Muscle Strength and Resistance Training in Youth-Do They Affect Cardiovascular Health?

作者：Falk Bareket^*

来源：Pediatric Exercise Science, 2016, 28(1): 11-15.

DOI：10.1123/pes.2016-0005

Resistance training in youth has evolved tremendously over the past half-century. Initially, resistance training, often called 'strength training' or 'weight training', was thought to be ineffective or even futile for enhancing muscle strength in children (6). However, over the past several decades, its effectiveness in increasing muscle strength has been demonstrated repeatedly (6), as exemplified by numerous position statements specifically addressing this issue (e.g., 5,17,19,24). For many years, resistance training was also purported to delay growth in children (6). Regrettably, despite numerous scientific publications to the contrary (e.g., 10,18), this myth is still being propagated in the lay media.
A scan of the current scientific literature demonstrates that resistance training is advocated as beneficial to young athletes (8) and for facilitating healthy development and motor-skill acquisition (4). Importantly, the health benefits of resistance training for numerous clinical conditions are increasingly being recognized. Resistance training has been specifically recommended for children with chronic conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, leukemia, and obesity. In most of these conditions, the benefits of resistance training are realized through its direct effects on muscle strength or through its indirect effect on body composition (decrease in fat or increase in muscle mass).
The 2 papers in this section (see below) are highlighted because they raise another potential benefit of muscle strength and resistance training. Namely, potential positive relationships between muscle strength, resistance training, and cardiovascular health. The latter is traditionally associated with aerobic fitness or aerobic training. Aberg et al. (1), in a prospective cohort study over a 42-year period, assessed the relationship between muscle strength in youth and stroke prevention in late adulthood. Homer et al. (13) examined the effect of resistance training on early signs of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk in obese youth. Noteworthy is that both studies compared the effect of muscle strength or resistance training with those of aerobic fitness or aerobic training, respectively.

• 出版日期2016-2