Growth and Development Considerations for Training
This domain tests whether you can separate calendar age from biological maturity and let that difference drive exercise selection, load, and volume.
Core rules
- Growth cartilage at the epiphyseal plates and apophyses tolerates repeated heavy loading less well than adult tissue. Keep resistance work technique-driven, moderate in load, and controlled in tempo rather than maximal singles.
- Children thermoregulate less efficiently because of a higher surface-area-to-mass ratio and lower sweat rate. Schedule water breaks every 15–20 minutes and avoid hot-environment conditioning.
- Peak height velocity (PHV) marks the adolescent growth spurt. During and just after it, coordination can temporarily regress as limb length changes, so reduce complex plyometrics and re-teach landing and deceleration.
- Trainability windows are planning guides, not deadlines. Speed and skill are highly responsive in childhood, while strength and aerobic capacity remain trainable throughout.
- Pre-pubertal strength gains come largely from neural adaptation, so rapid improvement is expected at low external loads. Supervised resistance training is supported when technique is prioritised.
Worked example
Two 12-year-olds join a group. One is an early maturer with broad shoulders and a 20 cm height advantage; the other is a late maturer. Do not pair them by calendar age for loaded squats. Load by technical competency: both start with bodyweight and goblet squats at 3×8–12 at RPE 6–7. The early maturer is not advanced merely because he looks older. Reassess technique every 3–4 weeks.
Traps
Assuming bigger equals more advanced; using adult 1RM testing; ignoring hydration; treating PHV as a reason to stop training rather than to modify it; and mistaking a coordination dip during the growth spurt for a strength deficit.