Youth Fitness: Physical Changes During Puberty

Youth Fitness: Physical Changes during Puberty
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Puberty is a time of significant physical changes among teenagers from the age of 10-16yers old. Teenagers experience a growth spurt averaging 5-20cm for girls from age eleven and 10-30cms for boys from age thirteen, with body parts such as the head, hands, and face growing faster than the rest. They begin growing hair under the arms, legs, and face, and girls develop a body shape due to hips. Girls develop breasts, begin menstruation, and their external genitalia grow. Boys’ external genitalia comprising the penis, testes, and scrotum begins to grow, they develop the capability to ejaculate, their voices break, and their chests and shoulders broaden (Vijayakumar, de Macks, Shirtcliff & Pfeifer, 2018, pp. 418-420).
Puberty impacts the performance of boys both positively and negatively. According to Susan Kowal-Connelly, the rapid growth spurt increases their body size, hormones and accelerates muscle strength, enhancing their athletic speed and performance. However, the rapid growth re...