Well this is not for me, but for my brother, he currently took interest in training and wants to gain some mass this summer so he is a little bigger as he gets into highschool.
His current stats:
Weight- 107 Pounds
Height- 4’10
Bodyfat- 12%ish
Age- 14
First time at the gym today:
5rm Bench- 65
5rm Deadlift- 135
5rm Squat- 115
Looking at his stats and being the first time at the gym i guess he needs some help, though im pretty sure once his form and he learnes the movement he will be able to bump those up pretty quickly.
My question is what should he do at this age, i would put him on my program but it is too much for him, and the diet has to be different too. He eats all the shit food in the house and doesnt gain a pounds, im the oppposite. I guess we have very simlilar genetics in the sence that we both have very thick legs and calves. And also looking at the numbers the percentage pretty much ligns up with my lifts.
(195/375/390 at 180 6’0)
I only have a couple of months of training so i didint feel qualified on what program he should start with. I can teach him all the basic stuff, i took time learning my form and its spot on. I was thinking of WSFSB or Starting strenght. His goal is to get to at least 130lb in 4 and a half months. I dont know if his age allows that kinda growth, but im pretty sure he is going trough puberty as he is growing a beard. Any idea of what he should start with? He also wants to get stronger in the process. I would appreciate any help on what program to start him on.
Also what stuff should he be eating, should he do a dirty bulk since he doesnt gain weight and at his age his metabolism is probably fast? Or should he try something cleaner? What type of diet or eating habits will give him these results the fastest?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies, any questions feel free to ask.
Honestly…he sounds like he’s still small for his age. I know I was around 5’5-6" at that age and I’m only 5’10" now at 22. That’s actually both good and bad news, hehe.
He really should not do too much actually “weightlifting” until he gets closer to his natural adult size. There’s still too much pliability in his bones, and it can cause a lot of unnecessary soreness, joint pain and all sort of fun things.
What he can do, though, are bodyweight exercises, push ups, chin/pull ups/dips bodyweight squats and lunges. Things like that. He can pretty much eat anything at that age and put on muscle. With no actual work he’ll probably put on 15-20 lbs lean in the next year alone.
Stick to a basic routine 3 days a week and he’ll make progress.
Yea i think he is actually around 5 feet right now, its been like 3 months since he got checked at the doctor. The thing is my parents are short 5’2 and 5’5…somehow i got lucky and i am 6’0 and my sister is 5’5, so its not looking too bright for his maximum height.
He also may give wrestling a try next year, so thats why a gain in strength would help. I don’t know if all the other guys at freshman wrestling will be doing bodyweight squats and pullups. Ill tell him about it though, and see what he says.
My first suggestion was to start him out on bodyweight training, and then realized that would be a waste of time. He can probably already bam out 14 pushups and lunges.
But if he can’t, get him to the point where he can.
Yeah, starting strength and a dirty bulk. The cleaner the better, but he’s 14 and wouldn’t know health if it bitch-slapped him. Best thing I can think of is peanuts (or any nuts, really). They’re cheap, healthy, and pack some massive calories. A half-pound a day in addition to what he normally eats is a good start. If he’s an ambitious little runt, tell him his progress in the gym depends on how much he eats. And then when you see him eating, laugh at him and ask if that’s all he’s eating.
Your parents will hate me for your food bill.
20 lbs in 18 weeks? Seems pretty possible. It probably won’t all be muscle, but a good chunk of it should be.
It’s good that you’re trying to look out for him. Point the direction and then let him loose. He’s gonna make a bunch of mistakes, and that’s totally cool. You can shield him from some, but most you’re gonna need to let him suffer through. It’s the only way guys learn .
Hell, tell him to create an account and post questions when he gets them. Make HIM accountable for his training.
I have not seen any reliable evidence suggesting young athletes (12-16) are harmed by lifting weights.
Squats and deadlifts with good form are okay.
However, I would caution you to not decrease his working sets past three reps. The reason being is that young athletes don’t get much out of them (their nervous system isn’t that efficient, and often the difference between their 3RM and 1RM is very small, like 10lbs. Like say, low nervous efficiency) and there is a real chance of CNS burnout.
For the same reason, I do not advise training to failure. Everything else is fair game though.
