The quality of their experience depends on effective coaching and effective parenting. Young athletes can make small gains in strength through proper weight training. The greatest component of their strength improvement is from skill development, but an increment of actual strength increase is present through weight training. Proper weight training for the prepubertal athlete should include low weight and high repetitions. The major gains in pure strength come after the hormonal changes of puberty.
Exercise also helps to increase aerobic capacity.
Aerobic exercises are those that use large muscle groups and that are continuous and rhythmic in nature. Examples of aerobic exercise are running, cycling, swimming, stair stepping, aerobic dance, and walking. Exercises that require heavy muscle contractions such as weight training and sprinting produce little change in VO2max. According to research, greater than normal physiologic levels of testosterone DO NOT increase muscle size. Muscular hypertrophy occurs with the natural levels of testosterone found in the body.