Recommended KB Programs for kids (7-10 yr olds)

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sayjay9274

New member
Daddy is currently on Day 4 of the 10k challenge and has an obese (F) 10 year old he’s trying to figure out what to do with.

Thinking of starting off with lightweight S&S. We’re ofc looking at diet separately.
 
@sayjay9274 I am a 5th grade Physical Education Teacher. So within the age range.

I take them through 'athletics' workouts & a 'strength & conditoning' workout. They use Kettlebells, run around, hop around, throw stuff, etc.

The biggest things I recommend are going to be incentivizing movement through some kind of gamification of the workout. S&S is a very (no offense) boring workout that requires higher skill & coordination due to the get up & hinging being tough for kids to properly learn.

I started off teaching my kids how to hinge properly by having them practice throwing a light ball behind them hard as possible. Showing how far it can be thrown using just your arms, then look how far you can throw when you bend over & use your legs.

I'd pair the kids together - one does the throw, the other runs to get it. Set a timer of them alternating for like 2 minutes of something.

Get to the weights then and hammer the basics. Empty hinges, get down the squat pattern correctly, get them understanding push up position even if they can't do a push up yet - the tension from the Plank is a great learning tool for them to understand bracing later.

The key to all this is being patient with the kids. Kids get very discouraged & if you expect them to be able to hop on a set program immediately you're going to be annoyed with their lack of discipline. Use timers, use games, use kindness and when needed, use aggression or motivation.

They can push harder. They can be better than yesterday & you can get them there.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask. But in essence - get them moving athletically through running, hopping, throwing. Then add the weights slowly, teaching them proper mechanics first & make games of it. 'I go, you go,' etc.
 
@jdf123 I can only do so much. Parents like you & the poster are who build the habits for their children's success. Please keep teaching them how to move! We deemphasize PE too much in the US!!!
 
@ant0099 Man there should probably be a whole post about this, but I can’t agree more. Looking at myself and other adults I think we would all function better if K-12 was up to 50% PE. Engineers would still be engineers, and teachers and nurses and so on, but we would all just be happier and healthier.
 
@ant0099 This is lovely - really appreciate the tips around gamification. I’ll pair her up with her 8 yr old sis. And you’re right, learning the hinge and TGU in a raw way might put them off for life.
 
@ant0099 I feel like those qualities are inherent throughout age. I do massage and personal training, and I'm a HEMA practitioner, and these things all apply at the individual level as well as group education and leadership.
 
@sayjay9274 10 yr olds need to be active. It doesn’t really matter how, anything that gets them moving is a win.

Try to gets some buy-in with them. Just like how many kids have expectations of certain household duties and school responsibilities-you may need to establish some kind of contract with them. This should be clear cut and something both parties agree is fair. A minimum number of steps/day is an example of an objective target and wearables/phones make this simple to measure. What happens when they meet the expectations, what happens when they don’t, how long will this go on for, spell out the processes and incentivize those processes not the outcomes.

This is to say nothing of dietary modifications that should be thought of. You doing the 10k is a great start and if you can show them how to make activity an integral part of daily life it will go further than talking at them. Best of luck.
 
@sayjay9274 Some great responses here! I have a 7 and 11 year old, and from experience getting them to do a formal "workout" with Mum or Dad is successful once or twice before boredom sets in. We will do some calisthenics type movements but I think it's more important physically and mentally at this young age to make movement fun and for its own sake, which is more likely to be successful and set them up for lifetime of health vs the “hamster on a wheel” mindset… gameify things, do lots of different activities and let your kids try different sports etc. Both my kids have found sports they enjoy, but we also walk a lot, play footie at the park, take a baseball and mitts and play catch out in the street , i randomly get out boxing gloves and they smash the pads, I’ll also set up some of the Crossfit Kids warm up drills (you can find them on YouTube - stuff like crabwalk soccer & other games).
 
@sayjay9274 I think it’s most important to find what she likes. There’s so many ways to move our bodies. If we’re doing something we dread, it will never stick.

Take time to explore different types of activities. And things you can do as a family so she doesn’t feel like she’s doing it alone.

Make it fun and not necessarily labeled as exercise and it can go a long way!
 
@sayjay9274 Focus on form but don’t overly critique it. Keep everything lightweight so if form breaks down they don’t hurt themselves.

Harping on form every rep is a good way to get them to not want to work out with you.

I’m pretty much down to “angry gorilla not a scared cat” (it works for the vast majority of movements) with my 10 and 7 year old. More than that is a good way to get them to cut bait and go backup stairs.

Also, don’t rule out taking a basketball to a court or finding a field and bringing something as simple as a frisbee and chucking that around and chasing it down.

Start small but stay consistent.
 
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