Re: Raheem vs Rwanda live!
I had to look it up, I guess I was wrong, it's not that "risky" to start training with weights at that age.
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Weight Training for Young Adults
Jay H. Williams, Ph.D.
SAFETY ISSUES
The first question surrounding youth weight training is, “is it safe for the young athlete?” The answer to that question is a resounding yes, with one caveat. Research studies that examined the effects of weight training on children and adolescents report only the rare occurrence of injuries. When injuries do occur, they are usually muscle strain or lower back pain and are often resolved within 5 days. The most common cause is poor technique (more on this later). Reported injury rates for youth strength training are small, on the order of less than 1 per 1000 participant hours. This is roughly 80% lower than rates reported for participation in youth soccer and other sports, 4-5 per 1000 hours of play. As for long-term or chronic injuries, radiographic bone scans and plasma analyses of bone, muscle and connective tissue changes show no indications of damage to epiphyses (growth plates), articular cartilage (joint surfaces), tendon, ligament or muscle. Particularly important is that there is no evidence to suggest any adverse effects of weight training on musculoskeletal growth, development, flexibility or performance of young athletes.
The important caveat to consider is proper supervision and adequate instruction. The majority of injuries that occur do so as a result of poor technique.
EFFECTIVENESS
The second question asked is, “is weight training effective?” Research indicates that in children as young as age 6 to adolescents as old as age 18, weight training improves both muscular strength and physical performance. Training programs of 8-12 weeks typically elicit strength gains of 30-50%. In a recent study on young soccer players (12-15 years), weight lifting added to a soccer training program resulted in significant increases in both upper and lower body strength by more than 50%, sprint and shuttle run speed by 3-5% and vertical jump height by 23%. These results indicate that weight training incorporated as a part of a comprehensive soccer training program can improve strength, agility and speed.
Source:
http://www.tctcsoccer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43%3Aweight-training-for-young-athletes-&catid=2&Itemid=12
