I don’t have kids. But I think you shouldn’t start with formal training but only tease your son for bodybuilding and becoming strong to build his interest.
Show him show olympic lifting videos. That should light his interest at a pretty young age, even as young as 7-8 years old.
I’ve been lifting weights for the last few years, and I’ve had some weights and a bar on the floor in the back garden, which I left out.
My 8 year old brother, has now all of a sudeen took up an interest in lifting weights, he seems to be a big fan of the deadlift- most probably because this is the weight he can pile on the most plates for.
He just seems to keep adding the small plates on till he can’t do it more than once or twice, and before he did 86 lbs-39kg for 1 rep. I thought that was quite impressive at around 63lbs.
What are the junior records, if there are any?
I have a 2yr. old daughter who always wants to do what daddy’s doing. She sees me working out and wants to “essersize” too.
She has a folding mat from diaper changing that resembles a small version of the one i use for crunches, pushups, etc. All on her own she brought it out to the garage, layed face down, hands on the floor, started rocking back and forth while breathing heavily. I explained that she was doing a “pushup”.
It’s the leading by example thing. While she’s still to young for serious weight training, we are laying the ground work for a healthy, active lifestyle.
This summer when her Gymboree class is over we’re putting her in a gymnastics class. She’s going to do that until she says that she isn’t interested in it.
When she shows an interest in lifting, I’ll get a 15lb aluminim “olympic” bar to go with the 5lb bumper “training” plates that I already have so she can go through the motions, learn proper technique, and feel like she’s really lifting something.
It’s definately a whole lifestyle, and proper diet goes along with it as well. If when she’s older she chooses something else, that will be fine.
One thing’s for sure, good habits are already being programmed in, which will be hard to break later.
Congrats on the hook-up and good luck with it all.
[quote]Nominal Prospect wrote:
Dude, forget about weight training, superb physical development is a product of superb nutrition.
Feed them cod liver oil and red meat from a young age. Hold off on carbs for AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. NO CARBS before age 5, at least. Give them animal fat and protein and they will grow up strong, solid, healthy and robust.
Also, your wife NEEDS to be doing the same right now because healthy development starts before birth. Get her off carbs immediately and increase fat/protein intake.
Do not give them candy or pasta, ever. No junk food. It is NOT worth the permanent reduction in physical capacity.
Get your priorities straight: What do you care about most: a strong and healthy son or a smart son? Don’t force them to go to school if they don’t want to. School = poor nutrition, lack of sleep which contribute to reduced hormone production and possibly stunted growth.
You have to get your priorities straight. Do you want a jock or a nerd for a son? Don’t expect them to be both.
Sit down and calculate the cost of feeding your kids on a yearly basis for the next 18 years. Do it now. Then, allocate your funds so that you’ll have more income to spend on organic foods and quality stuff.[/quote]
That’s just scary! I hope you never have kids of your own, or have access to anyone elses!
I believe making exercises fun would be a key element to a child’s development…
Don’t have to lift weights per se but rather have activity which requires strength and conditioning like climbing up and down a structure, running around playing catch or even relays with rewards…
When they’re older you can start them out on a proper lifting program and instill into them proper form…
end of the day its the culture that they pick up thats important
Build a home gym and absolutely forbid your children to even enter it. This pretty much guarantees they’ll sneak in to use it at every opportunity.
Nominal Prospect, I agree with strictly controlling your child’s diet. If you can’t afford plan your child’s meals efficiently,then you shouldn’t have kids. There are enough people in the world as it is. If we wish to increase our burden on each other (more competition for resources), then the least we can do is try to raise the best damn people we can.
I even agree that in an ideal scenario, children shouldn’t be robbed of sleep to go to a shitty public school where they will be fed terrible foods and be sedentary. But only a fool would not educate his children. Home schooling and private tutors are the way to go.
To the OP, just make sure your child is involved in sports like wrestling and gymnastics early on. They will build the necessary base of strength for weight training and nearly any sport when the time arises.
I don’t really have anything to post save I saw this today and though this would be a good place to post it.
Young Dimas
[quote]NeoSpartan wrote:
I don’t really have anything to post save I saw this today and though this would be a good place to post it.
Young Dimas[/quote]
Good form.
I was 15 when my father slapped me in the head while playing Playstation took me to the gym and said; “Lift those motherfuckers” His exact words. I’ve been lifting ever since.
Better start lifting when he’s still attached to the umbilical cord imo.
I’m reading zatsiorsky books to my kid in the womb
[quote]Vechter wrote:
I was 15 when my father slapped me in the head while playing Playstation took me to the gym and said; “Lift those motherfuckers” His exact words. I’ve been lifting ever since.[/quote]
thats a great dad
[quote]Vechter wrote:
I was 15 when my father slapped me in the head while playing Playstation took me to the gym and said; “Lift those motherfuckers” His exact words. I’ve been lifting ever since.[/quote]
Those EXACT words? That is surprising, considering you live in Sweden. I imagined him breaking out of Swedish and saying that phrase in English, with a deeeeep south accent.
In all seriousness, start your son in gymnastics.
Building functional strength and flexibility while young is the basis for all other sports. And besides, if he takes to it, he’ll eventually be stronger than most weightlifters.
My opinion would be that try to get your kids out on the field running or playing football before he/she hits the weights. Let them develop aerobically and bring them to the gym fit.
Get them down the gym around 15-16, bring them to comps, and let them get the hunger. by the time they are 17 or 18 they will have a strong hunger for the sport
[quote]G87 wrote:
Vechter wrote:
I was 15 when my father slapped me in the head while playing Playstation took me to the gym and said; “Lift those motherfuckers” His exact words. I’ve been lifting ever since.
Those EXACT words? That is surprising, considering you live in Sweden. I imagined him breaking out of Swedish and saying that phrase in English, with a deeeeep south accent. [/quote]
“Go on na’ an’ lif’ dem muh fuhkus.” Haha.
I believe in leading by example, and above all being positive about it. My dad was a body builder and was really respected in those circles in Sacramento, and everybody expected him to have some mutant son with veins popping out of his abs at age 7.
I grew a fat kid (a lot like him) and was excited about working out just to get in better shape, but when I started at school in 9th grade I didn’t even tell him because he’s a real bully and has negative things to say just about everything. He was really critical about everything you were involved in and for a long time made the idea of lifting weights seem pretty not cool.
It didn’t take long to realize that he was just living vicariously through me because he never amounted to anything (in any sane person’s eyes), and that made me not want to get involved in it, atleast with him involved. The thing is to be positive and reinforce the things you teach, never talking down to them and making sure they’re having fun while doing it.
Remember that kids are still kids, and this isn’t Hitler youth. Raising them healthy and strong is one of the best things you can give them in life, but don’t do it at the expense of their sanity, happiness and self esteem.
[quote]G87 wrote:
Vechter wrote:
I was 15 when my father slapped me in the head while playing Playstation took me to the gym and said; “Lift those motherfuckers” His exact words. I’ve been lifting ever since.
Those EXACT words? That is surprising, considering you live in Sweden. I imagined him breaking out of Swedish and saying that phrase in English, with a deeeeep south accent. [/quote]
I did you a favor of translating what he said. Ungreatfull ass
Lyft dessa jävlar!