What age

[shane]

just wondering what is a good age for a boy to get into the gym and start lifting weights? The boy is eleven now intermediate next year. any idea's team??? :?

[DANIEL8]

15 maybe 16 depending on how tall he is at 15

mind you some bbers of today did their first comp at around 14

[h-towngear]

lee priest was competing at 13

[Outkast]

lee priest was competing at 13

in b4 dwarfs

[Wookie]

Shane, I think 11 or 12 is a fine age providing he's supervised, learns technique and respect for the weights. Keep compound movements like bench, squat and deadlifts in a range where he can do at least 8-10 reps initially. Don't expect amazing gains till puberty kicks in, but I see no reason for keeping a kid out of the gym if they're smart about it. I'd personally stay away from max lifts till one has at least 18months decent lifting experience.

Depends also on the kid... no two are the same! A top sportsman could get away with more. I don't buy into the growth stunting thing unless a growth plate is damaged... which is very hard to do.

[lemon]

depends on the individual. Probably 16 though imo.

[cezare]

Intermediate was when I started my whole bodybuilding obsession. I think resistance training is fine at this age however I don't agree with prepubescents training with heavy weights stick to natural functional bodyweight exercises like pushups, situps, chinups etc and infrequent sessions like 3 times a week.

[Tokoroa bodybuilder]

15 years

[HarryB]

Under supervision I think earlier is better. As long as he's keen. I mean we let our kids play rugby and do all kind of stuff, why not let them do weight training? Every kid is different but good form and basics without worrying about weight are only going to be a good habit for him. I started training with weights at 12-13 and before that did pushup and sit ups etc it's an every part of my life now. That can't be a bad thing to teach a kid. Just supervise him.

[hhhh1]

just wondering what is a good age for a boy to get into the gym and start lifting weights? The boy is eleven now intermediate next year. any idea's team??? :?

you should probably talk to a doctor about it

[olympia]

Get him on the gear bro.

Na serious they say teens should stick to bodyweight excercises until 18ish but you look at a lot of pros that started younger than this and it hasnt hurt them . Id say if hes doing weights then keep him in the 15-20 rep range and stay away from the heavy lifts until later on when his body finishes growing.

[dmcb]

i reckon elevens a bit too young but that's just my opinion and all you're gonna get on this site is opinions, i'd talk to a specialist

[Mike Zero]

10.

[tomsammce]

i started mine at 18 months old when i used my delts and triceps to push myself onto my feet so i could walk.

[Wookie]

We let kids start playing rugby when they're like 4, but most people act like lifting weights is uber dangerous and will stunt your growth and damage you permanently. Most of my ongoing injuries came from playing rugby age 6-16 rather than lifting weights age 16-22.

Start a willing kid young with the right help, and their chance of being exceptional goes up heaps.

[ssw]

Not sure what the latest research suggests but with the toyota cup competition (NRL u20's competition) and New Zealand rugby U20's team, its not uncommon to see young guys with some impressive frames.

Some 18 and 19 year olds running around looking like they have been in the gym from a young age.

With the opportunities in professional sport, I wouldn't think it was a stretch to say some of these guys are starting to get into some serious training at 14, 15 years of age.