At what age can you start building muscle, getting ripped?
Discussion
My son is 13, lean and fit. Top basketball player and works out on the trampoline every day.
He'd like to get more ripped and build up his upper body, but I'm concerned that as his body is still growing he shouldn't do any extra stuff like weights, sit-ups etc until he's a bit older.
I have a Concept 2 Rower and small weights on hand and I'm looking for any advice on how and if we should move forward or leave things until later.
I'd hate to put him into a sit-ups or weight-training regime and strain his young muscles.
I've had some brilliant advice from this forum before and would welcome some advice on this topic from professional trainers.
Many thanks in advance.
Kim
He'd like to get more ripped and build up his upper body, but I'm concerned that as his body is still growing he shouldn't do any extra stuff like weights, sit-ups etc until he's a bit older.
I have a Concept 2 Rower and small weights on hand and I'm looking for any advice on how and if we should move forward or leave things until later.
I'd hate to put him into a sit-ups or weight-training regime and strain his young muscles.
I've had some brilliant advice from this forum before and would welcome some advice on this topic from professional trainers.
Many thanks in advance.
Kim
well I started at about 13-14 and started to get pretty big, muscle wise that is, only 5 foot 7 as I started smoking young and i recon it stunted my growth, but might be wrong, as one uncle, cousins and grandperants are shorter than me, but dads side is taller.
had quite a good 6 pack and big upper body till i was about 15-16 when my health deteriated through genetic reasons i lost all of this, then started building myself up again and was as strong as before but weighted less, as I had trained when growing, the muscles were stronger than someone who had started training when they had stopped growing.
so unless you are really young, like under 10-12, i would say training [but not to an extreme] would be a good thing.
had quite a good 6 pack and big upper body till i was about 15-16 when my health deteriated through genetic reasons i lost all of this, then started building myself up again and was as strong as before but weighted less, as I had trained when growing, the muscles were stronger than someone who had started training when they had stopped growing.
so unless you are really young, like under 10-12, i would say training [but not to an extreme] would be a good thing.
The main danger to training before the age of 16yo is the growth plates in bones are still active and very prone to environmental change (such as resistance training). This can lead to abnormal bone development that would affect someone for the rest of their lives.
For the sake of a few years, it isn't worth it.
Light weight and endurance/fitness training should be the only exercise. Skills and balance training would be of better use to future life as an adult.
For the sake of a few years, it isn't worth it.
Light weight and endurance/fitness training should be the only exercise. Skills and balance training would be of better use to future life as an adult.
The most important thing at this stage is to EAT. Put him on a see-food diet. Get him into a good weight room with knowledgeable people at 16.
For now, he should be training movements not muscles. Technique is everything, if he has that down by the time he starts actually loading his body, he will be in a excellent starting position.
For now, he should be training movements not muscles. Technique is everything, if he has that down by the time he starts actually loading his body, he will be in a excellent starting position.
Cardio, and body weight stuff. Press ups sit ups, pull ups are ideal, just don't over do it.
I really wouldn't touch free weights until 16, even then light and high rep. Your bones are still fusing up until early 20's.
It can lead to imbalance of muscle that
can mess with posture and other muscle development which causes things like life long back problems.
I don't see anything wrong with the concept 2 either, as long as the
technique is good and he's not blasting out 10kms.
I really wouldn't touch free weights until 16, even then light and high rep. Your bones are still fusing up until early 20's.
It can lead to imbalance of muscle that
can mess with posture and other muscle development which causes things like life long back problems.
I don't see anything wrong with the concept 2 either, as long as the
technique is good and he's not blasting out 10kms.
Edited by jackh707 on Friday 26th October 00:13
As the others have said - body weight stuff only. Basketball is a late development sport and at 13 it's far more important to focus on skills/general fitness than worrying about his size/power. At 13 he could be against kids of any size (my 12 year old was at the England Regional Event...but playing up with 13 year olds....smallest there was 4ft9 - tallest, 6ft5) Just concentrate on playing and staying healthy.....hit the free weights when he's 16+. It's very easy for kids at that age to see others around them bulking up (through natural growth) and want to do likewise.....very important they realize we all develop at different rates and a "bigger" kid at 13 may be normal/small a few years later when his mates catch up/overtake (naturally) If he's involved in sports (more so basketball) he'll see some freaky kids that are no reason to hit the gym himself, they are just odd! (my kids under 13 squad has a guy with size 16 feet...at 12!!!)
Also worth talking to his coaches - who is he playing for?
M (baller and father of ballers!)
Also worth talking to his coaches - who is he playing for?
M (baller and father of ballers!)
Tiggsy said:
As the others have said - body weight stuff only. Basketball is a late development sport and at 13 it's far more important to focus on skills/general fitness than worrying about his size/power. At 13 he could be against kids of any size (my 12 year old was at the England Regional Event...but playing up with 13 year olds....smallest there was 4ft9 - tallest, 6ft5) Just concentrate on playing and staying healthy.....hit the free weights when he's 16+. It's very easy for kids at that age to see others around them bulking up (through natural growth) and want to do likewise.....very important they realize we all develop at different rates and a "bigger" kid at 13 may be normal/small a few years later when his mates catch up/overtake (naturally) If he's involved in sports (more so basketball) he'll see some freaky kids that are no reason to hit the gym himself, they are just odd! (my kids under 13 squad has a guy with size 16 feet...at 12!!!)
Also worth talking to his coaches - who is he playing for?
M (baller and father of ballers!)
Many thanks, he plays for the school and also East GrinsteadAlso worth talking to his coaches - who is he playing for?
M (baller and father of ballers!)
993kimbo said:
Many thanks, he plays for the school and also East Grinstead
Ok...so sussex youth league? Worth getting onto the England Basketball web site - they have a pretty simply laid out pathway from 12/13 to national squad. The first step is often to get onto the PRC (regional performance centers) where England staff can keep an eye on them....at that stage you start to get a lot of help with training/workouts and also whats expected of them at certain ages.....and then your life gets taken over! I have 2 training tonight, 3 training sat, 1 with a game sat and 1 on an RPC on sunday...then I have a game sunday! (my biggest issue is finding time to get in the bloody gym!)T
PS. Mention to him that LeBron James never used a weights gym until later stages of High School - good food and body weight exercise were all he needed!
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