We
live in a day and age when we are constantly told that we
don't get enough exercise as a society. But within our society
there are many individuals who dedicate major portions of
their life to regular exercise or athletic participation.
Over the years, the intensity of workouts for sport has increased
as competition has become very keen. Already many sports require
premier status to be achieved before adulthood such as female
gymnasts, ballet dancers, female tennis players, male and
female swimmers, and figure skaters, to name just a few.
Different
sports have different types of skill, strength, endurance,
and speed requirements. Those sports that don't require the
strength and size of the adult frame, usually require balance
and repetitive motions that begin very early in life. The
challenge for parents and coaches is to balance the need for
continued training with the need for proper nutrition and
rest. Gymnasts and ballet dancers carry the additional burden
of needing to maintain a very lean frame in order to compete
successfully.
Youngsters
that are still growing do have some risk for exercising to
excess such that growth and maturation may be retarded or
delayed. Much research has been expended trying to identify
if youngsters can over train to the point that their growth
is affected and it only appears to be significant for those
that are training over 15 hours/week before the onset of puberty.
This is not a universally accepted threshold but those who
train less than 15 hours/week are probably not at risk for
growth retardation. In most cases only high intensity, elite
caliber athletes are at risk.
Individuals
who engage in long distance running may be at risk for exercising
excessively and commonly develop injuries from overuse. In
most instances problems that are caused by overuse begin as
a mild pain or ache that gradually gets worse as the individual
continues to exercise. Once these problems become established,
they can be very difficult to heal. In the most severe instances,
surgical treatment may be required.
Persons
who want to begin an exercise program after many years of
inactivity may be at risk of doing harm to themselves if they
exercise beyond their capacity. A simple method to insure
that one is not exercising to excess is to utilize the "talk
test." This test involves talking while exercising. If you
cannot carry on a conversation during exercise you may be
at risk for overexertion.
Some
persons misinterpret the famous saying of "no pain, no gain,"
and expect to have pain with exercise. There is a clear difference
between the fatigue and exhaustion that will accompany appropriate
exercise with the pain and lingering discomfort that occurs
with inflammation or tissue destruction. Any pain that is
progressive or continues into the next day is abnormal and
usually means that a change to the work out schedule is in
order.
