Considering the current lifestyle people have today, the youth need something extra to maintain a healthy growth cycle and an active lifestyle. However, given the easy access to electronic media, today’s youth engage in less physical activities, hindering their growth and development.
This is why youth fitness is an emerging field in the fitness industry designed to promote healthy activities among the youth so they can maintain a lifelong habit of staying fit and active.
This is a great opportunity for certified personal trainers to capture the niche and expand their horizons. But before you can train with the youth, you’ll need to understand what youth fitness training is and how you can use it to design effective exercise programs. This guide will tell you how.
Additionally, you can take a look at our youth fitness program on W.I.T.S. Education’s website.
What Characterizes A Youth Fitness Program?
Youth fitness programs are characterized by unconventional physical training that encourages an active lifestyle in today’s youth. These exercise programs are not just designed to boost the fitness of the youth but also to help them develop an active lifestyle. This way, they’ll be less likely to make poor health choices as they grow up.
Youth fitness programs are quite dynamic. They constitute everything from sports to traditional exercises because the baseline promotes a healthier and fitter lifestyle. Another factor is that kids and young adults can get demotivated if they’re pushed to work out using common exercises; their minds need creativity and fun, which is why kids respond more favorably to competitions and sports.
How Can You Develop Effective Youth Training Programs?
Get A Youth Fitness Certification
The first step in designing effective youth fitness programs is to know about the program itself. But getting a little bit of knowledge is different from knowing about it fully. For this reason, it’s better to opt for a youth fitness certification. These certifications are designed to teach trainers how to create effective training programs without boring routines. The training programs also teach trainers how to pay attention to each child and ensure everyone is on the same page.
One important thing these programs teach is how trainers can use creativity to design programs. Creativity isn’t a requirement for other fitness fields, but for youth fitness, the most important factor is keeping the youth interested enough to stay motivated.
Understand The Level Of The Kids
Before you create a program, assess the level of each kid you’ll be training. This means looking at their current fitness, future goals, and limitations. After that, you can group each kid into different levels and design programs that are fit for each level.
However, even in that, you must pay attention to each individual’s progress and determine whether the programs are effective enough and the kid can cope with the training. This is why you’ll have to modify the programs from time to time to cater to each member. On top of that, you’ll also have to modify programs as the training progresses.
Focus On A Fun-Filled Environment
The way to motivate kids to do anything is by making it fun. This is the reason why they excel at sports and need to work harder for other subjects. As a youth fitness trainer, you can make your training fun and engaging so the kids would willingly participate in them without being forced by their parents or guardians. The easiest way to do so is by creating an interactive environment where participation is welcomed and encouraged, and the kids get a bit of freedom to have fun while working out. So don’t shy away from joking around and being playful with the kids.
Keep In Mind The Safety Of The Kids
Because kids grow and develop at different levels, it’s impossible to design a program that’ll fit the needs of all the kids in a group. There will be members who can do better or those who struggle to keep up, so it’s your responsibility to address that. If a kid falls behind the group, you shouldn’t push them too much to keep up.
That’ll only frustrate them and make them hate the training. Instead, you should give them a break, even if it means letting them fall behind. That’s because the end goal of the training is to insinuate consistent behavior in the kids so they can pay attention to their fitness and consider it a lifestyle instead of an additional task.
Go Beyond Traditional Fitness Routines
Even adults get tired of repetitive, boring workout routines and kids have a much shorter attention span. So if you rely on traditional workout methods such as running and jogging to keep the kids active, you won’t maintain the momentum for much longer, and the kids will get tired of it.
On the other hand, if you introduce other fun activities such as sports or games, the kids will more likely stay focused. Additionally, kids like friendly competition, so they try harder to do better than their peers. You can also use this to your advantage and design programs that the kids would want to participate in without being pushed.
Find The Right Fitness Certifications To Take Your Career To The Next Level With W.I.T.S. Education
W.I.T.S Education offers personal health trainer programs to help trainers enter different fitness niches and generate business. We provide a variety of courses, such as ones for senior fitness instructors, group fitness instructors, and certified personal trainers. The N.C.C.A. and the American Council of Education have also accredited our courses.
Moreover, we have one of the biggest networks of universities and colleges, making it easier for our students to get college credits through our programs. Our goal is to assist students in acquiring practical skills to advance their careers to the next level. Hurry, sign up for our classes, and immediately become a certified personal trainer today!