Michael: the Inspiration

One of the biggest issues with our culture here in the United States, is a lack of deep understanding about health and wellness. We need to know the importance of: consistent exercise, healthy nutritional options and ultimately how to go about executing both. Without this knowledge: chronic illness, declining communal health, and obesity well continue to plague all of us. The earlier we learn, the more important it becomes and the easier it will be to implement it into our daily lives. My name is Eric Sarra, I am a fitness professional based out of Largo, FL. I recently took on the most inspiring young man who reminds us never to have excuses, and how important fitness and wellness can be!

Michael decided early in 2016 that he was going to play football for his local team: The Clearwater Tornadoes. Talking with some of his friends at school who were already on the team, he found out that to play youth football, there were weight classes, and he didn’t quite fit the weight class where other kids his own age would be playing. Michael confronted his family and told them that he wanted to get fit, lose weight, and play football. Excited and intrigued - his family was beyond proud of his will to get healthy and chase his dream. The biggest problem, was that Michael was only 10 years old and hadn’t yet reached an age where a gym would let him workout on his own, nor did Michael have the first idea about health, wellness, nor fitness. Looking for some kind of guidance and direction, his family began searching gyms, fitness centers, and recreation centers all over the county to see what they could do for Michael.  They searched through 7 other gyms before finally coming to my Anytime Fitness to find a personal trainer who would take on a client who was under 14 years old. 

Unfortunately for Michael, there are a lot of fitness professionals who believe that prepubescent weight training can cause epiphyseal fusion (early bone fusion), ultimately stunting growth. Others go further and say, structurally and hormonally, a prepubescent athlete’s body isn’t ready to weight-train. In my practice, I have done research on the possibility of training school age children. In my research I have found that many weight-training institutions, including: the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), consider resistance training to be a safe activity for prepubescent children, with certain limitations. With proper supervision and an understanding of the athlete and the limitations that are presented to younger clients, there is truly no reason why fitness professionals should not work with a client under the age of 14.

After explaining all of this to Michael’s family, they were over-joyed to sign him up with me. Michael and I began slow, getting Michael used to moving his body, getting him used to resistance training, and getting him used to sweating! It wasn’t easy, as Michael had often played sports with his friends, and had attended physical education classes, but still wasn’t completely comfortable in a gym, Michael often commented that, “weights sure are heavy”, and “this is hard”, but never did he give up. After a few weeks, we were running footwork drills, and adding in football specific exercises. In two short months Michael has learned: how to properly use the gym, learned how to make healthier nutrition choices and has officially lost almost 10lbs. He has gained the confidence and mobility to try out (and earn a spot on) his football team! After his first week of practice, Michael confessed to me that if it wasn’t for the work we put in prior to practice; he would never have made it. The mastery he has learned, he took to the gridiron and other aspects of his life - for the better.

At the ripe age of 10 years old Michael was able to embrace a healthier, more fit way of life. We accepted that if he is going to achieve his goals: it will be hard, he will be uncomfortable, but it will always be worth it. My hope is that all children could learn what Michael has learned at 10 years old. I’m confident that this experience has instilled in him the importance of health and wellness in his day-to-day life. Michael has taught everyone around him, a great lesson in never giving up, the importance of health, and the commitment to our goals!