by Victoria Sullivan

Created on: April 22, 2008

To most people bodybuilding and weight training are synonymous; however, there are significant differences. For this title, I believe that weight training may have been the intended topic.

Bodybuilding is a sport in and of itself. It consists of a very strict (bordering on dangerous) diet, grueling weight training sessions, never ending cardiovascular workouts and often require controversial diet supplements to achieve the lean, overly muscular physique required for competition. The demands placed on a person's body far exceed anything that should be allowed in any school age program.

Weight training, on the other hand, is invaluable in its physical and emotional benefits and should be compulsory, along with a cardiovascular fitness routine and nutrition classes, for students in the grades 10 through 12. Weight training is an important component of any fitness regimen.

Obesity is attacking our children at alarming rates. We not only need to teach our children that fitness is important, but we need to give them the tools they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout their lives. Weight training, done properly, increases bone density, fights osteoarthritis, increases the body's overall metabolism (in turn increasing the body's ability to burn calories)and gives the body a lean, strong look.

Most kids are going to find their way into the gym on their own, either for sports conditioning or because they want to look more fit. No person should begin a weight training program without proper training and the last thing that you want is one untrained child teaching another untrained child. Poor form, lifting more weight than is controllable and over training can all lead to serious injury, the kinds of injuries that cannot be healed without surgery. Nowhere is proper education more important than when a person is beginning something new. Bad habits are difficult to break and I see bad lifting habits in the gym all the time. Learning the correct techniques and principles from the onset will allow your body to get the most benefit from each training session and provide the foundation for a healthful life.

Weight training along with cardiovascular conditioning and nutrition basics should be compulsory for our children. Most kids are going to find their way into a gym on their own and need to be armed with the knowledge to use the equipment safely and efficiently. Furthermore, it is important to give all kids the education and training they need to live long, healthy lives.

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