Teen Fitness Concerns

Teenagers have some peculiarities of their anatomical and physiological characteristics . Their skeletal and muscular systems are not yet fully developed . These growing muscles , ligaments , bones and tendons are vulnerable to injury

During puberty , kids experience a growth spurt when bones grow more quickly than muscles and tendons , making muscles and tendons short tight , and prone to injury . In addition , teens may also become less coordinated as they adjust to their physical changes , which can increase the risk of injury

So , the main concern in designing a teen fitness program must be

br considered to be safety . Great care must be given in all aspects of a fitness-training program as to provide the young athlete protection from injury . Improper technique or poorly performed warm-up could cause muscle strains . Teens should not attempt to lift maximal or near-maximal amounts of resistance . Bones mineralization of the young athlete is lower as the of an adult and teenagers has risk of fractures . Another locus minoris resistenciae ' is growth cartilage or epiphyseal plates Intensive weight loading on the long bones which are not ossified completely could possibly cause growth stunting (by limiting growth of the damaged bone . Contraction stress of the quadriceps results in Osgood-Schlatter disease . This is one of the most common causes of knee pain in the adolescent . Disease is generally a benign , self-limited knee condition associated with traction apophysitis in adolescent boys and girls

An improtant concern in regards to teen fitness must be to help emphasize a realistic body image . With the emphases today on the "perfect body " portrayed by the media , advertising and professional sports many people especially teens have developed an unrealistic ideal of what is not only normal but of what is obtainable with fitness training . Our task must be to help the young athlete understand what can be expected from a fitness training program as well as what is and what is not realistic

Teens should avoid tobacco , alcohol and drug use . Young athlete who use tobacco products , alcohol or drugs is not only at the risk of additional injuries but he /she is limited in performance ability . Teens with a positive self image and participating in a well run fitness program have less of a problem with the above substances as they have a higher concern with there health and sports performance

A problem that does pose a particular problem to teen athletes is the temptation to use anabolic steroids which should be avoided . Steroids can produce very serious side effects in both males and females . Using steroids for a long time can negatively affect the reproductive systems and cause infertility . These long-lasting and sometimes irreversible negative health effects is present in anyone who abuses anabolic steroids abut this risk may be further amplified in teenagers who abuse these substances . Teens , in particular , are at risk for accelerated puberty and skeletal maturation that leads to irreversible stunted growth . Teens who abuse anabolic steroids are often well aware of the dangers associated with this practice , but are driven...