12 year old - how should i diet and how many calories should i eat?

[acakralj123]

I'm 12 years old, train 4 times a week boxing and go to the gym 3 times but i do a circuit workout there- just started going. Going to start soccer twice a week with school once it starts.

Im well built for my age and im not fat at all, i have some muscle but im looking to grow. I eat healthy now, but i think im in a deficit, if i started eating a lot of carbs and brought my calories up from my deficit into the 2000-2500 range, would that help me grow or would i lose definition? could anybody recommend a diet for me?
Thanks a lot.

[khuong1994]

If your really 12, I would suggest eating whatever you like. Enjoy life before going to high school and having to deal with ****loads of *******s. Also we have no idea how much your weight is or how tall you are...

[acakralj123]

171 cm 56 kg

[jarekd1234]

171 cm 56 kg

You're not well built, do Starting Strength/FBW and calculate your maintenance(google) and then add 500 calories to it so you do a clean bulk so you don't get too much fat which might affect your speed but you probably wouldn't notice it anyway.

Just make sure you eat properly, rest and your workout is good.

[JasonSoon]

eat ALOT ALOT ALOT

[Aron1992]

Don't listen to the above post, just focus on eating good wholesome foods and giving your body the fuel it needs, in other words don't eat ****.

Don't focus too much on getting bigger as, don't mean to sound rude but as your body develops through puberty you will naturally gain some weight and size, and as long as you have some physical activity in your weekly schedule you will not get fat.

Just enjoy your childhood though it goes by quick, don't worry about your physique it will naturally take care of itself if you enjoy various sporting activities.

[sogeking]

dont eat "ALOT ALOT ALOT"
dont do Starting Strength
dont be a *******

[Aytronic]

be a kid, keep doing what your doing till summer before highschool.

then get srs.

I waited for summer before junior year (now)
kind late....still early nbd

[Sqwivivol]

x2 to all above cept Jared

[mainguy]

DON'T go on a 'bulk' or 'cut' or any bullcrap like that. Lift and eat as you want, stay healthy (good habits gained at your age will stick for life).

[andrewLJ]

You're 12.

[TheSoupster]

At your age there is no need to wPeru about maintenance or bulking or cutting, just EAT. Don't make it complicated. Eat, lift, sleep, repeat.

[acakralj123]

alright cool, thanks for getting that off my shoulders, instead of making a new thread, just have a qquick question, the gym i go to is a circuit series program, is that okay for me since im 12? i plan on doing something like this for another year or 2 then start hitting the gym for real.

[kentuckync]

Don't listen to the above post, just focus on eating good wholesome foods and giving your body the fuel it needs, in other words don't eat ****.

Don't focus too much on getting bigger as, don't mean to sound rude but as your body develops through puberty you will naturally gain some weight and size, and as long as you have some physical activity in your weekly schedule you will not get fat.

Just enjoy your childhood though it goes by quick, don't worry about your physique it will naturally take care of itself if you enjoy various sporting activities.

is this guy even serious?

[ocarinanoob]

You're 12 and 3 inches taller than me. Wat.






Anyway, if you lift and eat more than you are eating currently, you shall grow. Be careful with those who say "eat ALOT ALOT ALOT" because overeating may make you fat. That is not your goal. Your goal is to be aesthetic as ??????.

Anyhow, try a beginner's routine. I would recommend Stronglifts rather than SS (more lifting). http://stronglifts.com/. I doubt you'll understand the routine and if that is the case, just post about it on the forum. Of course, you can just go do the gym and do what all novices do (curling and crunching) and you will STILL grow for a while. That's called noob gains. I do not recommend this because all novices (including me) always neglect all other muscles other than biceps and chest. Not good.


As for diet; enjoy yourself but if you eat junk EVERYDAY that is definitely a bad thing. If you really want to count calories, I think 2500 or above is good for you. Eat around 112g protein a day if you're serious about your gains. I'm not very knowledgeable compared to most here, and I am also new, so go to the stickies on top of this forum for real help.

[Energized]

is this guy even serious?

I think he means that his body will develop further as he goes through puberty, gain more muscle and strength etc.

I don't think you should be worrying about your physique too much at 12 years old. By all means go to the gym and increase your fitness level with circuit training like you are doing now but a muscular physique and strength shouldn't be your primary concern right now. Over the next few years as you go through puberty your body will go from boy to man which means that you will get a lot stronger and become more muscular. That will be the time to really start working out and eating properly as your testosterone levels are soaring. Until then your body isn't really capable of gaining much muscle through lifting weights. Sure you could probably gain some and get stronger but nothing like you will be able to when you are 14-15+.

[Aron1992]

is this guy even serious?

yes i was serious