How should parents use calisthenics to prepare kids for resistance training and to teach them about physical education? Kids are getting taller, stronger, and more agile than ever. Unfortunately, they’re also becoming heavier- sometimes, it’s because they’re overeating sugar or not enough protein. When these children hit puberty, they’ll be at risk of obesity, leading to diabetes and other health problems. What if there was a way to build strength without weights? The answer is calisthenics!
Calisthenic exercises are any form of physical exercise that doesn’t use equipment or external weight but relies on one’s body weight as the only source of resistance. This article will share how parents can prep their kids for training when the time comes by doing calisthenics with them now!
What is the best kids’ calisthenics?
Any calisthenic exercise is suitable for children as long as it’s within their ability and interest. For example, kids who can’t do a single repetition can perform activities such as dips, push-ups, and pull-ups.
Here is a list of the best Kids’ Calisthenics:
Crunches
This is an excellent exercise for children to learn as it helps strengthen their core and, subsequently, their spine. Make sure your child performs this exercise with a mat on the floor first to be more comfortable. Crunches can also help improve posture as well as strengthen the abs and hip flexors.
Push-ups
This is another excellent exercise for children to learn because it strengthens their chest, triceps, and shoulders. Kids can perform this either on their knees or toes, depending on your child’s ability. Let them hold a push-up for 10 seconds every time they do one repetition so they can get used to the exercise.
Pull-ups/Chin-ups
This is another excellent exercise for children to learn because it strengthens their biceps and upper back. This should be performed on a pull-up bar only, NOT on the monkey bars at the playground! This is something that you should only teach when your child can already do at least one repetition.
Lunges
This is probably one of the best exercises for children to learn since it strengthens their quadriceps and hamstrings. Lunges are also suitable for working on balance, coordination, and cardiovascular endurance. To perform this exercise correctly, teach your child to stand with their feet shoulder-width apart first before going into a stride. Once they’re in a stride, make sure their knee doesn’t go past their toes as they lower themselves down.
Sit-ups/Crunches
This is the second-best calisthenics for children to learn after crunches. It strengthens their abs and hip flexors to help improve posture and support the core.
Lateral Jumps
This is another excellent exercise for strengthening the hips, thighs, and calves. This helps develop coordination and balance, so it’s very suitable for children who aren’t quite ready to do any running or jumping yet. This should be performed more on one leg than on two at first.
Forward Jumps
This is another excellent exercise for strengthening the hips, thighs, and calves. This also helps develop coordination and work on balance, so it’s very suitable for children who aren’t quite ready to do any running or jumping yet. As with lateral jumps, this should be done on one leg more than on two at first.
Shuttle Run
This is another excellent exercise for children to perform because it develops cardiovascular endurance, coordination, and balance. Kids should accomplish this on an even surface first to get the hang of it before they do this on uneven surfaces.
Jumping Jacks
This is good for strengthening the hips, thighs, calves, and chest while improving cardiovascular endurance. Make sure your child keeps their feet close together when they jump up, and the further they spread them apart, the more intense this exercise will become.
How can parents prepare their children for strength training?
Since we want to help our kids grow up healthy and fit, we need to start early with them by doing some exercise regularly. This is especially true if we want them to be part of the fitness community in the future when they get older. Studies show that people who participate in fitness early in life and continue through adulthood live longer than those who do not.
There are many approaches with parents teaching children about fitness, from pushing their children to compete in beauty pageants to forcing them into sports they don’t enjoy, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach for this matter. It’s best to let the child choose what they want to do as long as it’s not sitting on the couch and eating junk food all day. The best approaches encourage and educate children on how to eat right and move more.
Here are some basic guidelines for kids’ Calisthenics:
1) Make sure your child is eating healthy and getting enough sleep before starting an exercise regimen.
2) Take it slow, especially if your child is exceptionally young, unfit, or has no experience with exercise. Start with something simple, like isometric exercises, and work your way up from there.
3) Limit the number of hours your child spends in front of a TV or on the computer/iPad every day.
4) Make sure your child is getting enough calcium and protein in their diet (milk, cheese, fish, yogurt, etc.) before introducing them to weightlifting.
5) Make sure your child is wearing proper shoes for the exercise they are doing. Running shoes are not appropriate for every exercise, so consult with a sports medicine doctor if you have questions regarding this matter.
6) Find your child’s motivation because that will help them stay consistent throughout their exercise regimen.
7) Keep records of what kids’ calisthenics your child does each day and make sure they aren’t overtraining themselves.
8) Make sure you’re setting a good example by maintaining an exercise regimen yourself. If your child sees that you’re not taking care of yourself, then it will be hard to convince them they should take care of their bodies, too.
9) Make sure your child knows that there is no such thing as “too young to exercise,” and if anyone says otherwise, then they’re just full of it.
10) Make sure you and your child enjoy the exercise activities they are participating in, and do not force them to do something they don’t like. Make exercise fun for your child, so they look forward to it every day instead of dreading it. Some good examples are exercising with a friend, playing a sport, or dancing.
How many reps should a child do to start weightlifting training?
Children can start on weighted exercises as soon as they can do a single repetition. In terms of progression, we recommend children do one set of 3-5 repetitions for the first month and increase it by one rep every week until they can manage 10-12 consecutive reps with ease.
Most kids will graduate to the weighted version of a bodyweight exercise within a year or more. For example, push-ups teach kids how to perform the bench press. In comparison, pull-ups teach kids how to perform Lat pull-downs. And chin-ups prepare kids for arm curls. In addition, lunges and bodyweight squats get kids ready to perform squats and deadlifts. Finally, if kids are interested in playing a sport, make sure that their exercises mimic the moves they will perform in the sport.
The last word on how to use calisthenics to prep kids for resistance training in the future
Charles Poliquin, a world-renowned strength coach, has spoken about how vital it is to train the right muscles at the right time. When you’re young and growing up, your body can use all of its resources for development instead of focusing on slow-twitch fibers. In addition, using calisthenics exercises in workouts will prepare your child for training with weights later on.
There are several reasons you should use calisthenics exercises to build strength in kids before they train with weights. First, traditional exercises place unnecessary stress on their growing joints. Second, the key to training kids is working more effectively and with less risk of injury.
Strength training is a vital part of youth development. But, unfortunately, too many kids engage in an activity that is not strength-oriented. Instead, they take part in sports such as soccer and lacrosse, where endurance is the emphasis.
By introducing calisthenics to your child’s training, you will help them develop a healthy body weight and learn coordination. It can also prevent them from becoming couch potatoes once they reach their teenage years.
If you have a child that is overweight, start with calisthenics to build strength and mobility. This will help them get into the right frame of mind for more activity overall. What has been your experience with teaching your child about physical education? Let us know in the comments.
