OK for a 13yo boy to lift weights?

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Kattarra
Kattarra Posts: 190 Member
in Getting Started
My son is slightly on the heavy side, not much but he is starting to feel self conscious about it. He has seen the results his 20yo cousin get from lifting weights and wants to do it. This kid is strong and used to working outside on our small property fruit orchard. I go to a gym and lift so I can show him some exercises I do, but I'm not sure what good started exercises are for a young teen boy..
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  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Lift? Yes. Lift heavy? No.
  • jamesdavidy
    jamesdavidy Posts: 32
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    His joints and bones will still be a bit like green shoots on a tree, so lift yes but light and high reps, or preferably do body weight moves, Pull ups Press Ups High Knees Burpees lunges etc, moves that use the whole body from the core out will burn off the calories and fat and will give him a solid foundation to start lifting when he is older, I started lifting when I was 19. Hope that helps
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I think it should be fine. You can't go wrong with 'starting strength' (squats, DLs, OHP, bench, clean). Like Djinn says, I'd keep it light, at least till he has the form perfect.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I started lifting when I was 13. I started with a basic strength program...it wasn't Starting Strength, but it was pretty much the same thing. Starting Strength would be a good place to start..maybe with some revisions.

    Also, body weight work would be a great place to start as well.

    You may also want to see if there are any coaches or trainers there that specialize in youth development. My previous gym had organized strength classes for 13 - 15 year olds that were geared towards youth development. They seemed like good classes...a lot of instruction on the basic compound lifts, but weights were kept lower for proper form developments. Lot of body weight stuff as well as general conditioning too.
  • Kattarra
    Kattarra Posts: 190 Member
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    Thanks all. Yes this was what I was thinking starting with. I will check out starting strength also.
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
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    I was told no lifting until after 16 because of their joints, and that plyometrics and calisthenics is plenty for a younger kid. (Not that I could get mine to do anything.)
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
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    Mine did, and it did wonders for him.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    Light lifting but get him walking if possible. My 15 year old was always husky in the last two years as I started walking and working out and he did as well. He's now taller than me and wearing a smaller waist pants now than when he was 13. He walks 3 miles almost everyday on his own. He jogs on 5k with me occasionally as well.

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  • jessicabowman921
    jessicabowman921 Posts: 1
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    My 13 year old daughter is lifting, and is supervised by myself or the gym trainer we have. It is perfectly safe. Stick with the machines that have pulley's, and adjust for height. Cross trainer machines are great because they use so many muscle groups and are cardio and resistance in one machine. Light weights + maximum reps = success. Good luck!
  • vmlabute
    vmlabute Posts: 311 Member
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    lifting is great! But make sure he's not lifting heavy
  • LianaG1115
    LianaG1115 Posts: 453 Member
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    YES!!! I don't know about you teaching only because of his age and the embarrassing parent factor. LOL We are an obese society, what an awesome motivator to get him into a healthier lifestyle!!
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    Yes!!!! My 13 year old started lifting last spring.

    Disagree with others though. Get him on free weights as soon as possible. Mine started in the gym at the high school with supervision and is already doing clean and jerks, dead lifts, squats, bench presses, over head presses. At 13 he is already 5' 11" and on the husky side. As I explained to him, he is at the perfect age for hypertrophy and strength training. They have so much testosterone running through there system and as long as they are following a progressive overload program the gains come super easy.

    I wish I knew then what I know now. If I would have listened to my best friend at the time things would have been so much different for me. He encouraged me to lift with him and I just blew him off.
  • PatsyFitzpatrick
    PatsyFitzpatrick Posts: 335 Member
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    Yes! Youtube has some really awesome trainers that he can watch to learn forms. My son joined Civil Air Patrol your son is at a really great age for this group. The cost $45 a year plus it includes uniform. They do great adventures with adult supervision and is really good all round for discipline in taking care of your health. Helping others. Working in a group.

    Enjoy this time.

    Patsy
    Lutz,fl
  • The_WoIverine
    The_WoIverine Posts: 367 Member
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    Does it necessarily has to be lifting weights?

    With that question in mind, here are a couple of things to take into consideration. I don't think a 13 year old kid should be lifting "heavy" weights. At that age the body starts making huge changes (anatomically, physiologically and hormonally), which I think heavy weights could possibly affect the kid's growth somehow, although I might be wrong.

    If my kid was in a situation where weight was an issue, I would definitely get him/her in some kind of sports or fitness program for kids of that age, which will probably involve body weight exercises and/or light weight. I come from a country where we as kids would be required to exercise at school, and would be introduced to different sports so kids could probably find a passion for any of those.

    Good luck.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    Does it necessarily has to be lifting weights?

    With that question in mind, here are a couple of things to take into consideration. I don't think a 13 year old kid should be lifting "heavy" weights. At that age the body starts making huge changes (anatomically, physiologically and hormonally), which I think heavy weights could possibly affect the kid's growth somehow, although I might be wrong.

    If my kid was in a situation where weight was an issue, I would definitely get him/her in some kind of sports or fitness program for kids of that age, which will probably involve body weight exercises and/or light weight. I come from a country where we as kids would be required to exercise at school, and would be introduced to different sports so kids could probably find a passion for any of those.

    Good luck.

    See bolded, weightlifting is becoming a high school sport now. In our district the football coaches start encouraging the middle school kids, starting at 13, to join the weight lifting team.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    I'm not sure where all of this "don't lift heavy, lift light weights with high reps" is coming from. It will not stunt his growth or anything like that, that is a myth. At 13, he has already started puberty. He is growing and has testosterone on his side for gaining muscle.

    Find a program appropriate for a teen and let him have at it. If possible, find someone who can help get him started and has experience training teens.
  • Kattarra
    Kattarra Posts: 190 Member
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    Wow! Thanks for all the advice, conflicting as it is. We have plans to go to the gym after school and I will show him the exercises I know how to do (I follow the New Rules of Lifting for Women) and have him start with lighter weights for his first few workouts until he gets the form correct and see where it goes from there. Our plan is to lift 3 days and week and do some cardio 2-3 days a week.
  • Soapstone
    Soapstone Posts: 134 Member
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    People telling you, "I might be wrong, but it can't be safe for him to lift heavy" are talking out of their a**es. Kids in middle/high school sports lift, and lift heavy. Schools offer weight lifting classes; if it was unsafe, these classes would not be offered in our highly litigious society. As long as he has guidance from people to show him proper form and safe increases in weights, he'll be fine. My teenage boy takes a weight-lifting class during the school year, and it makes me truly jealous to see how fast he can drop 10-20 pounds and still easily eat 4,000+ calories a day.
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
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    Maybe you should do a little research before telling people they are full of it. It is well documented that overly strenuous, heavy weight damages growth plates, tendons and ligaments in young teens. Can he get a good workout in? Absolutely. Should he be trying to set new 1rm PRs ? NO!!!
    People telling you, "I might be wrong, but it can't be safe for him to lift heavy" are talking out of their a**es. Kids in middle/high school sports lift, and lift heavy. Schools offer weight lifting classes; if it was unsafe, these classes would not be offered in our highly litigious society. As long as he has guidance from people to show him proper form and safe increases in weights, he'll be fine. My teenage boy takes a weight-lifting class during the school year, and it makes me truly jealous to see how fast he can drop 10-20 pounds and still easily eat 4,000+ calories a day.

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