Youth Weight Training
I was researching "periodization" on the search engine Google and found you. I LOVE THIS…
The question
I was researching "periodization" on the search engine Google and found you. I LOVE THIS SITE! The questions I have are related to my 13 year old son. First and foremost is it safe for him to start doing this kind of workout? I have heard that weight training is not recommended for kids, is this true or myth. My son is a pitcher and his season just ended. We are going to start working for the season next year which generally starts in May. In our gym we have medicine balls 2-1 pound, 2-2 pound, and 4,6,8 pound balls, 2 swiss balls. We also have 250lbs of free weights, ranging from 2 1/2 to 25 lbs plates, Lat pull down attachment and leg curl attatchment. Is it possible to have a program tailered with that kind of equiptment and a person that is that age. I eagerly await your advise, hope to hear from you soon.
Dan's answer
Dan Wirth, MA, CSCS
Hello, Whether or not your son should start a full-blown weight lifting program really depends on his physical and mental maturity level and the amount of supervision he has available to him during his workouts. I was training pretty darn hard at his age but I was an "early bloomer" so to speak. I was 6'1 and 175 pounds when I was 13. And, I had a coach in junior high that was absolutely dedicated to teaching me how to lift correctly. So, I had the best of both worlds, maturity and supervision, to start an aggressive training program. If he is just starting out, no matter if he is physically mature and has great supervision I would start with one of the basic General Fitness 3 day programs for the first 6 months. Then, if everything goes well and he wants to keep going then you could start on one of the Baseball programs. You have all the equipment you will need with what you told me. Just keep an eye on him and don't push too much. Focus on technique! Thanks, Dan
Dan designed the periodization models the Wave Engine runs.
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