Notes

Congratulations!
Your child has a good chance of being:
6'1" tall

Results:
expected adult height: 6 feet 2.0 inch

Estimated Adult Height: 6' 1"

Your boy will likely be 6 ft. 3 in. at age 18.


Strength-training exercises like pushups and sit-ups are important for a 13-year-old's physical health and engaging in physical activity itself may help ward off anxiety and depression. To avoid an injury, a 13-year-old should learn the correct technique for doing sit-ups and pushups from a gym teacher or a fitness expert. Want to get in great shape? Learn more about LIVESTRONG.COM's nutrition and fitness program!
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES
Physically active adolescents have higher levels of cardiovascular fitness and stronger muscles, compared with kids who are inactive. Teens who exercise often typically have less body fat, stronger bones and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kids should engage in about an hour of moderate and vigorous physical activity each day. This includes aerobic activity such as running and biking as well as muscle-strengthening exercises like pushups and sit-ups. Teens generally should concentrate on the total amount of physical activity they get, however, rather than focusing on doing specific exercises.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Pushups and sit-ups are strength training and resistance exercises. A 13-year-old who has not yet gone through puberty isn't producing significant testosterone and won't develop muscles by strength training, though he will get stronger. Before starting a pushup and sit-up routine, have your teen checked out by a pediatrician or family doctor. When doing an exercise for the first time, the teen should start out slowly so that his body gets used to the activity. Doing too many exercises too quickly can stress muscles and can cause them to strain and become sore. This is significant for 13-year-olds because their bones, joints and tendons are still developing. At first, do a pushup and sit-up regimen three times a week with at least one day off between sessions. You should also alternate muscle groups. You can do this by doing sit-ups one day and pushups the next. Before doing strength-training exercises, warm up for five to 10 minutes on a stationary bike or by taking a brisk walk. Cool down after a workout by stretching the muscles you worked out.
SIT-UP TECHNIQUE
To do a sit-up correctly, lie on your back with both feet flat on the ground and knees bent. Cross your arms over your chest. Raise your head and shoulders about 1 foot off the ground, and return to the starting position. Do eight to 10 sit-ups, rest for a few minutes and do one or two more sets. Never pull your neck with your hands. Dr. Gabe Mirkin, a sports medicine specialist, says that you don't need to do more than 30 sit-ups at a time; rather, when the exercise begins feeling easy, you can add 2 to 5 lb. hand weights. Sit-ups primarily work the abdominal muscles.
PUSHUP TECHNIQUE
Unlike sit-ups, pushups work several muscle groups at once including the chest, shoulders and triceps. The move forces the core muscles to stabilize while engaging muscles in the arms and back, according to Stuart McGill, a spine expert from the University of Waterloo. To do a proper pushup, get down on your hands and knees with your wrists directly below your shoulders and knees under your hips. Lower your body toward the floor while bending your elbows and push back up to the starting position. A 13-year-old can perform three sets of eight to 10 push-ups three times a week.
WARNINGS
While sit-ups do work your core muscles, it's not necessarily the best exercise. In an article published by Newsweek, Dr. Richard Guyer of the Texas Back Institute explains that sit-ups can damage the back because it puts strain on an area with the most nerves and is the weakest part of the back. Over time, sit-ups can lead to a disk bulge or disk herniation, which can cause chronic back pain, leg pain, weakness and tingling. Sit-ups, it turns out, won't necessarily bring a 13-year-old closer to getting a "six-pack" physique either. Crunches work muscles known as the rectus abdominus, which, from the side, look extended when overworked. The muscles that need to be worked to get achieve a flat, toned appearance are minimally engaged when doing sit-ups, notes trainer Steve Maresca.



Boys
The average boy ages six through eight should be able to do a number of pushups that is one higher than his age, reports the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Boys ages nine should do 12; age 10 should do 14; age 11 should do 15; age 12 should do 18, and ages 12 and 14 should both do 24. Once they hit age 15, they should be able to do 30 pushups or more.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/383315-the-average-for-pushups/#ixzz2ckph6duq




Pushups provide a free and effective way to target the arms, shoulders and chest muscles for strength training. This exercise utilizes your natural body weight as resistance, but you need to perform it properly to avoid injury. If you have had difficulty performing pushups in the past or this is the first time you have tried to add pushups to your exercise routine, there are a couple factors to keep in mind. Check with your physician before beginning a pushup routine to rule out any restrictions.
Want to get in great shape? Learn more about LIVESTRONG.COM's nutrition and fitness program!
Step 1
Start with modified pushups. If you have never done pushups before or are unable to perform traditional pushups, modified pushups can help you perfect your technique and build the necessary muscle groups. Stand approximately an arm's length away from an open wall, facing the wall. Pretend the wall is the floor, and lower yourself until your chin touches, bending your arms at the elbows, and then lift yourself back up to your starting position. Increase the difficulty of these wall pushups by stepping gradually further away from the wall.
Step 2
Switch to knee pushups once you have mastered wall pushups. Kneel on the ground with your hands positioned palms down on the floor in front of you shoulder's-width apart. Use the same lowering motion as you did on the wall, but use it to lower yourself to the floor until your chin touches, and then lift yourself up to the starting position. Perform these until you are comfortable enough to try a standard pushup.
Step 3
Get into the standard pushup position. Lay your body on the floor in a straight line with your palms on the floor approximately shoulder's-width apart. Lift yourself off the ground until your arms are locked. Keep your palms flat on the floor and your feet close together with only the tips of your toes touching the ground. Do not let your back bend, but instead focus on keeping a straight line down the back of your spine. Keep your head level by looking down at the ground instead of in front of you.
Step 4
Slowly lower yourself down towards the ground by bending your arms at the elbows and relying on the muscles of your shoulders, arms and chest to keep your body steady. Keep your spine aligned by refraining from bending your back or neck as you dip towards the ground. Lower yourself until your chest or chin hits the ground, but not so far that you are resting your body weight on the floor.
Step 5
Push yourself back up, keeping the same spine alignment until you are back to your original starting position with your arms locked. Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
Step 6
Change the placement of your hands in relation to your shoulders to work different muscle groups. Place your hands close together until they are touching, and perform the same pushup movements to work the triceps more. Move your hands outside the zone of your shoulders in a wide stance to work the chest muscles more.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/418434-how-to-do-pushups-for-beginners/#ixzz2ckqWBBlb



