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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
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Sports Medicine |
Weight Lifting as a Teenage Girl11/10/2001 10:46AM |
i am a 14 year old girl who will be turning 15 this january. i play soccer and softball as a sophomore at my high school. to get the strength necessary to be a varsity softball pitcher this spring, i am lifting weights a lot- 3 days every week, and i am lifting to build muscle so i am doing 3 sets of 10 reps with as much weight as i can handle and still have good form. i have heard that so much lifting could be bad for me. i have been lifting for about 6 months now. so i am wondering, am i risking hurting myself? and what kind of damage would i be doing to my body?
You have started off correctly. You will reap a greater benefit from lifting less weight for a greater number of repetitions than lifting a large weight only several times. There are several important facets to lifting. First, it is critical to use proper form while lifting to avoid injury to muscle and tendons. Second, rotate the muscle groups that you focus upon throughout the week. Strength training is likely to benefit you the most if done 2-3 times per week. This allows the muscle to recover and grow in between workouts. If you develop significant pain or soreness in muscles or areas that was not present previously, you may be developing overuse syndromes that will recover only with periods of rest that may set you back in your progress. Progress slowly in weight amounts and repetitions. Good luck in softball.
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Charles Webster, MD Assistant Professor Department of Family Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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