Best weightlifting advice for the teenagers in your life

Grandkids, nieces, nephews?

This is not medical advice.

Most of my subscribers do not care about body building. However, I would guess that you have a teenager or grandkids who are just starting. When I was 13ish, I watched Rambo, and Conan the Barbarian, and I knew I wanted some muscles. I didn’t necessarily know how to go about it. Someone gave me a sand weight set, it came with a booklet of a hand drawn guy performing the basic lifts. Back then it was movies and magazines for info and inspiration. Now with the internet, the fitness industry is worth over 150 billion, good or bad. I learned many things just by watching and doing. The majority of the article is beginner advice for gaining muscle mass, that you can share with the teenager in your life.

And yes, weightlifting is safe for kids and teenagers. Instruction and proper form are critical. How you achieve that is something to consider with a local trainer or gym. Yet, at the same time, most successful body builders just started doing it. They didn’t have personal trainers as kids. They had magazines, movies, and watched their idles in the gym.

I often rant about too much technology being bad for our health, however cell phones videos are extremely helpful. Take videos of yourself performing an exercise. Most people can see and correct posture by watching themself. That’s part of the reason for mirrors.

Warm ups are critical to safety, so that you don’t pull a muscle. Do this by completing a couple of very easy sets with lighter resistance. Learn proper form, use safety latches on the weight bars, and watch your surroundings. I showed my kids all the blooper reals on YouTube of all the dangerous mistakes that people make in fitness. The kids love laughing at it, so they’re interested in watching. This helps them be aware of all that could go wrong. Yes, unbalanced weight racks can fall on your head. Never assume that equipment is stable.

Being a teenager is wonderful for gaining muscle. The potential for large gains is huge, mostly due to the natural hormones that are present. You are automatically primed for growth. It’s almost like you are on steroids, and for that reason alone, you don’t need any. You just need a stimulus to unlock that, i.e. weightlifting.

The next consideration is, what are your goals? If you are looking to gain as much muscle as possible, then we need to talk about frequency. How often do you need to work out?

Assuming you are wanting to gain as much muscle as possible, this would require 5x/wk. You will make gains at 3x/wk, and even more at 6. At least one day should be rest. Many of you have a very busy schedule, so you probably can’t make it to the gym 5x/week. Push ups can always be done at home, in the morning, or after dinner.

There is varying research on how many sets per body part, per week. For instance, let’s say you want to grow your chest muscles. A beginner should complete 10 sets per body part per week. More experienced and older bodybuilders go up to 20/week. For example, 3 sets of push ups, 3 sets of bench press, 2 sets of dumbbell flys, 2 sets of seated press. The possibilities and variations of exercises number in the hundreds to thousands, so you just have to learn and research the ones that are right for you.

How many repetitions should you complete in each set? The research for muscle growth suggests 8-12 repetitions. That means you need to pick a weight that you can only lift 8-12 times, with good form! That is trial and error on your part. No one knows those weights until you test them. Start lower than expected, and work your way up. If you can complete more than 12 reps, add slightly more weight the next time.

It should take you a full minute of rest to complete the next set. If that is not the case, then the resistance is too low, or you are not working hard enough.

Honestly, the most successful people don’t record numbers, they just do it, more and more. Weightlifting will teach you to listen to your body. Is that the “muscle burn” i’m feeling, or tendonitis creeping in? Equal muscle soreness on both sides of the body is generally ok, a day or two after workouts. On one side, or specific to a muscle or tendon may be a strain or tendonitis.

Move slowly when lifting for hypertrophy (muscle size.) Four seconds lowering the weight, two seconds to lift or contract. Most people tend to lift too quickly. Slower movements will recruit more muscle fibers to contract. If you swing or use speed or momentum, you will use less fibers. There are other forms of power lifting when this is appropriate, however we are talking about beginning strengthening here.

Why do we lift iron? That iron has more inertia than other materials. It is relatively dense, and (used to be) cheap. When our body has to move a dense material or inanimate object, we have to recruit more muscle fibers. Increasing our % of muscle fibers used, increases strength and hypertrophy (size.)

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be performing push ups, pull ups, dips, and other body weight exercises. There are advantages to those also. Body weight exercises tend to also work our trunk muscles, improving some of our postural strength. Lifting heavy weights with poor trunk strength can cause pain and dysfunction.

The other advantage is that body weight exercises add variety. Your body will only respond to the same exercises or routine so may times. It's a good idea to change routines, exercises, or numbers every three months. New stimuli = new growth.

The most jacked person I ever knew and worked out with challenged his body in different ways every day. “Hey, wanna doing bicep curls to failure every 3 min, for 2 hours?” Uh, no. But that worked for him. He was gigantic, by not following a routine. Just savage in the weight room, or even at home, performing push up challenges.

Nutrition is a large part of this equation. The more protein and calories you consume, the larger you will get. This can be difficult to manage. A beginner wanting to add muscle will need 1.2g - 1.6g protein per kg body weight per day. So for example, you weigh 150 lbs, divide by 2.2 to get kgs = 68 kg. Multiply that times the 1.2 to 1.6 range and you will need to consume between 82-108 grams of protein per day. Some people use protein shakes for that reason. Write down your meals, and add your protein amounts. You don’t want to be spinning your wheels in the gym.

Lastly, there is a genetic component to this. Some people just appear skinny. However, you won’t know your full potential until you try.

Arnold Schwarzenegger describes a time in his life when he was a young body builder. Genetically his calf muscles were way behind the rest of his physique. He claims he cut off his sweatpants at the knee, and had to see these tiny calf muscles every day. He then proceeded to work those calf muscles 2 hours every day, in addition to his other routines. Did he have pharmaceutical help along the way? Probably. But the work had to be done.

Whatever you decide to do, realize that this takes patience, and years of hard work. I loved lifting weights at the moment I was doing it. If it is a chore, or something you have to make yourself do, maybe it’s not your thing.

Your mood improves while you are doing it, and for a couple hours afterwords. It helps give you direction, and a plan in life. I still plan out what I am going to do, and when, every week.