Age for Hiit and Weights?

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Wingnut755
Wingnut755 Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This morning I took my 11 yr old to the gym with me as usual and he was doing the Elliptical beside me. After I finished my regular routine I started my Hiit routine. When I finished that, he asked if he can do it (HiiT)? I told him sure. But heres my question is he too young to start Hiit? And also what about light weights? And possible excercises? Since he's been bothering the crap out of me.. Thanks

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  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
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    In a similar post, I read that many doctors recommend children stay away from lifting heavy, as it could interfere with muscle development. As for HIIT, I am not sure. I would talk to your son's doctor.

    In the meantime, I think toned down (fake) HIIT would be fine, keeping his heart rate relatively low all the time.

    On is side note, I think it is awesome that you are involving your son in your fitness routine.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    Too young for HIIT?

    Yes, it is perfectly healthy for 11 year old little boys to run/bike fast. Most of them spontaneously do it on their own.

    There are conflicting opinions on weights for kids, bur pretty universal agreement that things like pushups and pullups are quite good for them. Again though, provide little boys with a pullup bar or similar type of apparatus, most of them will spontaneously do them on their own.

    Some little boys get older and never grow out of playing on the monkey bars....
    http://youtu.be/dJNXi7Atmo8
  • dortress
    dortress Posts: 28 Member
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    HIIT is good for any age level.

    Also, YOU should do your HIIT first, and not pre-fatigue your muscles with steady state. That way you can push harder on your HARD part of the cycle, and really get a good burst. When you do steady state first, you're eating away at reserves that will diminish your peak performance on the HIIT cycles. Reverse the order, and you'll likely see endurance/stamina start to increase.

    Food for your thought.
  • Wingnut755
    Wingnut755 Posts: 35 Member
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    Thanks all. I been reading also theres a split on youth an weights, most likely will work weights slow with him 1 exercise at a time until he has his form correct, and some resistance bands.

    As for the HIIT he will continue then as long as he wants.

    I will switch it up tomorrow morning HIIT first and the regular routine.

    Thank you
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I did sports all of my young life (almost literally, I was the youngest registered speed skater in the US at 18 months) and despite weights being the norm for all of the adults on the tea, none of the kids were allowed to start weight training until they had at least hit puberty, and usually not until high school age.

    We did have a weights class in Junior High, but we were all heavily monitored and it was mostly only allowed for the kids that were on the actual sports teams (I played basketball and did discus and shotput).

    But once we got to high school, weight training was just expected of us if we did sports and was also offered as an open class for PE and after school extracurricular activities and the teacher basically just spotted as needed rather than really monitored what we did there.

    Also, I know it's on a totally different level, but even Michael Phelps' coach didn't do any really weight lifting training for him until a couple of years after his first Olympics. I can see if I can find the interview, but basically he said that a young persons muscles need to develop more fully before they can start being worked in a safe and consistent manner with weight lifting.


    ETA - I can't find the actual interview with the coach where he talks about it, but I did find one article that mentions he didn't start the lifting until 2005 (so one year after) when he was 19.

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