hey I was thinking of getting my brother into heavy weightlifting. He is 15 years old, 5’8, and weighs 170. He has no training experience whatsoever. Is it a good idea for him to lift heavy at his age, or will it stunt his growth?? if so, what exercises should I try not to include into his training that won’t affect his growth, are heavy squats/deadlifts out of the question?? thanks.
I was thinking of starting him off with 8-10 rep range, then after a couple months to move him on to lower rep range, higher intensity program (e.g starrs 5x5, or max-ot 4x6).
No, lifting will not stunt his growth. Start him on “Starting Strength” and coach him on the proper technique. Start with 5 reps with low weights. Form starts to break down with higher reps.
I say it depends on your experience level. If you feel comfortable with your experience level, then go right ahead. If you have any doubt about your coaching ability, or you lack the eye for form, then it’s best you hand him off to a professional or find someone more experienced than you to help out.
Just because you have great form doesn’t mean you can transfer that knowledge effectively to someone else.
[quote]stuward wrote:
No, lifting will not stunt his growth. Start him on “Starting Strength” and coach him on the proper technique. Start with 5 reps with low weights. Form starts to break down with higher reps.
ok, a couple of questions regarding nutrition. Since he’s still growing, would it be a good idea for him to eat whatever he wants (fried chicken,burgers,pizzas etc.), or should he start eating they way as outlined in the nutritional articles??also, since he’s a bit chubby should he eat less calories in order to lose the fat, or continue eating normally??
[quote]NeedforStrength wrote:
ok, a couple of questions regarding nutrition. Since he’s still growing, would it be a good idea for him to eat whatever he wants (fried chicken,burgers,pizzas etc.), or should he start eating they way as outlined in the nutritional articles??also, since he’s a bit chubby should he eat less calories in order to lose the fat, or continue eating normally??[/quote]
From a health stand point, you should definetly NOT let him eat whatever he wants, but try to get him into nutrition. I’ve made a total lifestyle change myself, and I don’t even crave junk food anymore, and feel 100x better than I did previously (not to mention going from fat, to skinny fat, and hopefully soon to lean)
And I really wouldn’t worry about training, start him our on rippletoe or a simple program and let him progress naturally/get him into to T-Nation. At 15 there’s no reason he shouldn’t be lifting like an adult, I have been since freshman year for football.
It’s never too young to learn proper nutrition. Habits built at a young age will last a lifetime. That said, if you pressure him to eat cleanly, you may alienate him. No one wants to listen to their big brother about how to eat. Big brothers don’t know anything. What lessons have your parents been teaching him? Are they overweight or fit?
[quote]stuward wrote:
N Start with 5 reps with low weights. Form starts to break down with higher reps.
Stu[/quote]
i’d actually recommend the opposite here. form breaks down with heavier weights. keep him in the 3 x 10-12 range.
also, on the nutrition, make sure he eats enough. the last thing you want is a 15 year old eating chicken breasts and egg whites. lack of calories will stunt his growth more than anything.
he’s a beginner, don’t confuse him.
[quote]hunterthompson wrote:
stuward wrote:
N Start with 5 reps with low weights. Form starts to break down with higher reps.
Stu
i’d actually recommend the opposite here. form breaks down with heavier weights. keep him in the 3 x 10-12 range.
also, on the nutrition, make sure he eats enough. the last thing you want is a 15 year old eating chicken breasts and egg whites. lack of calories will stunt his growth more than anything.
he’s a beginner, don’t confuse him.
[/quote]
watch a newbie squat for that many reps, the last half looks nothing like the first. Unless you use rediculously unchallenging weights.
watch a newbie squat for that many reps, the last half looks nothing like the first. Unless you use rediculously unchallenging weights.[/quote]
i don’t understand the challenging part. if you make him find a weight that he can do correctly for 10-12 reps, why can’t it be challenging?
i see more kids fucking up form to increase the weight than the reps. the biggest concern when you are 15 and first start training is form and safety. you are more likely to hurt your back/knees/hips etc with a heavier weight.
he’s old and big enough to do what ever rep/set/weight scheme he wants in my opinion
underarm hair = go for it!
no seriously i’d advocate heavy lifting WHILE he’s maturing and believe this will result in supercompensation and illicit greater/faster results. . hes already growing. . weights make you grow. . so theoretically weights+puberty = more growth and strong development (ligament, tendon insertions, bone mineral density etc . .)
watch a newbie squat for that many reps, the last half looks nothing like the first. Unless you use rediculously unchallenging weights.
i don’t understand the challenging part. if you make him find a weight that he can do correctly for 10-12 reps, why can’t it be challenging?
i see more kids fucking up form to increase the weight than the reps. the biggest concern when you are 15 and first start training is form and safety. you are more likely to hurt your back/knees/hips etc with a heavier weight.[/quote]
Highschool aged guys have huge egos. That’s life. FOrm breaks down for newbies after the first couple reps on squats. They will eitehr not go low enough, favor their more powerful leg heavilly and push their hips to the side, or something else rediculous you don’t want ingraned in them.
