Building Lifelong Fitness: Dr. Andy Galpin on Youth Strength Training & Movement Skills

In this episode of the "Perform" podcast, Dr. Andy Galpin, a professor, scientist, and executive director of the Human Performance Center at Parker University, tackles the often misunderstood and controversial topic of exercise, specifically strength training, for children. Despite its importance and the frequency with which he receives questions about it privately, Dr. Galpin notes the irony that he's rarely discussed it publicly. He aims to dispel persistent myths, clarify the scientific consensus, highlight the extensive benefits, and provide practical guidance for parents, coaches, and anyone involved in youth development. The episode emphasizes shifting the focus from adult-centric workout models to child-centric play and movement literacy, ultimately aiming to build a foundation for lifelong health, activity, and well-being.

Key Insights

• Strength training, when appropriately supervised and progressed, is not only safe but highly beneficial for children's physical, cognitive, and mental health, contrary to persistent myths about stunting growth or being inherently dangerous.
• The concept of "strength training" for kids should be reframed as developing "movement literacy"—enhancing coordination, control, stability, and the ability to solve movement problems creatively, rather than focusing on maximal strength or bodybuilding.
• Today's children face unique challenges (reduced PE, less free play, increased sedentary time) making structured physical activity and foundational movement skills more crucial than for previous generations; relying solely on organized sports is often insufficient.
• The benefits of youth exercise extend far beyond physical fitness, positively impacting academic performance, executive function, self-esteem, resilience, mood regulation (reducing anxiety/depression), and even long-term health outcomes like reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease.
• Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) models provide a framework for age- and skill-appropriate progression, emphasizing multi-sport participation, fun, foundational skills over early specialization, and quality coaching across all stages, aiming for lifelong activity.
• Early sport specialization (before ~16 years old) is generally discouraged, as evidence shows multi-sport participation often leads to better long-term athletic success, reduced injury risk, and less burnout, without hindering elite potential.
• Creating a positive, fun, and encouraging environment is paramount; focusing on games over drills, allowing kids to solve movement problems, ensuring variety, and modeling active behavior are key strategies for fostering a lifelong love of movement.

Debunking Myths and Redefining Strength Training

Dr. Galpin begins by addressing the historical roots of misconceptions surrounding kids and strength training. A primary myth—that lifting weights stunts growth—originated from a 1960s Japanese study observing shorter stature in children engaged in heavy manual labor. However, this correlation likely stemmed from confounding factors like malnutrition and harsh conditions, not the labor itself. Despite decades of research demonstrating the safety and benefits, this "zombie myth" persists, even appearing in recent medical publications advocating *against* weightlifting for kids due to supposed strain on developing bodies - a claim Dr. Galpin states is "insanely untrue."

He systematically debunks other common myths:

• Only for athletes: Exercise benefits all children, not just those in competitive sports. The mantra "if you have a body, you're an athlete" applies.
• Wait until 12 / Can't get strong before puberty: Kids can start strength training as soon as they can follow instructions and are interested (often 5-7 years old). They make significant strength gains primarily through neuromuscular adaptations even before puberty.
• Makes girls bulky: Significant muscle hypertrophy is very difficult for prepubescent children (boys or girls).
• Alters puberty onset: Exercise doesn't significantly hasten or delay puberty.
• Requires expensive equipment/trainers: Effective programs can utilize bodyweight, simple tools, and be implemented in various environments at low or no cost.

Crucially, Dr. Galpin urges listeners to adopt a "child-centric" view. When adults hear "strength training," they imagine gym routines, heavy lifting, and specific protocols. For children, however, strength training should primarily mean enhancing movement literacy. This involves improving locomotion, coordination, control, stability, and providing movement options and variety. It's about teaching kids how to move well and solve movement problems, much like learning a language vocabulary. He draws a powerful analogy: we start teaching language from day one, use age-appropriate methods, make it fun, understand the long-term benefits of literacy, and stimulate without overwhelming. The same principles apply to developing movement skills.

