gym training for a 15 year old..

[ali g]

My son is 15 and wants to do some gym-based training - mainly to get a bit of fitness/strength/size etc for his sports.

He has a fairly good cardio fitness level so its not so much of this that he wants to focus on - its more the resistance training.

Can any of you, with knowledge in this area, suggest what might be appropriate exercises for someone of this age to begin with?

Also those with powerlifting knowledge - can you tell me if this is too young to train with any of the powerlifting moves? Is this safe on the body for someone that is obviously still growing?

Any help would be much appreciated

[Beef]

i started going to the gym when i was 15 also. i started out just doing machines and body weight exercises e.g press ups, chinups

as for the powerlifting, i wouldnt recommend that he start powerlifting at 15, i would wait a little while as he will still be growing

[NZ_Guy]

I'm 15, no expert but still.

Which main areas does he want to work on?

I first started with machines which can be good to start off with and now do a lot more free weights e.g. bench press, dumbells, barbell.

I have never attempted dead lift or anything like that but will probably do it as I get older.

[Beef]

I'm 15, no expert but still.

Which main areas does he want to work on?

I first started with machines which can be good to start off with and now do a lot more free weights e.g. bench press, dumbells, barbell.

I have never attempted dead lift or anything like that but will probably do it as I get older.

yeah mate i would stay away from deadlifts and squats til ur fully grown, just from what i was told from doctors.. sure if ur doing a light weight its all gud but at ur age you're real prone to getting a bad back, etc.

how long have you been going to the gym?

[Ordy]

Schwarzenegger began weight-training at fifteen. He was awarded the title of Mr. Universe at age 22 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest a total of seven times.

[thatwaslight]

Schwarzenegger began weight-training at fifteen. He was awarded the title of Mr. Universe at age 22 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest a total of seven times.

yeah just follow the oaks routine and maybe hell become governer or a movie star

[ali g]

Thanks for your comments.

He is basically wanting to put on a bit of size (weight) as he's quite a light-weight! He has the body type that can eat anything and stays the same weight, so a hard gainer i guess.

Definately not aiming to be a bodybuilder tho.

Currently I have given him a program to follow that includes chin-ups, dips (I have a frame at home for this), core work, dumbell exercises like chest-press using the swiss ball, side and front raises, squats (no weight just using the swiss ball), lunges using core board. Also a bit of back work using the bungee cord.

I know in powerlifting I have seen a few young guys and girls competing so just wondering at what age they would have started - some of them were lifting some big weights.

I've done a bit of powerlifting so am familiar with the lifts/technique etc and found that this way of training was definately the best way for me to gain a bit of size and thickness in the muscles.

[goinhard]

If you can teach proper technique then no problem with standard training.

[Dontrunwithknives]

Thanks for your comments.

He is basically wanting to put on a bit of size (weight) as he's quite a light-weight! He has the body type that can eat anything and stays the same weight, so a hard gainer i guess.

Definately not aiming to be a bodybuilder tho.

Haha I was the same way. Then I suddenly started bulking up when I got to 17. But maybe joining the army had something to do with it :pfft:

[Dr Squat]

Great post. IMO 15 is a great age to start. The International Powerlifting Federation allows competitors from the age of 14. I see no reason why you would steer clear of the powerlifts at this age. The key is to find the right training environment with good equipment and coaching.

We have a number of guys and girls aged 14-18 at Eastside. Thay are all closely supervised. They all start out with a basic weight training programme. This includes basic movements like the squat, bench press and deadlift.

[mr natural]

just get him into a basic routine with moderate sets, reps and weight. Most gym trainers should be able to get him a suitable program to build a base. good time to start now.

[HumanPerformance]

People used to think that it was definately unsafe for children and teenagers to be involved in heavy powerlifter type training (or any weight training at all for that matter). They suggested it would stunt your growth or damage the skeletal system in general due to "overloading it".

Exercise scientists have since realized this to be incorrect. This has mainly been to do with studies that have been done on skeletal loading that takes place in childrens every day play and sports. It was found out that when a child jumps down from an object there skeletal system can be subjected to loads as high as 8 times the childs bodyweight (G forces). Similarly when a body hits the ground from a vertical position (falling over whilst running,or being tackeld) it is again subjected to huge G forces which of course the body copes with easily without any problems.

Once these basic physics equations were realized it was concluded that the the amonut of weight a child would be lifting in the gym e.g 8x bodyweight, would know where near even replicate even light physical activity that the childs body experienced every day.

So yes it would be fine for your 14 year old to take up training,even powerlifting training. As ordy wrote arnold started at 15. I started weight training at 13 as did most of my freinds I grew up with (they used to come over my place to train) and we all ended up over 6tf tall.

[NZ_Guy]

yeah mate i would stay away from deadlifts and squats til ur fully grown, just from what i was told from doctors.. sure if ur doing a light weight its all gud but at ur age you're real prone to getting a bad back, etc.

how long have you been going to the gym?

Yeah sweet, thats what I have figured, I am happy cause I recently grew a cm or so haha so I at least know I am not stunting my growth.

Been going since like feb, I have a thread on here some where that you can read by checking my user lol.

Anyway, I would recommend he sees a trainer so they can show him how to do everything and give him a personalised program, it can cost a bit but at least he will know what to do. After 3 months or so it is good to do different exercises but ones that still targeting the same areas he wants to work on.

[ali g]

hey great advice you guys! thankyou

its a shame we dont still live in christchurch as i'm sure he would love to train in the environment that you provide for your teens at eastside - i feel confident to give him instruction on the proper technique (even tho i sometimes dont demonstrate it myself :oops: ), but i'm sure he would be far more likely to listen to someone like you than his mum!

its great to know that he can safely attempt this type of training under supervision so this is definately something we can look into in the near future

cheers, ali

[Beef]

hey great advice you guys! thankyou

its a shame we dont still live in christchurch as i'm sure he would love to train in the environment that you provide for your teens at eastside - i feel confident to give him instruction on the proper technique (even tho i sometimes dont demonstrate it myself :oops: ), but i'm sure he would be far more likely to listen to someone like you than his mum!

its great to know that he can safely attempt this type of training under supervision so this is definately something we can look into in the near future

cheers, ali

go for gold mate. gud luck for u nd ur son

[Dr Squat]

hey great advice you guys! thankyou

its a shame we dont still live in christchurch as i'm sure he would love to train in the environment that you provide for your teens at eastside - i feel confident to give him instruction on the proper technique (even tho i sometimes dont demonstrate it myself :oops: ), but i'm sure he would be far more likely to listen to someone like you than his mum!

its great to know that he can safely attempt this type of training under supervision so this is definately something we can look into in the near future

cheers, ali

Ali, he is very lucky to have a mum like you!

[genetic freek]

Great post. IMO 15 is a great age to start. The International Powerlifting Federation allows competitors from the age of 14. I see no reason why you would steer clear of the powerlifts at this age. The key is to find the right training environment with good equipment and coaching.

We have a number of guys and girls aged 14-18 at Eastside. Thay are all closely supervised. They all start out with a basic weight training programme. This includes basic movements like the squat, bench press and deadlift.

Is this the training split you are running with Nurse?

[Dr Squat]

Is this the training split you are running with Nurse?

What split is that?