posted April 07, 2000 06:49 PM         

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I'm a 14 year old male, 5 foot 8 inches tall and only 120 pounds. I was wondering if anyone could give me a routine to help me build a decent amount of muscle. PLEASE HELP!!! You can also e-mail me at [email protected]. Thank you.

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posted April 07, 2000 08:41 PM         

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i need a little more info. how long have u been training? how many days do you have a week available to train? do you have access to a commercial gym, or are u training at home?

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"The weights are a means to an end, they are not my friends."-Nasser

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posted April 08, 2000 11:41 AM         

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I have been training since about august of '99. I have almost everyday availible to train. I workout at a commercial gym that suffers from a severe lack of equipment, thay don't even have a preacher bench or an inclene press(besides doing in with the smith machine). I can't lift very heavy weight either, I'm not very strong. You can e-mail me at [email protected]

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posted April 10, 2000 05:58 AM         

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At 14 you have to be really careful. Your bones are still growing and you can do all sorts of damage. I'd wait a few years before you started to train properly.

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posted April 27, 2000 05:49 PM         

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I agree with StevieD. However, I would still recommend doing exercises that only involve your bodyweight, such as pushups, pullups, and plyos. At your age those might pack on the muscle you seek, as well as keep you from injuring yourself.

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posted April 27, 2000 06:13 PM            

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I totally disagree with Stevie and B, if you start off light and work gradually you can start training now. I would focus on the major excercises since they will reap the most benefits as a beginner, concentrate on Squats, bench and deadlifts. I would ask a coach at school or a trainer in your gym to show you how to perform these with perfect form. Start off VERY light for the first month to get the movements down, then start upping the poundages. IF YOU DON'T USE GOOD FORM YOU WILL GET INJURED. remember that. and remember there is such a thing as overtraining. I would reccommend doing each one of these excercises twice a week, maybe add like military press, calf raises, pullups. After you get into lifting a little more then maybe do a split routine but as a beginner I don't think it's optimal since you probably don't need a full week to recover each bodypart. Remember, eat, sleep, and water are the most important for getting in shape your routine comes 4th. You can e-mail me if you have any questions.

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posted April 27, 2000 06:33 PM            

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I think new nailed it. See if weight training is offered in your school or highschool if your not there yet. I took it at my school. Take your time, you have only begun young grasshopper.

Oh yeah, stay away from all the crazy supplements out there. Stick with real food and lots of milk(cheap protien!)

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posted April 27, 2000 07:20 PM         

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Agreed. I started lifting when I was 14. Not heavy though. I started on a begginers program, which involved no heavy weight and no training to the point of failure.

My suggestion is to start out with some light weight stuff 15-20 reps, don't train hard Then after a few months of getting adjusted to the overload on your body, you can gradually increase the weight and get into a little heavier stuff. Remeber to maintain good exercise form when starting out, and drink plenty of milk to keep your bones strong.

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