The Urgent Need for Structured Movement Today

Dr. Galpin argues strongly that this generation faces a unique situation requiring a more deliberate approach to physical activity. Unlike previous generations who often accumulated sufficient movement through daily life, play, and robust school PE programs, today's children experience:

• Decreased overall activity: Less unstructured outdoor play, more sedentary screen time, and less active family/community norms.
• Reduced PE and Recess: Significant cuts in school-based physical education and playtime limit built-in opportunities for movement development.
• Sports Participation Isn't Enough: While valuable, participation rates are down, and sports alone often don't provide the broad foundation of movement skills needed, especially when overall daily activity is low. The caloric expenditure during practice/games is often less than perceived.

This leads to what Dr. Figenbaum termed "Exercise Deficit Disorder" (EDD) and "Dynapenia" (underdeveloped strength/muscle) in youth. The most concerning outcome is "physical illiteracy," which can create a downward spiral: poor movement leads to low confidence, reduced enjoyment, less activity, further falling behind peers, and ultimately, withdrawal from physical pursuits. This illiteracy can persist into adulthood, increasing injury risk when individuals later attempt to become active because they lack foundational movement skills and tissue tolerance.

Comprehensive Benefits of Youth Exercise

The positive impacts of regular, varied physical activity and strength training for kids are extensive:

• Physical: Improved cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, body composition, muscle mass, and crucial bone health development (setting the stage for peak bone mass). Enhanced connective tissue strength and coordination lead to significant injury reduction (up to 50-60% in some studies). Establishes habits for lifelong physical activity.
• Cognitive: Improvements in executive function (working memory, mental flexibility, inhibition), overall cognitive function, direct academic achievement, and on-task behavior in school. More varied activity and multi-sport participation are linked to better academic outcomes.
• Mental/Emotional: Increased self-esteem and perceived competence (especially important for girls), greater resilience and grit, reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and potentially ADHD. Promotes overall happiness and well-being.
• Long-Term Health: Youth activity levels are linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases later in life, such as type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis (heart disease), independent of family history.

Assessing Movement Skills (Investigate & Interpret)

Dr. Galpin emphasizes the importance of assessing children's movement capabilities, not just for athletic development but for general health and injury prevention. Knowing a baseline is critical for determining return-to-play readiness after injury and for identifying potential imbalances that arise during non-uniform growth spurts.

He recommends accessible tools:

• YFIT (Youth Fitness International Test): An open-access, peer-reviewed battery including height, weight (for BMI calculation), a 20m shuttle run (cardio fitness), handgrip strength, and a standing long jump (power/coordination). Normative data is available.
• Fitback: Another open-access resource (https://www.fitbackeurope.eu/en-us/) using similar tests, allowing users to input scores online and receive customized reports – useful for individuals, parents, or groups.

He cautions against overly rigid age-based performance standards due to the vast individual variability in childhood development.

Implementing Effective Programs: LTAD and Practical Examples (Intervene)

The core framework recommended is the Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model. Importantly, this focuses on developing athleticism (broad physical capacities) in all children, not grooming elite athletes. Key principles include:

• Starting early but remaining age/developmentally appropriate.
• Prioritizing fun, positive experiences, and engagement.
• Emphasizing broad motor skills and foundational movements.
• Encouraging multi-sport participation, discouraging early specialization.
• Ensuring quality coaching focused on holistic development (body, mind, confidence).
• Grouping by skill/maturity rather than just chronological age when possible.
• Aiming for lifelong physical activity and well-being.

Dr. Galpin outlines a sample progression based on LTAD principles (acknowledging input from experts like Jeremy Frisch):

• Ages 0-5 (Babies/Toddlers): Focus entirely on play, exploration, minimal instruction, enormous variety (run, jump, roll, climb, throw different objects). Let them solve movement problems.
• Ages 6-10 (Elementary/Fundamentals): Introduce more structured games, relays, obstacle courses combining multiple movements (crawl under, jump over, spin), competitive elements, still emphasizing fun and variety.
• Ages 11-14 (Middle School/Learn to Train): More organized sessions, potentially introducing more traditional strength training exercises (bodyweight, bands, light weights), focus on technique, still maintaining variety and multi-faceted movement.
• Ages 14-18 (High School/Train to Train/Compete): More focus on specific fitness components (strength, speed), skill development for chosen sports, introduction to competition strategies, potential start of specialization (~16+).
• Post-High School (Train to Win/Specialize): Elite training, optimization for a specific sport.
• Lifelong (Active for Life): Return to variety, focus on health, enjoyment, potentially mentoring others.

