Teenager & strength training
Discussion
When I was doing a lot of training, I bought a bench and weights to use at home. My life has changed a lot since then, and I now spend most of my time at my partner's house. With the change in lifestyle to living like a dad, I seem to be starting to look like one, which will not do. With the new extension we now have space to use another room as a home gym, so I'm going to move my exercise equipment in there.
When they've been at my house, her son, who will be fourteen soon, has taken to using my weights. He's quite excited that he'll be able to use them when I move them to the other house, and I'm happy to let him and to give him some guidance on using them properly.
My gut feeling is that with common sense and good practice there isn't really anything to worry about here, and that it will be a good thing for us to do together. The only issue is that everything I know about it was taught to me by a PT who was training me - a man in his 40's.
Apart from the obvious of not letting him injure himself, is there anything specific worth knowing?
When they've been at my house, her son, who will be fourteen soon, has taken to using my weights. He's quite excited that he'll be able to use them when I move them to the other house, and I'm happy to let him and to give him some guidance on using them properly.
My gut feeling is that with common sense and good practice there isn't really anything to worry about here, and that it will be a good thing for us to do together. The only issue is that everything I know about it was taught to me by a PT who was training me - a man in his 40's.
Apart from the obvious of not letting him injure himself, is there anything specific worth knowing?
Good form is better than big weights, certainly to begin with. Very satisfying being able to do a clean set with a decent weight rather that getting yourself in a mess to try and max out. When I used to work out properly I did a lot of press ups, 3 sets of 60 per day was the minimum and more if I was on a role, no equipment needed and very effective. Really need to pull my finger out and get back to some sort of fitness, still got my bench and weights and a host of dumbbells etc, just been too lazy to use them is the honest answer.
As other have said, high reps, low weight, good form are all that’s needed at that age. No need for a structured, progressive program until he’s later in his teens and actually has concrete goals to aim for.
Basic resistance training from the age of 12 to 25 for boys will give them a lifetime of benefit.
My 12 year old is just getting started and he’s loving it. Got his first chin to bar pull-up on Wednesday and seeing his sense of achievement was fantastic.
Basic resistance training from the age of 12 to 25 for boys will give them a lifetime of benefit.
My 12 year old is just getting started and he’s loving it. Got his first chin to bar pull-up on Wednesday and seeing his sense of achievement was fantastic.
otolith said:
I should talk to him about goals, I don’t actually know why he’s interested.
At that age he'll probably think it will attract the girls and think the bigger the better so remind him that to get big like a bodybuilder he'll need steroids and that will make his dick shrink and give him acne,may keep him natural 
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