Photo Credit Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images
Playing sports at any level of competition, from pickup games in your backyard to collegiate and professional levels, provides many benefits. From improving cardiovascular health to improving your feelings of self-esteem, sports can impact your life in significant ways. But your success in sports, and even what you can expect to get out of the experience, is dependent on many different factors. Both mental and physical factors affect your performance in sports, so if you believe your performance is lagging, try to consider as many factors as you can as possible causes.
Want to get in great shape? Learn more about LIVESTRONG.COM's nutrition and fitness program!
Muscular Strength and Endurance
Every task you can imagine in sports, from throwing a ball to jumping over a hurdle, involves the action of your muscles. Some sports, such as powerlifting, require a high level of muscular strength to produce a brief but powerful force. Others, such as marathon running, require incredible muscular endurance to sustain the strength to move your body for hours at a time. You can improve your muscular strength and endurance by practicing your particular sport, as well as working out in the weight room. A research review from the December 2004 issue of the "Journal of Exercise Physiology Online" suggests that performing workouts with heavier weight and a lower number of repetitions are better for strength, while working with moderate weight and higher numbers of repetitions is preferable for muscular endurance.
Cardiovascular Capacity
The muscles that you can see aren't the only muscles that impact your sports performance. Your heart, which is part of your cardiovascular system, is crucial because it ensures that oxygenated blood reaches muscles throughout your body that help you run, jump and throw. To improve your cardiovascular capacity, perform cardio exercises such as running, swimming, aerobics or even dancing or dance-inspired workout programs such as Zumba.
Confidence
Being confident in yourself, your teammates and your skills is vital for sports performance. Having confidence will give you a positive attitude and help you visualize and achieve success. If you are not confident that you can beat your opponents or improve upon your previous performance, your negativity may prove you right. According to Jim Taylor, Ph.D., confidence is "is the single most important mental factor in sports," so you should not overlook this factor.
Strategic Thinking
Many sports are just as much a mental game as they are a physical one, so strategic thinking is an important factor for success. Thinking strategically means you understand how players interact on the field or court and how you can employ plays that will help you defeat your opponents. By anticipating the moves of your opponents and reacting to plays as they develop, you can greatly improve your chances of winning.
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Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/557774-factors-that-affect-your-performance-in-sports/#ixzz2ckrQrTQp




An athlete relies on many different factors for creating success, such as diet, strength training and practice. However, an often overlooked underlying factor which may also have an effect is the amount of sleep an athlete gets each night. With the Better Sleep Council reporting that seven in 10 Americans are not getting enough sleep to physically perform at their best each day, it's no wonder that sleep has become a buzz word in many athletic teams and organizations.
Reaction Time
One area of athletic performance that can be affected by not enough sleep is overall reaction time. Performance is markedly affected after staying awake for about three nights, notes Hans Van Dongen, Ph.D., and David Dinges, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania. However reaction time performance can also be affected if small amounts of sleep are lost over time -- such as an hour of sleep a night -- creating what researchers call a "sleep debt." Reaction time is necessary for everything from quick movements to catching a ball in sports.
Sustained Attention
Another area of athletic performance that may be affected by a lack of sleep is the ability to stay focused on the game. Along with reaction time, sustained attention also becomes affected after 88 hour of awake time or with the accrual of a substantial sleep debt.
Recovery
Sleep is also necessary for the body to heal and recover after a physically demanding athletic training session, suggests athletic performance coordinator David Knight from the University of Wisconsin. Sleep allows the body to spend less energy resources on body processes needed while awake, and more energy resources towards helping muscles and other tissues heal and recover.
Recommendations
Athletes that get at least 10 hours of sleep during the weeks surrounding training and competition have been shown to perform better, states Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory. If 10 hours is not an option, aim for at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night; teen and young adult athletes should aim for nine or more hours. Use naps to help reduce tiredness, but note that naps can also cause "sleep inertia," or a feeling of fogginess or clumsiness right after waking up from the nap. Therefore, avoid taking naps directly before training or competition.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/372087-does-a-lack-of-sleep-affect-an-athletes-performance/#ixzz2cktm51bL