Manus Sphere
Bone density and bone strength in boys age 6-13.
Dr. Laura Bachrach
“Bones only get as strong as they are asked to be, and that is loading the bone making the bone work against gravity.”
Ages 6-7
Start with basic bone loading exercises for ages 6 and 7. Did not put an emphasis on form and technique. Do loading exercises that are simple.
- Dead Hangs
- Overhead Holds for Time
- Holding Weight for Time
- Carrying Weight for Distance
- Walking with Weight on Body
- Carrying Overhead for Distance
Towards the end of the time or distance his experience level is at, these exercises should be challenging but not hard.
25 weeks through the year with two seasons of loading. Set aside 3 times per season to do a grueling week. Everything else is small iterations of loading.
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital;
Weight bearing exercises, started in your youth throughout your life can help prevent osteoporosis.
Starting these exercises at any age will help prevent bone loss.
Hormone Health Network
As he gets better at controlling weights, increase the weight, add time and distance. Introduce different throwing variations as well.
Notes
- Distance is a goal of moving weight 50 yards. Work up from 20 to start.
- Be able to carry 50% of body weight in each hand for 50 yards twice per year.
- Hangs work up to a minute or more. Add weight after a minute. Helps with hand strength the most.
- I can’t find the study, or I would link it, but some study by one of these big deal places found that girls that did gymnastics had the same bone density as male bodybuilders. The exception was their skull bone density, it was the same as all the sedentary test subjects. Put weight on his head!
- Started both years in March and finished in June, started again end of August until end of October. Big breaks between seasons.