Question and Answer for the day

 Q:  Should boys and girls be trained differently?
A:  During the early years of competitive swimming, children of both genders are predominantly pre-pubescent. This stage allows for some flexibility in grouping the young athletes. At this point, young boys and girls can train together with relative ease. Girls tend to move through biological development more rapidly than boys of similar chronological age (approximately 2-2.5 years earlier). This may cause initial differences within the training groups. Further, elements such as aerobic capacity (ability to use oxygen to make energy) and muscle mass are different between genders throughout the later developmental period. Aerobic capacity reaches its peak between the ages of 12-15 in girls and 16-20 in boys. Ideally, training programs should be specifically tailored for the individual.