Should a young athlete be encouraged to 'bulk out' or is it better to let him gain weight as he grows? Our nutrition expert, David Swain, advises.

Raisingkids member's problem
I have a 10 yr-old son who is very active and weighs approx. 80 pounds. He plays tackle football and is needing to put on some weight. What's a healthy way to give him some extra bulk, and how can I help him maintain the weight through his workouts and training so that he is ready for the next season? Is this something we should even consider doing or should we just let him gain weight as he grows?

David's advice
At 80 pounds, your son is already above the average weight for a 10 yr-old boy. However, without knowing his height, I'm unable to assess whether his weight is in healthy proportion to his height or not. It's true that in certain sports it's often advantageous for players to be either taller and/or heavier. However my general feeling is that it would be best to just let your son gain weight as he grows, especially at the present time as he is so young.

Children who are involved in strenuous athletic activities will need to consume more food than those who are less active but the same principles of general healthy eating should also apply to athletes. For instance young athletes should be encouraged to eat regularly, never to miss meals and especially never miss breakfast. In addition, they should have a varied diet and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables that provide vitamins and minerals. Complex carbohydrates are particularly important for sportsmen as they act like a fuel for the body and therefore your son should eat plenty of foods such as pasta, rice, bread and cereal.

The problem with trying to increase body weight at this age is that any of the food that the body can't use immediately will be stored as fat. This may increase your son's weight but ultimately may reduce his fitness and performance levels. Furthermore, your son is only likely to really start putting on muscle when he starts to go through puberty as increased levels of testosterone and other hormones are needed for the adult male pattern of muscle distribution.

Finally, I would encourage your son to make sure that he drinks plenty of fluids, particularly during and after training sessions, as this will help to improve his performance levels and prevent him from suffering with dehydration.

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