America seems to have given up on its fight against obesity. Airline’s pilot’s seats are being made wider. Automobile cup holders are being made to accommodate jumbo drinks. Department stores specializing in larger sizes are flourishing. Even coffins are now being “supersized.” Sadly, it also seems that many have also resigned themselves to raising a generation of unfit, unhealthy kids. Over 25 percent of America’s kids are considered overweight, and obesity levels have tripled in the last 10 years to over 15 percent of our youth. Over 60 percent of our children do not participate in organized activity outside of school. Kid’s clothing stores have added larger sizes than ever before. An incredible need exists for safe, effective fitness programs designed to attract children into a healthy fitness lifestyle. The challenge of today’s fitness industry is how to successfully implement such a program.
Safety is key.
The most important component in a kid’s fitness program is safety. Conventional exercise equipment may not only be too large for children, it may cause undue stress on joints and growing bone plates. Conventional fixed loaded equipment with both concentric and eccentric resistance also results in DOMS which can discourage participation by deconditioned children. Hydraulic resistance has proven to be safe on joints and bones and offers eccentric only resistance which develops lean muscle density and strength without muscle soreness.
Eliminate intimidation.
Elimination of intimidation is another important factor for children, especially those that are deconditioned. Unfit kids often do not participate in organized physical activities due to intimidation and fear of failure. Peer pressure and intimidation can be eliminated by the use of hydraulic resistance equipment which accommodates to the effort of the individual user. It truly helps to eliminate intimidation because children cannot see how much weight each other can or can’t lift. Ideally, a kid’s fitness program should be set up in a separate area or room outside the general, adult workout area to avoid intimidation.
Make it fun.
Another key factor in a successful kid’s fitness program is for it to be fun. With shorter attention spans, children won’t stick with something unless they enjoy it. Kids get bored easily; a successful kid’s fitness program must be fun and offer a variety of activity to prevent boredom. Interval circuit training, with participants moving from station to station at set short intervals, has proven to be a format that kids enjoy without giving them time to get bored. Fun, cardiovascular activities can be performed between strength stations to allow heart rates to be maintained in target zones while providing coordination and stability drills to the workout. If children have fun, they will want to come back and stick with the program; the more they come back, the better their results.
Impact of group classes.
Exercising in a group, especially with those of your own fitness level, is more fun than working out alone. Kids enjoy group activities with their friends. Group circuit training programs are fun and offer camaraderie among kids. Group classes should be set at those times that are advantageous for kids and their parents; late afternoon and early evening classes seem to work best. Beginner’s classes should be offered for the deconditioned while more challenging classes should be offered at different times to help eliminate intimidation. Class duration should be limited to 30 or 40 minutes to avoid overtaxing kids and to increase compliance. It is recommended that “packages” of classes be sold as opposed to attempting to sell parents annual memberships. For example, a group of 18 classes (three classes a week, for six weeks) could be sold for $199.00, or, if packaged with a nutrition component, $299.00 for six weeks would be a reasonable price. Results (measured in reduction of body fat and inches lost) could actually be guaranteed with this type of program with the criteria that kids attend all 18 classes over the six week period and that they track their meals and snacks with daily journals. Many parents of overweight children would be willing to pay for a program that offers guaranteed results that their kids will stick with.
The normal unsupervised use of conventional fitness equipment may also cause problems or pose to be dangerous when used by children. An effective kid’s exercise program should be supervised to ensure proper use of equipment and to provide motivation and encouragement. Circuit training equipment set up in a circle allows a single trainer to effectively coach many children at the same time while offering supervision and encouragement.
The equipment and program.
In order to have a successful children’s circuit training program, you must first have the correct program and equipment. Equipment that has been designed for the seven to 11 year old market is available. Working with a company that has a proven track record of supplying successful hydraulic exercise equipment for both adults and children would be a great benefit to your company when designing your children’s circuit training program. The children’s equipment you choose should use the same safe hydraulic resistance as a proven adult line to ensure safety. The equipment can come with up to six levels of resistance settings to be used by kids of virtually any fitness level. One important item to look for when purchasing equipment for your kid’s circuit training program is the ability for the knobs on the hydraulic cylinders to be removed by a trainer, this will also help in eliminating peer pressure and intimidation.
While most adult programs are done on a self-training format with cue CD’s indicating when participants should change stations, a children’s circuit training program should be designed with supervision of the children in mind. It should utilize an interval circuit training format with fun activities such as hoppy balls, hoola hoops and jump sticks between each hydraulic exercise machine. Some packages can also include choreographed programs with upbeat music allowing for dozens of variations possible for each program.
When choosing a program and equipment provider to work with on your children’s circuit training programs, make sure they have been developed by fitness, recreation and child development professionals to ensure fun, safety and results. These programs should also include certification for staff members as well as a turn-key marketing and training package.
Not only could a children’s fitness program increase your revenue, your health club could help in lowering an ongoing child obesity problem. However, in order for it to be successful, you must first do your homework, find the correct equipment, program and trainers, and commit to making it fun and comfortable for the kids.
Rande LaDue is the Owner of Pro*Fit Enterprises. He can be contacted at 888.604.2244, or visit www.kidspaceexpress.com.
