Young Athletes Should Beware of Group Training Programs

There has been an increase of offerings of group training and bootcamps by personal trainers. I don't tell anyone how to run their businesses. A prospective client asked me last week if I did group training sessions for young athletes. My response was "no I don't."

Here's the reason why I don't do group training sessions of any kind: there is no way that I can give the individualized attention that's needed to properly train a client. Try monitoring the exercise activities of 20-30 people at once. It can't be effectively done by one person.

Young athletes need careful monitoring to make sure they are doing the exercises correctly. That's why I only do 1-on-1 training for all clients. Core strength exercises should be emphasized first and not the highly glamourized plyometric training.Plyometrics should be introduced when the athlete has advanced to a level that allows she or he to handle this high level of training. I have seen more than one athlete with injuries because of inadequate core strength.

Need more sports fitness tips? Subscribe to my weekly Sports Performance Tips eNewsletter23!