He provides a sample 40-minute workout structure for a 7-year-old:

1. Warm-up (10 min): Focus: Balance, stability, reaction time, fun. Example: Get-up to one-leg hop variations. Relaxed coaching.
2. Coordination (15 min): Focus: Movement efficiency, power. Example: Bear crawl relays, hoop-to-cone throws. Fast, loose, competitive coaching.
3. Movement Skill (10 min): Focus: Speed, agility, reaction time. Example: Tennis ball catch drills, coach-led reaction games.
4. Game (5 min): Focus: Fun finisher, develop athleticism. Example: Flag tag variations (e.g., one-leg hop only). Coach as referee.

Regarding plyometrics (jumping/landing), Dr. Galpin dismisses excessive fear, stating kids do it naturally. The danger lies in excessive volume or adding high-impact work onto an already overloaded schedule, not the movements themselves.

Specific Guidelines for Weightlifting and Youth Athletes

When incorporating actual weightlifting (dumbbells, barbells, machines, etc.):

1. Focus on quality, positivity, fun over numbers.
2. Ensure a safe environment (clear space, proper equipment).
3. Frequency/Duration: 2-3 times/week, 20-30 minutes of actual lifting per session.
4. Technique: Prioritize full range of motion with good form, especially as load increases.
5. Warm-up: Always start with dynamic movements.
6. Sets/Reps/Load: Generally 1-3 sets of 6-15 reps with light to moderate load (e.g., <60-70% 1RM). Avoid high fatigue. Occasional heavier sets (up to ~80% 1RM) or lower reps (3-5 for power/speed) can be used sparingly in experienced/mature kids.
7. Progression: Increase load gradually (5-10%) as competence improves.
8. Exercise Selection: Focus on multi-joint movements (squat, hinge, press, pull), covering major patterns. Limit isolation work unless correcting specific imbalances.
9. Variety: Regularly vary exercises, stances, implements.

For youth athletes involved in organized sports:

1. Avoid sharp increases in activity after periods of rest (e.g., start of season).
2. Prioritize foundational movement training over excessive sport-specific skill practice (aim for no more than a 2:1 ratio of sport practice hours to free play/general training hours).
3. Limit single-sport participation to roughly 8 months per year to allow for rest, recovery, and variety.
4. Strongly discourage early specialization (focusing intensely on one sport) before age 16. Evidence overwhelmingly supports multi-sport participation for reducing injury/burnout and often leading to *better* long-term elite performance (citing Super Bowl roster stats and large meta-analyses).

Motivation and Resources

To encourage less active kids:

• Model active behavior yourself.
• Expose them to active peer groups and community environments.
• Vary the physical environment (water, forest, playground, gym).
• Try different movement modes (swimming, biking, skating).
• Use different implements (balls, bats, rackets, sticks).
• Vary play partners (parents, siblings, peers, solo).
• Frame activities around task goals (building something, exploring) rather than purely sport/competition goals.

Dr. Galpin recommends several resources (books, courses, organizations) including works by the NSCA, Avery Figenbaum, ACSM, Jeremy Frisch, the Good Athlete Project (Jim Davis), and the Future of Play initiative (Brian Finnegan), many of which are low-cost or provide funding/networking opportunities.

Conclusion

Dr. Andy Galpin concludes by emphasizing the critical need for a paradigm shift in how we approach youth physical activity. It's not just about preventing obesity or creating elite athletes; it's about instilling a lifelong positive relationship with movement through fun, varied, and developmentally appropriate experiences. By focusing on movement literacy, embracing LTAD principles, and avoiding the pitfalls of early specialization and adult-centric training models, we can equip children with the physical, cognitive, and emotional tools they need to thrive. Building athleticism in youth isn't just optional; in today's world, it's foundational for building healthier, more resilient future adults. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "We can't always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."