REF-1060 · Faigenbaum et al., 2009 · Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, · Paper · PubMed

The NSCA's updated position statement on youth resistance training

The association holds that children and adolescents following age-specific guidelines can gain many of the benefits adults get from resistance training, and updates its 1996 statement on risks, benefits, type and amount of training, and program design; the indexed abstract is the introduction and stops before the position points

Astrong evidenceMeasured on non-to trained athletesWritten before October 2026, being re-checked

The NSCA's 2009 update of its youth resistance training position (first published 1985, revised 1996). Abstract only was read; the indexed abstract reproduces the introduction. It sets the context (daily, school-aged youth should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity; with appropriate prescription and supervision, resistance training can give children and adolescents unique benefits), states the four areas updated, and defines the terms used.

Key Findings

Under current recommendations, school-aged youth should take part every day in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and that activity should suit their stage of development, be enjoyable and be varied (abstract).
Beyond aerobic activities like swimming and cycling, research increasingly indicates that resistance training, if properly prescribed and supervised, can bring children and adolescents unique benefits; medical, fitness and sport organisations are moving towards universal, qualified acceptance of youth resistance training (abstract).
The NSCA accepts and backs the view that children and adolescents who train to age-specific resistance training guidelines can achieve many of the benefits linked to adult resistance training programs (abstract).
The update addresses 4 major areas: (a) the possible risks and concerns of youth resistance training; (b) its possible health and fitness benefits; (c) how much and what kind of resistance training healthy children and adolescents need; (d) how to design programs to optimise long-term training adaptations (abstract).
Definitions used: children = girls and boys without secondary sex characteristics yet (roughly to age 11 (girls) and 13 (boys); Tanner stages 1 and 2); adolescence = girls 12-18 years old and boys 14-18 years old (Tanner stages 3 and 4) (abstract).
Resistance training = progressively using many different resistive loads and many training modalities to improve health, fitness and sports performance; weightlifting = the competitive sport of the snatch and the clean and jerk (abstract).
The position points that follow "It is the current position of the NSCA that:" are not in the indexed abstract and are not reproduced here.

Practical Application

**Can my child do strength training?The NSCA position statement (Faigenbaum 2009, A, all school-aged youth) says many of the benefits of adult resistance training are attainable by children and adolescents who follow age-specific guidelines, and that resistance training offers unique benefits when appropriately prescribed and supervised.** For a young cyclist the answer is yes, supervised and age-appropriate — the same direction as the later international consensus (REF-600).
Use maturation, not birthday, when the statement's categories matter: it defines children and adolescents by secondary sex characteristics and Tanner stage, with the approximate ages only as a guide (abstract).
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: how much and how to progress come from REF-601 (more sets and longer programs did more) and the technique-first rule in SYNTH-81; adult gym programming is SYNTH-43.

Limitations

Position statement: expert synthesis, not an experiment.
The indexed abstract is the introduction only; the actual position points, any loads, frequencies, injury data and program-design specifics are in the full text, which was not read.
This is the older statement; the later international consensus (REF-600) is the more recent one in the base.
General youth population; not specific to endurance sport.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level

major position statement (rubric A); the indexed abstract is the paper's introduction and ends at "It is the current position of the NSCA that:", so the position points themselves are not available here