order to learn the
correct techniques to achieve maximum results. Doing these basic exercises allows the muscles of a young athlete
to be stronger and avoid injuries and burnouts. Also if an injury does happen which is pretty normal when exercising
or playing a sport, the muscles tend to recover quickly.

Having the right routine:

Athletes in general focus more on just exercising and getting stronger but don’t realize that eating the right things at
the right time and getting enough rest plays a vital role in an athletes fitness. Young athletes especially require an
adequate amount of rest. Sleeping early allows an athlete to formulate themselves into a routine of waking up early
and getting enough hours in order to keep fit. It’s recommended for young athletes to get 8 hours of sleep. Getting
enough sleep allows the body enough time to recover the body tissues especially for a high performing athlete . It
also helps with concentration and having a better mood. It all starts from sleeping on time and getting enough rest
which then allows you to have your meals on time and exercise efficiently.

A healthy diet:

If you are an athlete and you exercise regularly, that’s great! But having a healthy diet is also as important if not
more than exercising! Young athletes should have a well balanced diet including rich protein, fruits, vegetables and
complex carbohydrates. Along with that an athlete should make sure that they are drinking plenty of water to keep
themselves hydrated, research says to have about 6-8 glasses of water in a day. Parents and coaches should make
sure that the young athlete is avoiding sugary and fatty foods such as sweets, sodas and chips. Meals should be
eaten at the right teams and not right before sleeping as the food needs to be properly digested before sleeping as
it sometimes could take upto 2-3 hours to digest.

Coaches and parents should make sure to create a balanced and healthy lifestyle for the young athlete that allows
them to excel in the sport that they are playing. Getting in the right routine by exercising and eating clean allows for
increase in strength and effective performances.