Weight lifting for kids. Need info.

[Semper Fi]

I have started lifting weights again and have been bringing my son with me(12yrs old). So far I have started him off pretty easy, as I don't want to injure him. But, I need information and can't seem to find any good info. I guess my googling skills aren't l33t enough.

Anyway, I would appreciate it if any AT members could provide me with links to some sites that have info and possibly a program for kids.

The info i've found so far has told me that I am going in the wrong direction.


thanks in advance

 

[JetBlack69]

Shouldn't you wait for him to hit puberty?

 

[waggy]

they should really wait until they hit puberty. but if you are dead set on doing it don't push the weight or reps.

 

[Tetsuo]

Look for kid hercules on google. That kid is pumped

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Tetsuo
Look for kid hercules on google. That kid is pumped

yeah. he looks really disgusting also. i wonder what kind of permanent damage the guy will have.

 

[Tetsuo]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: Tetsuo
Look for kid hercules on google. That kid is pumped

yeah. he looks really disgusting also. i wonder what kind of permanent damage the guy will have.

Hehe, he does.


You should really wait another 3-4 years. Unless he's going to be a gymnyst or a martial artist, he doesn't really need all that muscle.

 

[dxkj]

if kids start focusing their energy on muscle mass they wont grow... so unless he is happy at the height he is now, dont let him!


I lifted wood, etc, for our wood stove that heated our water, and home from when i was 11 till when I was 17.... I ended up ripped but Im only 6'2

 

[dxkj]

if kids start focusing their energy on muscle mass they wont grow... so unless he is happy at the height he is now, dont let him!


I lifted wood, etc, for our wood stove that heated our water, and home from when i was 11 till when I was 17.... I ended up ripped but Im only 6'2

 

[Tetsuo]

Originally posted by: dxkj
if kids start focusing their energy on muscle mass they wont grow... so unless he is happy at the height he is now, dont let him!


I lifted wood, etc, for our wood stove that heated our water, and home from when i was 11 till when I was 17.... I ended up ripped but Im only 6'2

ONLY 6'2...

 

[Semper Fi]

I'm not trying to create another kid hercules here.

And all the current info I've found so far states that weight lifting isn't harmful as once thought.
The recommendations have been lower weights and higher reps.

So far his training has been more recreational (for lack of a better word) than olympic style.

And as far as height, he'll never be 6'2" even if he never lifted anything over 2lbs for the rest of his life.

I am looking for a program we can follow, not a junior olympian creation checklist.

However, if this is a bad idea, please point me to some info. I would be very grateful.

thanks

 

[Amused]

Um, I see a lot of myths die hard.

Weight lifting wont harm his bone growth plates so long as he doesn't do a lot of powerlifting or one lift max sets.

Keep him on weights in which he can do 10-12 reps and he'll be fine. Discourage any max lifts or power lifts until his late teens.

 

[KillaBong]

How is 12 years old not into puberty?

 

[Semper Fi]

Originally posted by: Amused
Um, I see a lot of myths die hard.

Weight lifting wont harm his bone growth plates so long as he doesn't do a lot of powerlifting or one lift max sets.

Keep him on weights in which he can do 10-12 reps and he'll be fine. Discourage any max lifts or power lifts until his late teens.

Thanks, so far that's the info i've come across. So have recommended 12-20 reps.

I guess i'll just stick to the basics: benching, curls etc. So far he's been doing the same exercises as me just with a lot less weights.
My mistake has been to use weights for 8-10 reps. We are going to go down on the weight and up on the reps.

Thanks.


typos

 

[Semper Fi]

Originally posted by: KillaBong
How is 12 years old not into puberty?

I was kinda wondering that myself.

He sure acts like he's going thru puberty.

 

[brxndxn]

Three of my friends that lifted weights heavily in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are the three shortest friends I have. They all did not come from 'short' families.

