Requesting advice about imparting Strength Training to School Students...

[Srini B]

Hi,

I have an opportunity to impart Strength Training to school students (will likely start in a couple of months' time) and have come up with a strength-training regimen for them.

Requesting some pointers/suggestions/advice please...

Thanks very much

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Students' Profiles:

• Studying in Grades/Standards 9 (13-14 yrs old), 10 (14-15 yo), 11 (15-16 yo) & 12 (16-17 yo).
  None of them have had ANY kind of strength training history/background.
  Students athletes, and
  Students who have opted for strength training as part of their PT classes.
  Expecting about 10-15 students per session.
  Each session is expected to last an hour.

My thoughts on their Strength Training Regimen each session

• Starting with about 5 minutes of very light discussion about one aspect of Strength Training and benefits...perhaps to include some facts about basic human anatomy.
  Some mobility drills for about 10 mins.
  Initially, teach the Squat, DL, Press and BP, and a little later on, the PC.
  Once all the main lifts have been taught (and all students are performing them with good form), then, start everyone on standard SS LP, while keeping the weights (and progressions) quite light...
  Mainly, to keep the whole session enjoyable...while, emphasing correct form on each lift.
  I am thinking that the bar should also be light...much lighter (and smaller in length) than the 20kg (men) or 15kg (women) bars...any advice about this is also much appreciated.

My background, (if that info. might help throw more light on the situation)

• Been following SS for a number of years now...
  Training SS lifts the SS way all along, but have not been able to be as regular as I would have liked, due to work-related and family-related tasks taking precedence.
  Realized that Strength Training (SS way) was a BIGGG part of my life and passion...although was working in a completely unrelated field (Software).
  At the gym (mainly bodybuilding activities here) have been advicing people training there to do lifts the SS way...found that I really enjoyed doing it, while performing SS LP (and later on, TM) myself.
  So, was considering doing more of Strength Training, and pursued opportunities in this area.
  Now, have two opportunities have come up, one of them being to strength-train school students, (as discussed above).
  Have bought PPST3, but it will take a couple of months before I actually get the book (waiting for my brother's visit to India). Do have SSBBT3.

[Tom Campitelli]

For the purposes of this discussion, we are going to assume you know how to coach. This is a dangerous assumption based on what I have seen over the past four or five years. However, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you understand this stuff and can show it to others. If you cannot, nothing I say below is actually very important.

Given that you have only an hour, you probably don't need to spend 10 minutes doing mobility drills, especially not with kids who are just starting to learn the lifts. As things get heavier, you may need to wave some arms and legs around, but early on the weights will be light enough to provide their own warmup as they go along. I think the rest of your plan is very reasonable and that you have the right idea. You may find that you only get through the squat on the first session. I recommend breaking the kids up into groups of four or five to make it easier for you to keep an eye on what is going on. Do you have access to lighter bars, or know someone who can fabricate them for you? Your 16 and 17 year olds will probably graduate to full size bars pretty quickly, so it would be wise to have a few of those around, too.

I wish you luck. Others may chime in, too. I feel like Beau Bryant would have some good input on this since I think he trains groups of kids. Let us know how things go.

[Srini B]

Hi Tom,

Thank you very much for your thoughts/suggestions.

I'll update the work-out plan and remove time slotted for mobility drills...

Yes, I do know a fabricator who can make lighter bars...scheduled to meet him about this, sometime next week.

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Found that I've always enjoyed coaching (earlier at the gym I was attending), and could see that whatever I was saying to correct the lifts were having a very positive effect on the guys, be it in their understanding of "why" as well as how much better it felt for them, after they made the corrections. I am confident that I do understand SS fundamentals well.

However, the more people I coach (as a professional coach), the more I will learn...and I am aware that there is a LOT of things to learn. One of these days, I am hoping to fly to the US to attend a Level 1 or a Level 2 seminar...hopefully, that happens soon. Meanwhile, I will watch as many form check videos and discussions that happen on SS.com, (and will try to participate and hopefully be able to contribute positively).

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Actually, my first professional coaching session happened yesterday (this is a different set of people to coach...not the set of school students, discussed earlier). Coaching session went well...the gym owner/head coach (of self-defense/martial arts/MMA...he does not understand strength-training much...certainly not the SS way) said he was quite impressed with how the session went...

This is going to be twice a week sessions...Mondays and Thursdays. Looking forward to the next coaching session coming up Thursday!!!

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If there is a way to share training logs (from such coaching sessions), which might enable review/feedback from other coaches, that would be great...please let me know, if this would at all be possible any way...

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Thank you very very much...