repeatedly show that weight lifting, compared to a non weight lifting group, enhanced self concept in male college students. While these studies do look at anaerobic exercise as a possible treatment for depression, this type of treatment has never been studied in the adolescent population.Aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise have been shown to promote thoughts of mastery among participants. Classic symptoms of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness were challenged by maintaining an effective exercise program (Stein & Motta, 1992). Adolescents who suffer from depression would most likely benefit from any treatment which increases their self esteem and self concept, since one of the diagnostic criteria, as stated in the DSM-III, is a feeling of worthlessness. This could be helped if adolescents felt they had some sort of control, or mastery over their own bodies, in the sense of how it looks. Using weight lifting as a form of treatment will allow adolescents to see their bodies changing in terms of muscle tone, and the overall shape. Adolescents, in general, have many issues concerning their body shape and type. Depressed adolescents might benefit more from anaerobic exercise in terms of being able to feel more self confidence in the way they look, which in turn, may help alleviate some of their depressive symptoms. Humphries, Gruber, Hall and Kryscio (1985) concluded that adolescents diagnosed with depression usually experience impairment in neuroendocrine regulation in the central nervous system. This will usually result in poor performance in terms of balance, bilateral coordination, upper limb coordination and response speed, compared with the average adolescent with no symptoms of depression. By implementing an exercise treatment program which includes weight lifting, some of the areas of motor proficiency which are lacking, could be improved since weight lifting and aerobic exercise have a positive effect on propreocept...
