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The participation of children and early and late adolescents in resistance training activities, including training for sport, appears to continually be on the rise. The involvement of youth in the sport of weightlifting and the use of weightlifting methods as part of training for sport performance also appears to be growing. The increased acceptance of these activities is evidenced by the number of both lay and scientific articles, specialized magazines and publications devoted to the different types of resistance training. It is also indicated by simple observation of fitness centres and sports training facilities. The use of resistance training appears to be growing in popularity despite poorly supported position statements, anecdotal reports and speculation concerning the potential for injury. Children and adolescents participating in resistance training programs can make noticeable increases in strength and power as well as physiological parameters associated with both health and sport performance. Although the number of children and adolescents (aged 8–18 years) involved in some form of resistance training is increasing and evidenced-based reviews that support these activities have been published, controversy still exists. There are still those who insist that training with free weights, particularly the sport of weightlifting, should not take place until a person is fully developed, even though there is not much objective evidence to support such a position. More recently published scientific data support the notion that properly supervised resistance training programs can improve sport performance, reduce injury potential and enhance healthy facets of children and early and late adolescents.

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An effective strength and conditioning program is an essential component of the preparation of any athlete or sportsperson. Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance is a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the theory and practice of strength and conditioning, providing students, coaches and athletes with everything they need to design and implement effective training programs.

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Introduction: Conceptually, it is important to understand the underlying physiological mechanisms of any training program model. This understanding aids the coach/sport scientist in making better choices in manipulating variables in formulating the training model. These underlying mechanisms can be associated with training variable manipulation, fatigue management aspects and the overall health of the athlete. Hormone and cytokine concentrations can be linked to alterations resulting from the manipulation of training variables and to subsequent alterations in performance. For example, alterations in the testosterone: cortisol ratio (T:C) has been associated with alterations in training volume as well as physiological aspects such as lean body mass, fat content and strength/power performance. Although cytokine production is part of the adaptive process, markedly increased/excessive cytokine production has been related poor fatigue management and over training. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the alterations and relationships among training variables, and physiological variables. Subjects: Nine (9) D-1 collegiate throwers and 4 control subjects participated in the study. Methods: The throwers participated in an 11- week periodized resistance training and throws program. Volume load was recorded throughout the study. Hormone (testosterone and cortisol (C), and adipokine (adiponectin, leptin, and resistin) measurements were taken at weeks 1, 7, and 11 for the throwers. Results: Hormone values did not exhibit statistically significant changes across time; however, there were trends across time for C, the T:C ratio and adiponectin. Conclusions: Based on the hormonal and adipokine data, it appears that the training program produced some positive effects. These effects indicate a reasonable degree of fatigue management in that C decreased and the T:C ratio was increased as volume load decreased. Literature supports the idea that increases in adiponectin may be a positive outcome of a sound training protocol (Smith et al., 2000). The present observation indicates that adiponectin increased in concert with decreases in C and increases in the T:C. ratio. Considering the effects of these hormones and cytokines, these alterations over time indicate a lesser degree of obesity related inflammation and a higher degree of “fitness” and preparedness

Abstract available in the Medicine and Sciences in Sports and Exercise.

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