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13 year old weight training?
- Thread starter stageguy
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asdfzxcv
New member
Get him used to the basic compound movements like squats,deadlifts,bench press,row/power clean and overhead press.Make sure his form/technique is good before increasing the poundages.If he masters those basic movements and makes sure he increases his lifts over a period of time he will be doing better then the 90% of idiots who spin their wheels in the weight room for years on end.
stageguy said:
I started working out when I was 13. I was on the machines as a start because i really didn't know about anything and wanted to get "fit". What i wished i would have done, is get underneath an empty barbell and go through all the compound motions and learn how to do them correctly. Then add weights little by little. You should start his reps high to begin with, then work them down when he learns more about it. I'm not too sure about all the hype with stunting/stalling groth plates and low reps. They cannot directly link stalled groth plates with low reps in studies, but i'm not too sure about any of that, maybe some members here will know more. Get him to eat protein, and depending what he's going for with weight training: is he trying for football, have to be in a certain weight class, want to get big and strong?
Some of the main tips I can recommend are training past failure for every set, eating enough calories from nutrient dense "clean" foods and always make sure to get enough rest since your muscles recover and grow when you're away from the gym.
Here are several more very helpful bodybuilding tips for adding muscle mass:
Bodybuilding Tips - Top 50 Tips For Building Muscle Mass
Best of luck!
Here are several more very helpful bodybuilding tips for adding muscle mass:
Bodybuilding Tips - Top 50 Tips For Building Muscle Mass
Best of luck!
A
Anthrax Invasion
Guest
stageguy said:
Weight training will make him explode. Be wary.
silver_shadow
New member
about growth plates getting stunted... well i have read somewhere (can't remember where unfortunately) that this is a myth. as long as he is getting enough food (with enough proteins) he should be fine...oso0690 said:
IMO, training a 13yr old shouldn't be very different than an 18+. i think chambewy20 has trained younger lifters so he'd probably be a better person to answer questions.
BTW, i wish i had started that early.
silver_shadow said:
Rippetoe has a segment in Starting Strength regarding this. I don't remember the exact wording, but basically the only documented case of a growth plate issue from a young lifter they could find came as the result of a heavy weight being dropped on the bone and breaking it by a youngster working out alone in his house.
BiggT
New member
The growth plate thing is a BS myth....weightlifting actually promotes bone density, a good thing for teenagers. As far as age, the only thing holding a kid back is going to be emotional maturity.....some 13 year olds are more than capable of being serious in the weightroom and following direction, other 13 year olds want to play with GI Joe still....it all depends on the kid's individual maturity.
I started training when I was 13, 8th grade to be exact. The same rules apply to a 13 year old, or a 10 year old for that matter as apply to a 30 year old. I'd say the focus should be on a balance of compound lifts, learning proper form from day 1 and pushing for gradual increases over time, same as anyone.....don't push him faster than anyone, don't hold him back more than anyone, good, solid training plain and simple.
For diet, instill a sense of nutrition and what is good, useful food and what is absolute shit.....but don't forget he is kid. Don't expect him to run around with tupperware containers filled with brown rice and broccoli, that will backfire and you'll end up with the next Todd Marinovich, lol. Teach him to eat an abundance of nutritiously dense foods, and let him decide how clean/unclean he wants to be with the extras. If he wants to go for ice cream with his GF, then by all means he SHOULD, but only after he eats a double serving of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Explain how nutrition relates to performance, and explain the difference between 'looking good' and performing, and let him go where he wants to go.
For me, when I was his age, it was a gallon of milk a day.....eggs, oatmeal, and toast with peanut butter for breakfast.....two or three school lunches with 4 milks (the REAL lunch, not the snack bar or the 'alternate' lunch of cheese fries and coca-cola)...two PB and J's before the weightroom.....then after lifting or practice I went home and had whatever my mom made for dinner, and lots of it with milk.....then did my homework while sipping milk.......then more PB and J's with milk before bed. Lots of veggies and salads with lunch and dinner.
Ih he wants to get big and strong, this is the perfect time because for the next 5 years his body will be naturally producing enough testosterone to make any juice head jealous.
I started training when I was 13, 8th grade to be exact. The same rules apply to a 13 year old, or a 10 year old for that matter as apply to a 30 year old. I'd say the focus should be on a balance of compound lifts, learning proper form from day 1 and pushing for gradual increases over time, same as anyone.....don't push him faster than anyone, don't hold him back more than anyone, good, solid training plain and simple.
For diet, instill a sense of nutrition and what is good, useful food and what is absolute shit.....but don't forget he is kid. Don't expect him to run around with tupperware containers filled with brown rice and broccoli, that will backfire and you'll end up with the next Todd Marinovich, lol. Teach him to eat an abundance of nutritiously dense foods, and let him decide how clean/unclean he wants to be with the extras. If he wants to go for ice cream with his GF, then by all means he SHOULD, but only after he eats a double serving of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Explain how nutrition relates to performance, and explain the difference between 'looking good' and performing, and let him go where he wants to go.
For me, when I was his age, it was a gallon of milk a day.....eggs, oatmeal, and toast with peanut butter for breakfast.....two or three school lunches with 4 milks (the REAL lunch, not the snack bar or the 'alternate' lunch of cheese fries and coca-cola)...two PB and J's before the weightroom.....then after lifting or practice I went home and had whatever my mom made for dinner, and lots of it with milk.....then did my homework while sipping milk.......then more PB and J's with milk before bed. Lots of veggies and salads with lunch and dinner.
Ih he wants to get big and strong, this is the perfect time because for the next 5 years his body will be naturally producing enough testosterone to make any juice head jealous.
