Protein/weight gain suppliments for a 13 yo?

[98elise]

My son is a fit and health 13yo. He's been doing karate twice a week, and a fitness session once per week, since the age of abut 7. He eats well and doesn't have a sweet tooth at all. He's never eaten sweets, or drank fizzy drinks as he doesn't like them.

The problem is that he is naturally thin (ie a small frame) and the fitness stuff he does means he's just skin and bones! He now wants to do weights to build up a bit, but I don't think its a good idea if his intake stays the same.

Should I look at protein shake type drinks, or should his diet change? I don't want anything excessive, just something to build him up a bit.

[98elise]

superkartracer said:

98elise said:

My son is a fit and health 13yo. He's been doing karate twice a week, and a fitness session once per week, since the age of abut 7. He eats well and doesn't have a sweet tooth at all. He's never eaten sweets, or drank fizzy drinks as he doesn't like them.

The problem is that he is naturally thin (ie a small frame) and the fitness stuff he does means he's just skin and bones! He now wants to do weights to build up a bit, but I don't think its a good idea if his intake stays the same.

Should I look at protein shake type drinks, or should his diet change? I don't want anything excessive, just something to build him up a bit.

No do not feed him that crap or force him to weight train, v dangerous you will wreak his back/bones the lot...

@ 16 i was 9 stone and had a 24" waist @ 5.11... very thin, by the time i was 22, i was 15 stone with 10% body fat and strong as an OX, let nature do the work, some lads are late developers.

I also have small bones with only a 7" wrist, but built like a tank, i'm now only 78kg but thats down to the fact i race bikes.

From 13-17 i did heavy heavy weights, Squatting silly weights 300lb + leg press with 700lb+ and deadlifts with 700lb etc etc that managed to put me in a state i could not move ( wheelchair ) when my lower back failed doing deep Squats without a safety frame..., it took 8 years to fix the damage and still have issues in my 30's..
Oh i was mega strong tho, could do chest flys on the bench with 120+lb dumbbells but paid the price.

I don't touch weights now infact i stopped using them around 20 years ago and i'm built like horse and have national level athlete fitness.

Weights are bad news unless you fancy bodybuilding or your sport requires them, but in most cases using your own bodyweight is more than enough.

He could use heavy weights and eat st loads of protein but it'll make little difference with taking drugs..

Sadly for me i never had a father to give me a steer and say STOP, if you do want to use weights get a coach and make sure he does it 100% correct.

Edited by superkartracer on Friday 15th June 09:18

We're not talking body building level of weight training, just using a few free weights that we have in the house. He just want's to look a bit more "normal" than skin and bones.

he broke his arm about a year ago, and started to put on a bit more weight, because he was missing the karate and fitness sessions.

He will probably not properly fill out until middle age hits. It was the same for my father, both my brothers, and me. My father was 6ft and weighed 9 stone when he married my mother!

I guess the general consenus is that he shouldn't be doing weights though.