Pediatric Exercise Science. 1989. 1. 336-350 Resistance Training and Youth William J. Kraemer, Andrew C. Fry, Peter N. Frykman, Brian Conroy, and Jay Hoffman The use of resistance training for children has increased in popularity and interest. It appears that children are capable of voluntary strength gains. Ex- ercise prescription in younger populations is critical and requires certain pro- gram variables to be altered tTom adult perspectives. Individualization is vital, as the rate of physiological maturation has an impact on the adaptations that occur, The major difference in programs for children is the use of lighter loads (i.e., > 6 RM loads). It appears that longer duration programs (i.e., 10-20 wks) are better for observing training adaptations. This may be due to the fact that it takes more exercise to stimulate adaptational mechanisms related to strength performance beyond that of normal growth rates. The risk of injury appears low during participation in a resistance training program, and this risk is minimized with proper supervision and instruction. Further- more, with the incidence of injury in youth sports, participation in a resistance training program may provide a protective advantage in one's preparation for sports participation. Over the past 10 years resistance exercise training has had increased ex- posure and has become popular, which in tum has led to its acceptance among adults as a method to improve certain aspects of physical fitness. Greater accept- ability, combined with a recent concern for youth fitness, has led to a closer examination of the efficacy of resistance training for youth. Initially a number of perceived benefits were hypothesized to make partici- pation in resistance training worthwhile for younger populations (21, 34). These included (a) increased muscular strength and local muscular endurance, (b) im- proved performance in sports and recreational activities, and (c) injury preven- tion during participation in sports and recreational activities. This paper was developed from a presentation at the 1989 annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Baltimore, in a symposium titled "Training Adap- tations and Cautions in Pre- and Post-Pubescent Children" organized and chaired by Bo Femhall. W.J. Kraemer and A.C. Fry are with the Center for Sports Medicine, The Penn- sylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. B. Conroy and J. Hoffman are with the Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Sport, Leisure and Exercise Sciences, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269. P.N. Frykman is presently with the Exercise Physiology Division, USARIEM, Natick, MA 01760. 336