There are so many benefits of physical activity for children and adolescents; building bone and muscle strength, developing cardiovascular fitness, and developing balance and proprioception to name just a few. But did you know how important VARIETY in physical activity is for this age group? And that there is a general rule of thumb to work out the advised maximum number of hours they complete a week of each sport to help to reduce injury? Read on to find out more.
NHS England Physical activity guidelines for 5-18 year olds advise;
- On average at least 60 minutes physical activity a day, of moderate to vigorous intensity (moderate activity raises your heart and breathing rate and makes you feel warmer, you can talk during the exercise but not sing)
- The type of activity and intensity should vary across the week to develop movement skills, bones, and muscle strength
- Aim to spread activity throughout the day, and to break up long periods of not moving with activity
- Both aerobic exercise (endurance activities) and exercises to strengthen their muscles and bones should be completed
Why VARIETY in activity for this age group is so important
Development of fundamental movement patterns
Different physical activities and sports practice and develop different movement skills, each strengthening different muscles groups.
Reduced risk of injury
Participating in different activities and sports therefore strengthens more muscle groups. Specialising in sport early, with reduced variety in activity, can increase the risk of injury as repeated movements and use of the same joints and muscle groups can put increased load through these areas and make them more susceptible to injury.
As a general rule of thumb, participation in a sport for more hours per week than the child’s age, increases risk of injury in youth athletes. E.g a 12 year old, would be advised not to play more than 12 hours of football a week. They could however spend additional hours a week participating in a variety of activities such as swimming, and tennis. Other factors that may increase injury risk are early specialisation in one sport, and participating in their primary sport for more than 8 months of the year (Post et al, 2017).
References
NHS England. (2021) Physical activity guidelines children and young people. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-children-and-young-people/ (Accessed 27 October 2024).
Post EG, Trigsted SM, Riekena JW, Hetzel S, McGuine TA, Brooks MA, Bell DR. The Association of Sport Specialization and Training Volume With Injury History in Youth Athletes. Am J Sports Med. 2017 May;45(6):1405-1412. doi: 10.1177/0363546517690848. Epub 2017 Mar 13. PMID: 28288281.
