Muscular Power Development In Adolescent Athletes (Ages 13-18)

Adolescent athletes are generally defined as athletes between the ages of 13 and 18 who have experienced puberty. The biological changes that happen within the human body as it transitions from pre-pubescent to post-pubescent are incredibly impactful and should serve as the baseline from program decision making when training young athletes.

S.K. Harries et al. serves as a major benchmark in our adolescent training literature because it is a systematic review of all scientific research on the topic. While more specific literature and research papers have guided our program decision making, this serves as a reliable generalization of the topic that may be more suitable for providing value to the general public.

Findings and Conclusion:

The following conclusions were made from the review of 34 different interventions studies in the adolescent athletic populations. It was found that resistance Training can improve the muscular power and motor skill performance of adolescents. While it has not been established which types of programs are most suitable for increasing muscular power and improving sporting performance in various adolescent athlete subgroups, RT, plyometric training, speed training or combinations of these training modalities all have the potential to improve muscular power in adolescent athletes. Further research is required, in the absence of habitual sporting practice, to determine the specific effects of RT, plyometric training, speed training and combinations of these training modalities on the muscular power and sporting performance of adolescent athletes.

This review has provided evidence that RT programs have the capacity to improve muscular power in adolescent athletes. This review has also found that improvements in motor performance skills, such as jumping, are widely considered as indicators of improvements in sporting performance. Further research investigating the association between improvements in muscular power and motor performance skills and sports performance is needed.

Article Citation:
Harries, Simon K., David R. Lubans, and Robin Callister. “Resistance Training to Improve Power and Sports Performance in Adolescent Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 15, no. 6 (November 2012): 532–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.02.005.