How should my 13 1/2 year old son work out?

[BJE]

My thirteen and a half year old son has started to work out with me, and I would like some advice on teenage weight lifting. For now I have had him do the same workout that I do, but I don't know what rep range and how much weight he should be lifting. Common sense tells me he shouldn't go too heavy.

He's 5'9" and about 120lbs. Come to think of it, that's taller than some of the men on the forum.

He is very thin, so his workout doesn't need to focus on any fat loss.

Thanks in advance for any imput.

[FlexinMike]

I have my son(14) doing the circuit at about 12 reps per machine right now. I also have him doing some light squats, leg presses, and ab work.

[Anml.]

I think right now healthy eating and just getting familiar with the workouts are the best things to do. Work on core, strength, cardio..etc


nothingt too big and after a few months he can hit start focusing on form, then he can start doing compound lifts (rippetoes for starting strength)

[Byakuya]

Come to think of it, that's taller than some of the men on the forum.

your point?

[ironwill2008]

I'd keep him to 12-15 rep sets (no heavy weight) until he starts to put on some body weight.

Youngsters that age will need some supervision in the gym, both to insure they don't try to lift too heavy, and also to keep them from deviating from good form. It's a bit tricky though; you don't want to dampen their enthusiasm to a point where they quit.

[BrotherWolf]

My thhirteen and a half year old son has started to work out with me, and I would like some advice on teenage weight lifting. For now I have had him do the same workout that I do, but I don't know what rep range and how much weight he should be lifting. Common sense tells me he shouldn't go too heavy.

He's 5'9" and about 120lbs. Come to think of it, that's taller than some of the men on the forum.

He is very thin, so his workout doesn't need to focus on any fat loss.

Thanks in advance for any imput.

Depends on his goals at 5'9" and 120lbs first thing he needs to do is eat and grow

this is a a good start
http://www.aasgaardco.com/store/stor...on=show_detail

[cobralex297]

When I started out at about that age, my trainer avoided overhead lifts with heavy weights. Shoulder presses work, just nothing ridiculous. Apparently during growth, lifting overhead can affect the spine development. That's just what I heard. Beyond that, my workouts now (weight progressions ignored) are similar to my workouts back then. Basic circuit with higher reps and slightly lower weight.

[BrotherWolf]

When I started out at about that age, my trainer avoided overhead lifts with heavy weights.

No offense that's a pile of doodoo.. very old and ignorant thinking

Olympic weightlifters start as young as 6yo, they grow just fine and by 18-20 yo they are olympic material

google Frank Rothwell

[BrotherWolf]

Apparently during growth, lifting overhead can affect the spine development.

Yeah it will affect the spine development...... it might make it stronger

[BrotherWolf]

Damn... this 8 yo kid cleans more than I do

[BJE]

your point?

No point I was just remembering an old thread. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=117405621

[BrotherWolf]

you don't want to dampen their enthusiasm to a point where they quit.

Great point.. I see those kids oly lifting and I wonder how they feel..
it must take a lot of dedication and passion to push yourself at that age when most kids want to go out and play

[tonester]

Boys that age need to establish strength and stability in the joints and soft tissue by getting really good at bodyweight movements first. Push ups chest to floor, dips, pull ups from a dead hang, single leg squats, handstand push ups against a wall etc. Kids who get strong at this stuff can usually handle external loads with solid stability and strength their first time out. Think injury prevention. As his coach this is job one.

Don't get him on machines. Eliminating the use of stabilizers isn't going to do him any favours down the road when he gets into athlietics.

As for rep ranges (for weights) stick to higher reps. He needs to allow his connective tissue to adapt.

[JC480]

My son is the exact same age...13 1/2...I've been pondering this as well. I'll probably opt to go with light weights/reps on some very basic lifts just to get him into it, learn safety habits and gym etiquette.

After he's 14 I'll probably hire a professional to teach him techniques and go from there.

