Training

Muscle & Fitness presents the complete guide to teen training. Workouts, nutrition, supplements—your road to a stronger, more athletic build starts here

By Jim Stoppani, PhD with Eric Velazquez | Photo by Pavel Ythjall

IT'S A FACT:
High school and college athletes are bigger, stronger and faster than they were 20 years ago. Patrol the prep gridiron in your hometown and you're certain to find a bevy of new-breed, helmeted leviathans making and taking the hits, the byproduct of a generation bent on building better athletes through careful adherence to weight training and proper nutrition. Once considered an activity reserved for beach-going Ken doll types, weight training has claimed its rightful place in the curriculum of young athletes.

That's because the teenage body undergoes a number of hormonal and physiological changes that maximize the potential for marked increases in strength, muscle mass and, consequently, athletic performance. And while just about any kind of physical activity will build lean muscle for a teenager, carefully programmed training regimens—like the one to follow on these pages—can send that progress off the charts. That kind of rapid development is no doubt what you covet most and why you're thumbing through muscle & fitness. Our complete guide to teen training will provide you with all the tools you need to start growing and shaping your body, whether it's for the football field or to just start lifting your way to a stronger, more athletic physique.

THE BENEFITS OF YOUTH

Weightlifting has shown countless benefits to lifters of all ages, but many parents and coaches are wary of weight training for teens, pointing out potential injuries such as growth-plate or joint damage. But according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, most injuries to young lifters are the result of poor training protocols, excessive loading, poorly designed equipment or lack of adult supervision, not fragile anatomy.

"The problems tend to stem from kids wanting results too fast," says David Sandler, MS, CSCS, owner of StrengthPro, Inc., and consultant on National Geographic Channel's Super Strength. "And without having mastered proper technique or allowing for progression, that can be a recipe for disaster. That's not limited to teens, though—anyone who does too much too fast is begging to get hurt."

Sandler recommends that young lifters stick with a minimal starting weight on an exercise until they've mastered the full range of motion and can safely complete 10 or more reps without bouncing or jerking the weight. He also says that one-rep-max attempts should be tossed aside, since total volume (total reps and exercises) is far more beneficial—and safer—for growth than total load.

"Another way to minimize risk is to follow a machine-based program, at least initially, where the range of motion is predetermined," he says. "But it's free weights that will ultimately produce the best technique and posture and, consequently, muscle gains."

On paper, the benefits of weight training for teens and adults are the same: increases in muscle mass, tendon and ligament strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and coordination. But youths, particularly those who have gone through puberty, have the benefit of a hormonal surge that increases the response to the training stimulus.

"After puberty, testosterone production is maximized, and both androgenic and anabolic effects take place," Sandler says.

Testosterone levels, which increase as a result of weight training regardless of age and gender, are central to muscle growth. It's understandable, then, that a natural spike in this hormone would lead to even greater gains for a teenager engaged in a program of regular, progressive weight training. But even before this Wonder Years—induced hormonal peak, lifting elicits plenty of benefits. "Before puberty, weight training can improve neural activity and muscular recruitment patterns," Sandler says.

But how young is too young? "At StrengthPro, we've trained kids as young as 8," Sandler says. "The key is that the training must be taught correctly and supervised constantly. The ideal age to start a general resistance program is 11, when you can reinforce technique and movement skills. True resistance training for the purposes of hypertrophy [muscle growth] is best saved for 14."