A good breathing technique to use is to breathe out when you body is doing the work and to breathe in when you are relaxing. For example, if you are doing a push up, you should be breathing out when you are pushing yourself away from the floor and breathing in as you return towards the floor. If you are using a weight machine, you should breathe out as the weight plates rise and breathe in as you let them back down. Once you have finished your workout, be sure to do a complete set of stretching exercises to help you maintain your flexibility. Your coach or trainer can help lead you toward they stretches that are right for you.
Weight training can be exciting and beneficial if it is done properly and consistently.
Damon Lee is a first year Master's student in the Health Promotion program at Virginia Tech. The broader issue of the appropriateness of weight training in youth sports was addressed in the Parents' article in the March 1997 issue of Coaching Youth Sports.