Precautions for a 15 year old doing Stronglifts 5x5?

Hellohoney79

Hi all,
My 15 year old son is my workout buddy and we are planning on starting Stronglifts on Monday. We've spent the first couple of weeks using machines and doing cardio to assess where we are at, but both of us are looking forward to working towards gaining strength. He is super athletic already, jsut wants to gain some mass as he's tall and lean.

I will do further research, but wondering if anyone knows specific concerns to look into with respect to teens and weightlifting, especially as he's in a huge growth spurt etc.

thanks in advance for any adivce!

Emprawrting

There shouldn't be any problem with him doing stronglifts 5x5. Weight training does not prevent one's ability to grow. However, it is important that you take into account that he is growing and his proportions might change. This might make it a bit more complicated for him to hit good form consistently. It would be very important for him to understand that gaining mass is going to take time, and not following the progression of the program can really put him at risk of injury.

Oh! and if conventional deadlifts end up being a problem for him, get him to switch to sumo DL instead . Conventional deadlift positioning can be awkward for taller athletes :P

stumblinthrulife

At that age I'd say the biggest problem is likely to be ego. Make sure he starts light (empty bar) and learns good form. Make sure he goes with the 5lb progression, and doesn't try to rush it with the 10lb progression option. And remind him that he shouldn't be concerned with what he sees others doing in the gym - just with what he's doing.

Then if he rests adequately and eats adequately, he should see results.

piperdown44

At that age I'd say the biggest problem is likely to be ego. Make sure he starts light (empty bar) and learns good form. Make sure he goes with the 5lb progression, and doesn't try to rush it with the 10lb progression option. And remind him that he shouldn't be concerned with what he sees others doing in the gym - just with what he's doing.

Then if he rests adequately and eats adequately, he should see results.

Bingo!
Poor form and not checking the ego at the door is the biggest problem.
Even if he complains make him stick to the plan.
Remind him that in 10 weeks he will be up around 50 lbs more than when he started.

rduhlir

Does his school have weight lifting? My school did. Teaches good form. If he is serious about it then I would suggest possibly the weight lifting team as well. That way he is getted coached and supervised with form, progression, safety, etc...

Hellohoney79

Thanks for the advice evryone! I've been reading up on it also, and evryone seems to say the same thing We will be doing it together, so I'll definitely make sure he's progressing safely!!