Most pediatricians will agree that a teen's bones are still knitting and heavy weights have the potential to affect some aspect of their development negatively. I'd always lean to being conservative about this than listen to strangers on the internet if you know what I mean : )

[BJE]

you don't want to dampen their enthusiasm to a point where they quit.

Great point.. I see those kids oly lifting and I wonder how they feel..
it must take a lot of dedication and passion to push yourself at that age when most kids want to go out and play

Before working out with me you could hardly get him out of bed for school, now he is getting up at 6:00am to work out.

[BrotherWolf]

Before working out with me you could hardly get him out of bed for school, now he is getting up at 6:00am to work out.

Awesome...

[Lenny99]

A great thing is white board of progress. My son is the same age (13.5) is very motivated by beating what he did last time in the gym.

[BrotherWolf]

Most pediatricians will agree that a teen's bones are still knitting and heavy weights have the potential to affect some aspect of their development negatively. I'd always lean to being conservative about this than listen to strangers on the internet if you know what I mean : )

Most pediatricians are like most general practitioners... ignorant on the subject !!
however if you ask an olympic coach or a doctor/scientist who has experience with kids and weight training they will tell you that weightlifting is less dangerous than baseball and there is no reason for not training with weights

According to Dr. Avery Faigenbaum, a scientist who has studied strength training and children
"A properly designed strength training program can improve the strength of children, increase cardiorespiratory fitness, increase flexibility, improve motor fitness performance, improve body composition, increase resistance to injury, decrease the time for rehabilitation, enhance mental health and well being, increase sports performance, increase adherence to physical activity, and stimulate a more positive attitude toward fitness conditioning. "

[BrotherWolf]

Before working out with me you could hardly get him out of bed for school, now he is getting up at 6:00am to work out.

BTW this is a great article
http://missourifamilies.org/features...icles/fit4.htm

"Exercise professionals, coaches, trainers, teachers, and parents should familiarize themselves with the following important guidelines to ensure the safety of children involved in strength training. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests:

#6 There is no recommended minimum age for children to be introduced to strength training. Children as young as 5-6 years old have participated in Dr. Faigenbaum's programs."

[BJE]

I know that when kids get into high school they go to the weight room and do a lot of stupid stuff with little supervision. When he gets to that point I want him to have experience and know what he is doing.

[silverlightning]

compound movements using the push/pull system.

chest/delts/tris
back/bi's
legs.

[BrotherWolf]

I know that when kids get into high school they go to the weight room and do a lot of stupid stuff with little supervision. When he gets to that point I want him to have experience and know what he is doing.

Exactly , they act stupid to impress each other if he already knows how to do it right he won't have any problems..

[Rhinoclan]

I worked out last night with my daughter who's 11. While I as lifting (my gym is in my garage), I had her do circuits of walking body weight lunges, followed by pushups, followed by bent arm hangs from a pullup bar, then rest. Then did bodyweight jump squats, inverted body weight rows, and hand stands against the wall.

If I've learned one thing, it's to encourage the activity, make it strenuous, and keep it moving quickly so they don't get bored.

Now, for my 14yr. old son, who hates to listen to his Dad, I just make sure his form is okay, then let him do whatever he feels like doing that day. If he wants to do 10 sets of squats, I'm okay with that. If it's only arm curls...fine by me. When he gets to the point that he comes and asks for help, that's when I'll give my opinions.

[icetrauma]

Mainly do the big compound lifts. All we did back in the high school gym were bench, incline, squats and lying leg curls. I would add in pull ups and overhead shoulder presses. As he gets older and developes he then can add isolation exerecises.

[gkrane]

My son is 14 1/2 and has been lifting with me for 2 years. He does my exact full body split routine and keeps reps in the 10-12 range for every set.

[BuckSpin]

Regardless of what you end up doing, this is the time to beat "form, form, form" into his psyche. The Teen Forum is filled with kids doing wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too heavy for wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much in who knows what form. Teach him HOW.

And FWIW, he will never have as much testy as he will over the next X years. This is the time to introduce squats, deads, etc so he understands that every day is not Chest & Bis like the majority of his peers may and develops a solid, thick base of LBM to add onto as the years progress.

