Accessory Work for Youth Weightlifting 

For a program that trains youth in the Olympic lifts, it’s important to always be sure of what they need in terms of additional work to supplement what their current weaknesses may be. To address these weaknesses we add in accessory work at the end of their workout. This accessory work is designed to target these specific weak points and address any issues before they grow into bigger problems and it helps ensure the youth weightlifters grow into well-rounded athletes that don’t develop injuries down the road.

When we look at the accessory work to include in our youth weightlifting program we look at the child, what their current level of athleticism is, sports they play and any current problems we see developing in their training. Some common things we use for our kids are:

•  Adding in 1000s of chin ups to ensure the bar can be held in a stable position overhead with no breaks in the chain. This is especially common with young girls.
• Ring Rows and Pull-Ups to keep the shoulders back in a good position and to develop a strong upper back and shoulder structure
• Box jumps because a child who can jump will always be an excellent weightlifter
• Hollow Rocks, handstands, and toes to bar as there is nothing that can build total body awareness and a strong stable core like these gymnastics movements.

For many kids and most all of ours, it is absolutely necessary to add in the GPP (general physical preparedness) work at the end of their workouts. This is generally a combination of jumping, climbing, handstands, core work, throwing and much more. It is essentially a CrossFit kids workout designed for their specific needs. By keeping it constantly varied you ensure that the kids develop in a way that won’t allow them to become too specialized too early.

When training youth weightlifters at StoneAgeFuel Barbell Club we believe in constantly working to improve the kid’s weaknesses in order to ensure they don’t become major deficiencies down the line. By adding in these movements in their accessory work and sometimes putting them together in a fun workout we have a streamlined process that sets our youth weightlifters up for success in the long run! Our goal is to develop very well rounded athletes who are always at the top of their game and of course dominate the sport of Olympic-Style Weightlifting!