I heard that squats are the most harmful.. I would stay way away from squats for a 12yo. But, high reps of low weight should not be harmful.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Semper_Fi

Originally posted by: Amused
Um, I see a lot of myths die hard.

Weight lifting wont harm his bone growth plates so long as he doesn't do a lot of powerlifting or one lift max sets.

Keep him on weights in which he can do 10-12 reps and he'll be fine. Discourage any max lifts or power lifts until his late teens.

Thanks, so far that's the info i've come across. So have recommended 12-20 reps.

I guess i'll just stick to the basics: benching, curls etc. So far he's been doing the same exercises as me just with a lot less weights.
My mistake has been to use weights for 8-10 reps. We are going to go done on the weight and up on the reps.

Thanks.

20 reps is a waste of time for anything other than specific muscular endurance. Keep his reps between 10-12. You can go heavier and shoot for 8-10.

And yeah, the basics are good, but curls should be an after-thought. Stick to compound exercises for the bulk of your, and his routine. Flat, incline and military benches, high and low rows, pulldowns/pullups, squats, leg presses, deadlifts.

What I have found is that your arms cannot outgrow your body. If you want big arms, you get them mainly from compound body lifts, not direct work. The best thing to do is finish up a back/pull day with a couple exercises for biceps and a chest/push day with a couple exercises for triceps.

 

[Semper Fi]

Originally posted by: brxndxn
Three of my friends that lifted weights heavily in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are the three shortest friends I have. They all did not come from 'short' families.

I heard that squats are the most harmful.. I would stay way away from squats for a 12yo. But, high reps of low weight should not be harmful.

So far we've haven't done anything with legs. (because I hate working my legs )

I am 5'6", and I'm the tallest of all my siblings and parents. I really don't want to do anything that would stunt his growth.

thanks for the info

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Semper_Fi

Originally posted by: brxndxn
Three of my friends that lifted weights heavily in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are the three shortest friends I have. They all did not come from 'short' families.

I heard that squats are the most harmful.. I would stay way away from squats for a 12yo. But, high reps of low weight should not be harmful.

So far we've haven't done anything with legs. (because I hate working my legs )

I am 5'6", and I'm the tallest of all my siblings and parents. I really don't want to do anything that would stunt his growth.

thanks for the info

One way to make sure you get your legs in is to break up your excersise routine. It also insures that both of you do not overtrain.

Try this:

Mon: Chest shoulders and triceps

Wed: Back and biceps

Fri: Legs and calves

You'll find this REALLY works wonders. When I dropped to a three day split, I put on a lot of muscle weight and felt a WHOLE lot better.

Finally, squats are NOT bad for a kid, so long as he doesn't go heavy. If he can't do ten reps, it's too much weight.

Brandon is talking about kids who did a lot of max and power lifting. Like I said, simply discourage that kind of behavior until his late teens.

 

[Semper Fi]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Semper_Fi

Originally posted by: Amused
Um, I see a lot of myths die hard.

Weight lifting wont harm his bone growth plates so long as he doesn't do a lot of powerlifting or one lift max sets.

Keep him on weights in which he can do 10-12 reps and he'll be fine. Discourage any max lifts or power lifts until his late teens.

Thanks, so far that's the info i've come across. So have recommended 12-20 reps.

I guess i'll just stick to the basics: benching, curls etc. So far he's been doing the same exercises as me just with a lot less weights.
My mistake has been to use weights for 8-10 reps. We are going to go done on the weight and up on the reps.

Thanks.

20 reps is a waste of time for anything other than specific muscular endurance. Keep his reps between 10-12. You can go heavier and shoot for 8-10.

And yeah, the basics are good, but curls should be an after-thought. Stick to compound exercises for the bulk of your, and his routine. Flat, incline and military benches, high and low rows, pulldowns/pullups, squats, leg presses, deadlifts.

What I have found is that your arms cannot outgrow your body. If you want big arms, you get them mainly from compound body lifts, not direct work. The best thing to do is finish up a back/pull day with a couple exercises for biceps and a chest/push day with a couple exercises for triceps.

