A preliminary investigation into concurrent aerobic and resistance training in youth runners

BACKGROUND: Studies in adults have shown benefits in endurance performance by combining aerobic and resistance training. However, whether concurrent strength and aerobic training is beneficial in children remains to be identified. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 10 week aerobic training programme compared to a concurrent aerobic and resistance training programme on leg strength, fat free mass (%FFM), forced vital capacity (FVC) and 3 km-running performance in youth athletes. METHODS: Twelve trained youth competitive runners were pair matched into either an aerobic (AT) or concurrent (CT) training group based on maturational status and initial 3 km-running performance. The aerobic training consisted of continuous and interval training twice weekly for all participants. The CT group additionally performed resistance training twice weekly. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups for any parameters pre-training. Significant correlations were found between 3 km-running performance and leg strength, FVC and %FFM. No significant interaction or main effects for any of the key outcome variables were found. There was however, a 38 s group difference in 3 km-running time post intervention indicating some interference of the resistance training on ERP. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that concurrent endurance and resistance training should be avoided in trained youth athletes.