Conditioning help for a 7-year old?

[mommotox]

Hi (and welcome, Tim, by the way) –

I am looking for some advice regarding my 7-year old son. I am wondering what we can do during the week and on race day to help his energy and stamina. He consistently gets his best results in his first and second motos. About halfway through his 3rd he stops “racing” and starts riding around the track. By his 4th moto, he’s done. He is exhausted, he loses his form, there is no race left in him, etc. It seems to me a lot of this is probably conditioning. However, he is young, and I don’t want to put unnecessary wear and tear on his body. Any ideas?

Thanks so much!

Kim

[Jaycycle]

Well, I'm no expert but try and have him drink A LOT of water the day before and then some on "race day". This should help him last longer.

As far as weight training and building up stamina, you got me there. Maybe you could go on some walks or jogs together to build up endurance.

Either way he is really Young. As long as he is having fun I think thats all that counts. Maybe if he is way to tired to race both classes (I'm assuming..) he cuts it down to one. You don't want it to the point where he's to tired to ride and gets hurt.

Jay

[racerxvt]

It is my opinion that a 7 year old should not be getting tired from a day of playing (I'm calling racing playing). AS LONG AS THAT CHILD IS EATING RIGHT AND NOT OVERWEIGHT. With that said, it is hard to say why your little one is getting tired. Is he overweight, eating a healthy diet, and most important is he properly hydrated? If it is hot out and your little one is pooping out mid day, it is most likely due to dehydration. It is very difficult to get little kids to drink enough.

I also completely agree with Jay.

In my opinion, 7 is waaaaaaay to young to be worrying about "training". Kids play coupled with a good diet, hydration and plenty of rest should be more than enough to sustain a 7 year old through a day of racing. Hope this helps!

[mommotox]

Well, he's a pretty average 7-year old. He is not overwieght (he's not a small kid, but he is far from overweight). He is active - riding his bike, skateboard, scooter, etc. I'd say he eats an average 7-year old diet, based on what I see of him and his friends. He does eat lots of fruits and veggies, not a lot of junk. But again, he's 7, so candy and sweets are very tempting for him...

I guess I wasn't clear on the training/conditioning thing. I am not worried about weights or anything like that. I was thinking along the lines of aerobic-type stuff.

Hydration has definitely been difficult for us and that is something we are working on.

So, in a nutshell, I'm not talking about training in an RC or Chad Reed kind of way. I just want to help him to be able to do what he wants to do, which is race.

[racerxvt]

If he doesn't play already, regular stick and ball sports are good for aerobic conditioning. Especially basketball and Soccer. Just keep him active, off the couch, and engaged in activity. You could also check at your local gym to see if they have youth activities that are designed to introduce kids to exercising.

[Administrator]

If he doesn't play already, regular stick and ball sports are good for aerobic conditioning. Especially basketball and Soccer. Just keep him active, off the couch, and engaged in activity. You could also check at your local gym to see if they have youth activities that are designed to introduce kids to exercising.

+1
Baseball is a great way to get in shape, even just showing up at a batting cage and swinging a bat can work up a good sweat. Swimming as well, When we were kids we did not shut down until our moms all called us in. we were bent to be tied during the summer with playing ball, swimming in the creeks, riding our bikes and playing war throwing Dirt Clods at each other as hand gernades. :shock:

I hope he is that active if not, one word Martial Arts Ok two I lied :Powerslide: