Strength training can make overweight kids physically fit

• Overweight children may be incapable of running laps, jumping rope or playing soccer.
• But they probably will shine at an activity previously thought to be inappropriate, even dangerous, for kids - strength training.
• "You can't put these kids on a treadmill for 30 minutes and have them huffing and puffing and sweating," said Debi Pillarella, the 2004 fitness director of the year for the American Council on Exercise.
• They are stronger than and can outlift any of their lesser counterparts.
• The 17-year-old Phoenix boy started weight training in October at the Lincoln Family Phoenix Downtown YMCA.
• He lifts weights four days a week after school under the supervision of J.R. Nelson, his physical education teacher at Genesis Academy.
• "When I checked my weight on the scale, and I reached the high point, I was just thinking, 'No more,' " said Esteban, who weighs 350 pounds.
• The teen said his upper body is gaining muscle, his stamina is improved and he likes the slimmer face that looks back at him in the mirror.
• Free weights, body weight, machines and devices such as elastic bands and medicine balls provide the resistance.
• Exercises include push-ups and pull-ups, biceps curls and leg extensions.
• Two long-held misconceptions about strength training are that it may stunt a child's growth and that it should be prohibited in kids 11 and younger.
• The benefits include improvements in muscular fitness, strength of bones, body composition, motor fitness performance and injury resistance.
• It also may enhance self-esteem, mental discipline and the socialization of participants, both boys and girls.
• During an eight-week strength-training class, the average youth adds 3 pounds of muscle, which equates to about 105 additional calories burned daily, said Westcott.