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Part 2: Beginning Weightlifting
1. Start lifting after you’ve hit puberty to build muscle. Teenagers can start to build muscle in the gym after puberty. In fact, teenagers may be able to build muscle faster than adults. The hormones that cause a teenager to grow rapidly in puberty increase your metabolism and increase muscle growth. Most children can start lifting weights at age 12-14, but the signs that someone is going through puberty include:
Beginning body odor
Acne
Beginning to grow body hair (males)
Shoulders widening, chest growing (males)
Begin to develop breasts (females)
Children should not focus excessively on muscle building before they reach puberty. When exercising with kids, parents should not worry about doing a set amount of exercise or reps in a workout session. Instead, they should focus on introducing fun activities that make kids excited about fitness and about starting this healthy habit at an early age.
2.Focus on light weights with lots of reps, not lifting a ton of weights a few times. The safest, most effective way for teens to gain muscles is to have proper form and safe lifting habits. As you first start out, you might be able to bench press a lot of weights once or twice, but your form will suffer as you try to force the weight up. Try to do 8-12 reps of something with a weight that challenges you but feels comfortable.
A “rep” is when you do an exercise once. Aim for 8-12 reps
A “set” is a collection of reps. After one set, rest for 1-2 minutes before continuing. Aim for 3-5 sets of each exercise.
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3.Build a program around the basics. While every magazine rack in the country touts “the best new workouts to gain muscle,” the classic exercises are still some of the best. Most of these are “compound lifts,” meaning they work out multiple muscles at once for quick results. Start your lifting program by learning the following exercises before moving on to more complex, sport-specific lifts:
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Squats
Deadlifts
Rows
4. Aim to work out 3-5 days a week for no more than an hour each day. Remember, your body is still growing and will react negatively to working out too often. Don’t push yourself thinking you will get better results – you may only hurt yourself and set your training back. Shorter sessions done frequently will help maintain proper form and keep your muscles healthy.
Work out on non-consecutive days so that you get a rest in between each session.
Hour-long workouts allow you to focus on your technique without getting too tired to pay attention to form.
5.Make sure your technique is perfect. This is the best thing you can do to grow muscle quickly and safely. Do not try to teach yourself how to lift, you need a coach, parent, or personal trainer to spot your mistakes and show you how to fix them. Some things to focus on include:
Keep your back straight. Your lower back should never bend while lifting weights. To avoid it, focus on keeping your chest puffed slightly up and your shoulder blades back.
Never fully extend your joints. Instead, push the lift until your joint is just slightly bent before returning to rest position.
If you feel pain, stop. "No pain, no gain" is a myth -- while an exercise should be difficult, sharp pain in your muscles or joints means you are doing something incorrectly.
6.Eat and drink water within 30 minutes of exercising to fuel muscle growth. Your muscles need protein and energy to grow strong, so make sure you get the calories you need to build muscle. While you don’t need to overload on protein, try to get some in your system shortly after a workout. Make sure you drink 2-3 glasses of water after working out to re-hydrate as well. Good foods for muscular gain after a workout include the following:
Turkey or chicken sandwich
Trail mix
Peanut butter and jelly
Protein, granola, or fruit & nut bars.
7.Know that supplements are not a substitute for good nutrition. Supplements claiming that they can “build muscle fast” or help you lose weight in weeks are generally not safe, especially for teenagers with developing bodies. You should focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet and refrain from “quick fixes” that may or may not work.
A good, balanced diet mixes in protein (chicken, fish, eggs), complex carbs (oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, whole wheat) and fruits and vegetables every day. A good diet will fuel your body and help you make the most of your workouts.
Never use steroids to supplement your workout, as these "methods" of gaining muscle can create health problems for years to come.
8. See a doctor before starting any exercise program. Ask your doctor about starting an exercise program at your yearly check-up. Make sure there are no medical concerns you should know about and talk to them about developing a safe exercise program for your body. While you may feel ready to pump some iron, your doctor will have specific advice to help you get the most out of your exercises.
In the second part, I tried to tell a child how to start training smoothly without injuries. I hope you were interested in learning more.😎
Artemus Vazhui