American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines for Youth Strength Training

The pediatric sports medicine specialists and T3 coaches at Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute at UH Ahuja Medical Center strictly adhere to the strength training guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The following is a summary of the AAP guidelines we follow. The full document including guidelines can be viewed here.

1. The athlete, parents and coach should discuss their goals and expectations before beginning a strength training program. The dangers of performance-enhancing substances should also be discussed and counseled against.
2. Weight training programs will be customized based on the age, maturity and objectives of the athlete. Training sessions will include both warm-up and cool-down activities.
3. When first learning a new exercise, the athlete should use on no-load repetitions with a focus on form and technique. Full range of joint motion exercises should be performed beginning with large muscle/complex movements and ending with smaller muscle/simple movements.
4. Single maximal lifts are not recommended until the athlete has reached skeletal maturity.
5. Youth strength training programs should incorporate a variety of resistance types and athletes should be taught the skills and techniques to perform the exercises correctly.
6. Youth strength training programs should start with 1 to 2 sets per exercise, with 6 to 15 repetitions in each set. For children and adolescents, the initial load should be selected so that 10 to 15 repetitions can be completed with some fatigue but no muscle failure.
7. Participants should strength-train 2-3 nonconsecutive days each week with each session lasting from 20-30 minutes.