That's pretty much what we've been doing. Glad to hear that I've gotten most of it right.

One thing I didn't state is that we are not using any freeweights. We're using the workout room at our apt complex, it's very limited(all machines, cables and pulleys everywhere). However, I'm thinking of getting a family membership at a local gym.

 

[abracadabra1]

I'd recommend against it just because I think weight lifting and weight-bearing exercises stunted by growth (I'm stuck at 5' 4" :|) because I started doing so at an early age, but if studies say otherwise, who am I to argue against fact.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Semper_Fi

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Semper_Fi

Originally posted by: Amused
Um, I see a lot of myths die hard.

Weight lifting wont harm his bone growth plates so long as he doesn't do a lot of powerlifting or one lift max sets.

Keep him on weights in which he can do 10-12 reps and he'll be fine. Discourage any max lifts or power lifts until his late teens.

Thanks, so far that's the info i've come across. So have recommended 12-20 reps.

I guess i'll just stick to the basics: benching, curls etc. So far he's been doing the same exercises as me just with a lot less weights.
My mistake has been to use weights for 8-10 reps. We are going to go done on the weight and up on the reps.

Thanks.

20 reps is a waste of time for anything other than specific muscular endurance. Keep his reps between 10-12. You can go heavier and shoot for 8-10.

And yeah, the basics are good, but curls should be an after-thought. Stick to compound exercises for the bulk of your, and his routine. Flat, incline and military benches, high and low rows, pulldowns/pullups, squats, leg presses, deadlifts.

What I have found is that your arms cannot outgrow your body. If you want big arms, you get them mainly from compound body lifts, not direct work. The best thing to do is finish up a back/pull day with a couple exercises for biceps and a chest/push day with a couple exercises for triceps.

That's pretty much what we've been doing. Glad to hear that I've gotten most of it right.

One thing I didn't state is that we are not using any freeweights. We're using the workout room at our apt complex, it's very limited(all machines, cables and pulleys everywhere). However, I'm thinking of getting a family membership at a local gym.

Yeah, free weights would be better. A family membership at a gym would be great. I find going to the gym a much more inspiring activity than simply lifting at home. Plus the women make for nice scenery

 

[Semper Fi]

Amused: Thanks for all your advice. Your future website looks to be promising and is a great idea. Most geeks know nothing about fitness. I'll have to check out your forums sometime.


Thanks all for your input.





Now, I'm off to a geeks workout...................................CounterStrike.


Later.


edit: I think the words, I just forget to type them.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Semper_Fi
Amused: Thanks for all your advice. Your future website looks to be promising and is a great idea. Most geeks know nothing about fitness. I'll have to check out your forums sometime.


Thanks all for your input.





Now, I'm off to a geeks workout...................................CounterStrike.


Later.


edit: I think the words, I just forget to type them.

It's not my website. Entity started it.

 

[miniMUNCH]

Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and lunges (giant steps) is all your son should be doing.

A lot of studies have shown that lifting weights does stunt the elongational growth of bones...

Edit: I should clarify...heavy lifting. Doing the above excerises ensures that your son will not be using more weight than is prudent for his age and bone structure (the metabolism and growth hormones have a marvelous way of taking of things like this). And the above excercises do a fair job of hitting all the major muscle groups. Also, running and jumping rope are great for kids legs strength...and jumping rope really works the fast twitch muscle fibers in your legs (helps w/ the ups and speed).

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: miniMUNCH
Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and lunges is all your son should be doing.

A lot of studies have shown that lifting weights does stunt the elongational growth of bones...

Sorry, but that's an old wives tale that comes from the harm of kids doing max and power lifts. Weight training with reasonable rep ranges (called "strength training") is NOT harmful.

Strength Training Safe and Effective for Kids:

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/32/1728_81005.htm?lastselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}