Coaches and parents have debated when the youngster should begin serious endurance training for many years. To date they are unable to resolve this problem in a definitive manner. By serious training I mean that the athlete begins specializing in endurance running. This is why it is not uncommon to find some youngsters today beginning marathon training in their early teens.
Most experts believe that serious endurance training should not begin until approximately 18 years of age, in early adulthood. There are many excellent reasons for this. First is that it is impossible to predict whether the child has the genetic or even the physical and technical abilities to succeed as an adult. Changes in body mass and other variables that occur with maturation often turn promising junior athletes into has-been adolescents.
Most important here is that there is no major scientific evidence to indicate that specializing at an early age with heavy endurance training is of any benefit. There are however, many studies indicating the opposite. There is considerable evidence that these juniors hardly ever succeed for any length of time as seniors.
This is probably related to the fact that the body of a youngster is unable to optimally adapt to heavy training. This is due mostly to the fact that youngsters lack the appropriate hormonal concentrations needed for optimal adaptation. The body is best able to withstand heavy endurance training mainly between the ages of 18 to 30 years of age.
Thus endurance runners who have the longest and most successful careers are those who started heavy training later in life. As a result it allows them to perform at their best when the body is at its physical peak. This however, does not mean that youngsters should not do any long-distance running. The key here is that it should be at a minimum.
This is most important in the early years especially in the pre-and pubertal years, is to develop the technical and physical abilities needed for successful long-distance running. This means that children should be taught how to run correctly. This should be the responsibility of physical education teachers and not be left to chance alone or to running coaches who often know very little about running technique.
The physical abilities should be developed in relation to the running technique. The strength and endurance exercises should be specific to the joint actions that occur. Before doing my specialized training however, the youngster should be exposed to exercises to develop a strong foundation upon which the special exercises can be done.
Youngsters should be introduced to local exercises (exercises that target one or two specific muscles) to develop the oxidative enzymes that are responsible for the prevention of fatigue and allow the runner to continue running long distances. This is a very important, but mostly ignored, part of the endurance runner’s training.
The best strength training program to develop the physical and technical abilities is the 1 x 20 RM strength training program. In this program the youngster does up to 20 exercises for 20 repetitions and one set. It is a moderate intensity program which is best suited for adaptation so that the youngster develops at his or her optimal rate. For more information on this program see the Revolutionary 1 x 20 RM Strength Training Program.
For more information on this topic read Explosive Running.