at what age do you think is best to weight train???

Question

my son is 14 and i bought him a weight bench and weights for xmas.he doesnt train much,maybe 2 or 3 times for maybe half an hour or so .do you think this is okay or is he to young to be training?

i would just like to sat! that i dont really like him lifting weights in case he hurts himself as i think sometimes he tries to lift really heavy weights to impress his friends.as you do!!!

Answer 1

There is no real limit on the age. It's a myth that lifting at a young age stunts growth and there is no scientific evidence that supports this. Some champion powerlifters and bodybuilders started very young. If young kids can play high impact sports like football, where the chance of injury is much greater, then they can do weight lifting. As long as he does it safely and learn how to lift correctly. If he could find someone with experience to show him how to lift correctly then that'd be ideal, in order to prevent injury and get the most out of the lift. In my opinion, another teen is not the best choice - by definition teens are beginners and don't have the best judgement when it comes to safetly.

Check out this article on strength training for kids and the common misconceptions that are floating around:

http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/derek42.htm

Answer 2

I began training when I was 15, and I think this is an ideal age to begin. I'm 32 now, and still weight training, but I did have a huge break between my teen years and now, but I'm loving it again! Depending on your son's physique and size, he may be ready to begin and I think it is good he is starting at a slow rate. Hopefully, as the year progresses, he'll develop more of an appetite for it and build on that. Literature helps... he should try to read up on this and develop his own goals. Men's Health is great for this, even though he's a young boy. There are many other articles that he will benefit from in his exploratory years.

Answer 3

Sound like the right age because he will have started or about to go through puberty which means he will have plenty of male hormones which are key to muscle building however weight trainning needs to be done properly as there are a lot of risks, alot of people lift heavier weights than they need to so if for instance he weights about 60Kg he wont need to lift more than 10Kg even then that should only be done with 2 hand exercises because when your body is trying to grow taller the last thing it wants is to get compresed by heavy weights

Answer 4

My son is now 15 and every single person I talk to say not before 16. That is when their bones are better developed. He just turned 15 and they also said he can start some minor exercises but NO Heavy Heavy lifting what so ever. However, all the football coaches want him big and say it does not matter. The ones telling me no are trainers and doctors. You decide.

Answer 5

My advice would be not to pressure him into training any more than he is already, reason being that his body is still growing and training with weights at his age could affect his growth and damage his bone structure.The best age would be around 16-18 depending on his body's development and growth.

Answer 6

A little late for the question, isn't it? At 14, he should have no issues with weight training provided he's using safe practices (spotters, good form, etc.) and not using excessively heavy weights.

Answer 7

to be perfectly honest no. His body has not fully developed yet. Weightlifting should not be encouraged until 16 or 17years old.
If anything to improve his physique
Push ups
Situps
hand stand press ups
supermans (back) This will all improve his physique will continueing in a healthy manor. dont encourage him to use weights yet. Only very light endurance reps would be most suitable

Answer 8

15 and up is the ideal age.

Answer 9

Its up to him. He is old enough to train. As long as you do push him to do it, he will stay within his healthy limits.