[Most Muscular]

My 12 year old son (nearly 13) started coming to the gym once in awhile with my wife and I. I started him first on a whole body workout when he first started so his muscles could get used to the weight. I also used this time to teach him how to use the equipment and the proper form for each exercise. I also taught him about stretching and always tried to remind him to EAT when he got home. After a few weeks of total body workouts we moved him to individual bodyparts and had him start keeping a log so he could monitor his progress and also know what exercise worked what bodypart and what weight he should perhaps start at next time. Unlike some of the seasons veterans of iron, these type of things are not common knowledge to someone just starting out. He is loving working out although he hasn't been getting into the gym too much lately.

I saw a dad bringing his son around the gym last month showing him how to do different things and I nearly stepped in and said something because he was teaching the kid some very bad habits. First off, he loaded too much weight for the kid to start off with and second, he left the weights on the bar when he was done and walked away! Grrrrrr.

nuff said...

[ntrllftr]

For now I have had him do the same workout that I do

I am doing the same thing...

I started taking my son (12) to the gym a couple months ago.
I am teaching him proper form with low weight. Not really keeping track of reps.
I told him that he would increase weight when I feel that he has the exercises down first.
I have him doing two muscles per workout.

I get him every other weekend. Last night he called me and asked if he could come over this weekend, (which is not my usual weekend to have him) so he can go to the gym and train with me.

[socket]

My oldest son is 17 now. He got interested in lifting at about 12.5 from seeing me train(I train in the basement) and seeing some of the muscle mags around my desk. I started him on push ups, sit ups, and pull ups. Once he developed good form/strength and got his rep count up, I started him on a simple plan. I stressed good form over everything else. I stayed with him for every rep every workout until he had it down.
This was what I started him on....keep in mind very light weight
flat bb bench 3x10
tri cable push downs 3x10
dumbell rows 3x10
concetration curls 3x10
leg ext. 3x10
leg curls 3x10
He now works out on his own(has since 14.5) 3 times a week. He has developed his own routine, some from reading muscle mags and some input from his highschool basketball coach. They have an off season lifting program.
It makes me proud to see how far he has taken it. He now puts up good #s, and he is ripped. He's a hard gainer like me, so fat's not an issue. every pound he puts on is solid. I've got him thinking about when he eats and what he eats, and he's now loading up carbs and protien before and after training, and seeing results He's now starting to get into my protien, its getting expensive!!lol. But I don't mind, I'm proud he's into bb and not going out and getting wasted like I was doing at his age.

Like others have stated.....form, form , form. IMHO, that's the most important part when starting out.

[ddeacon22]

My son is 13.5 as well and started when he was about 12. First starting out I too was a bit worried about all the mixed messages about being bad for kids that age but in the end, I was convinced was of the concerns were unjustified. Here is a good article from the American Academy of Pediatrics on the topic of training in adolescents and it debunks most of the concerns raised (stunts growths, damages spine etc.) as being more related to improper form and supervision. Its only real recommendation is to avoid max lifts like 1RM etc and to stick to strength training. Also, recommends strict form and supervision.

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org...ics;107/6/1470

In terms of what he does to workout, I had him start on a typical 3 day split 3x10 for about 30-45min per workout. He did this about for the first 6 months and I supervised every rep to make sure his form was good. The one thing I didn't do was harp on him about missed workouts and thing like that. I let him do his own thing so he didn't feel like I was being forced into it. Like a typical kid he was on again off again and his progress was OK but not great and he actually clued in that if you want to make progress you have to be consistent.

He really like football so he wanted me to get him on more of a strength program so for the last 6+ months he has been on a 5x5 program of the basic strength lifts (Squats, bench, deads, bent over rows, and should press) and doing really well. His consistency is WAY better and he has very good form now as well. He is 5'-6" 140 lb. I'd highly recommend a good tried and true 5x5 program as it has worked well for him.

D