When we talk about physical training, we often forget that it also applies to children. We know that exercise is necessary from an early age because through it, children learn motor skills that they would not otherwise acquire. Over time, as a result of sociocultural adaptation, children stopped playing outside and started playing more and more sedentary games. Children went from a once active life, full of physical activity and in contact with nature, to a daily life of home and school, with few opportunities to exercise. Fortunately, in order to combat increasingly common problems such as childhood obesity, there are extracurricular activities promoted from the sixth year of a child's life in schools and even in gyms and clubs, such as football, ballet, swimming, artistic gymnastics, among others, which give children the opportunity to make up for the lack of daily physical exercise. These activities have managed to reduce childhood obesity by 28%, a problem that has been growing in our country since the end of the 1980s, as shown by the latest data collected in the latest study by COSI Portugal in November 2023.
But from what age can children go to the gym? As a rule, children can be accepted into gyms and health clubs from the age of 12. To do so, the guardian must make a written request to the management of the space, and if this is approved, training in these spaces must be properly supervised and monitored. Therefore, in most cases, training is personalized and supervised by a personal trainer. And what type of training is advisable for a child to do at a gym?
When prescribing a training program, the personal trainer must take the age factor into account, as it is important to understand that at this stage of life, excessive exercise, either in terms of quantity or excessive load, can compromise muscle and bone development, and consequently atrophy the child's musculoskeletal structure, leading to greater problems. Although there are no concrete studies that 100% prove these harmful effects, it is common to see that (except for training programs designed for children who are being prepared for competitions) training programs designed for younger children involve cardiovascular work and motor learning. At this stage, muscle growth and strengthening is achieved mainly through compound and calisthenics exercises adapted to the age group, where the child learns to know his or her body and skills. If the child is interested and has the appropriate supervision from a professional, he or she can use weight training machines, always taking into account the loads with which they work. At this stage, it is also advisable that training includes dexterity and motor coordination exercises, which is why there is a growing demand for group classes for younger children, such as Zumba, kick boxing, setp and pilates.

Renato Machado