15 and a half - should i start lifting?

[formula16]

I am 15 and a half years old and i want to start doing some basic lifting like bench press, squats and deadlifts. Will this stunt my growth?

 

[BiTeGumsux]

Personally i wouldn't

If you are to do any, do upper body. But still id advise against it. All the best footballers in the country at 15/16 lift weights to heavy and to early and end up by the time they are 17-20 being no where near as good as the others that haven't lifted weights early.

You might have to research it more or somewhere with more knowledge may know more, but from what ive heard it stunts growth especially leg weights as that is where the main growth plates are, dont know how true that is but.

 

[Syphoncom]

I am 15 and a half years old and i want to start doing some basic lifting like bench press, squats and deadlifts. Will this stunt my growth?

Completely subjective response:

I know quite a few people who have lifted since they were around 16 and all are absolute monsters. None are 'short'.

If you really want you should get some personal coaching on what you should be doing, from a decent strength and conditioning person with creds.

 

[keyboard_warrior]

will not stunt your growth. i reckon get amongst it. just make sure your technique is right and start off light. you wont know what you are capable of for about a month so just build up to heavier stuff!!

 

[JCore]

The whole 'stunt growth' thing is bull. I'm a few months older than you, and will start lifting weights at the end of this footy season. As long as you choose the correct weights and exercises that correlate to football, you'll be fine. Go for it.

 

[Damon_3388]

Personally i wouldn't

If you are to do any, do upper body. But still id advise against it. All the best footballers in the country at 15/16 lift weights to heavy and to early and end up by the time they are 17-20 being no where near as good as the others that haven't lifted weights early.

You might have to research it more or somewhere with more knowledge may know more, but from what ive heard it stunts growth especially leg weights as that is where the main growth plates are, dont know how true that is but.

If anything, they should start with the basic compound lifts - squats, deadlifts and bench press - at managable weights with proper form, to build up a solid strength base for your whole body, instead of just focussing on the "beach muscles" in the upper body like many novice lifters do. Bodyweight and core exercises are invaluable as well. That might sound "boring" compared to pumping out the bicep curls and what have you, but it's the way to develop true strength that'll hold you in good stead on the footy field. At your age, your main focus should be on getting stronger, not just getting bigger. If you happen to add size at the same time, that's great, but there's no point in having "beach muscles" (eg. big biceps) if you can still be knocked off the footy due to a weak core and weak lower body.

All that being said though, make sure you've got a solid running program in place to go along with your weight program, as footy is just as much about running these days as it is about strength, especially if you're a midfielder (not sure what position you play/want to play).

 

[johndelosa]

Playing contact sports is more of a risk to the growth plates than weight training. Also doing the big 3 lifts mentioned will naturally increase body testosterone levels and in return may help with your overall body development.

 

[Parse]

Go to the Australian Strength & Conditioning website.

They have a published position statement on youth resistance training.

If you want answers, go to the place where experts publish based on fact, not on fear and scaremongering.

Then you will be able to make an INFORMED decision.

 

[formula16]

if i lift at higher rep ranges (10-15), will this be better for a growing body?

 

[Dean3]

I wouldn't recommend lifting weights until you've stopped growing. Better to concentrate on core and leg strength before worrying about upper body too much at age 15/16. Bike riding, plus self-resistance stuff - eg chin ups and push ups are plenty, plus the usual core strength exercises.

Parse's advice also good.

 

[Onetonylockett]

No will not stunt your growth at all. That is an outdated theory.

Stick to basic movements, squat, bench, chins etc.

Only exercises to avoid are Olympic lifts but if your just starting out lifting you wont need to worry about them anyway

 

[micksolo]

The stunted growth thing is one of those old wives tales - if there is any actual evidence or research done on this I'd like to see it.

I would advise trying a weightlifting routine which teaches proper technique, this means lifting barbells with weights, not sitting on the machines.

Couple of good routines along these lines are Starting Strength (A book by Mark Rippetoe) and www.stronglifts.com which has everything for free on their site.

 

[MattyEdgeworth]

No will not stunt your growth at all. That is an outdated theory.

Stick to basic movements, squat, bench, chins etc.

Only exercises to avoid are Olympic lifts but if your just starting out lifting you wont need to worry about them anyway

Yeah I can't believe people still think it stunts your growth.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

A friend of mine started at your age, and his elbows and low tri's are now wrecked. He probably went a bit hard, pushing the limits at that age is probably not ideal; however you cannot help it sometimes if you've got an inflated ego (like he did/has).

I would start, get amongst it, however build up very slowly and make sure your form is technically sound with each and every exercise. Athletic ability is the top priority when looking at recruiting remember (repeat sprints, agility, beep test, etc), as strength can easily be improved upon via specialised plans/routines. As long as your athletic ability is spot on, then there is absolutely no problem with getting started in the gym.

 

[cptkirk]

if you can't do 15 perfect pistol squats then don't squat til you can

if you can't do 20 perfect push ups then don't bench press til you can

if you can't do 15 perfect inverted rows then don't do any pulldowns til you can

when you can do these as we as stabilise your body through your core, ther you'll be ready for wts

there's no point starting them if they'll do you more worse then good (potential injury, bad form leading to muscle imbalances etc)

 

[George Washington]

if you can't do 15 perfect pistol squats then don't squat til you can

Unless my definition of a pistol squat is different to yours... This would take a very, very long time.

 

[cptkirk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhw5VjJkwL4

well if you can't lift your own bodyweight how are you gonna lift more then you're body wt?

 

[George Washington]

This is my definition of a pistol squat:

http://www.beastskills.com/tutorials/tutorials/38

Can't watch youtube at work so don't know what you linked to..

 

[cptkirk]

same but from a bench so you don't have to flex the front leg as far, you just squat down so the free leg touches the floor and up you come

 

[Mismatched]

Personally, as a Sports Scientist/Personal Trainer myself, I'd have no trouble with someone 15+ years starting up weights training, in fact I'd be happy to train someone at 13.

I do however, and this really goes for anyone, have a problem if they do so without any proper instruction and supervision. I know I spent a couple of years in the gym when I was 14-15 without any real idea about what I was doing and it was probably lucky that I didn't try to lift too heavier weights. I still ended up with hunched shoulders from doing all bench press and no back.

The big focus as a teenager should be technique and function, over genuine muscle/strength building. Work between 8-15 reps and avoid working to complete failure, as this is where injuries can genuinely occur.

I wouldn't shy away from lifting weights, but I would ensure that they are compound lifts (ie multi-joint), as opposed to your isolated bicep curls. I'd also would avoid machines, they tend to cut out the development of 2ndary support muscles which are just so important in real life.

As a trainer, I love to work with teenagers because I know I can genuinely teach them how to lift weights properly before too many bad habits or ideas are created.

 

[Docker Clint]

This is my definition of a pistol squat:

http://www.beastskills.com/tutorials/tutorials/38

Can't watch youtube at work so don't know what you linked to..

That's what I've always known a pistol squat to be. Tough exercise.

 

[Docker Clint]

Personally, as a Sports Scientist/Personal Trainer myself, I'd have no trouble with someone 15+ years starting up weights training, in fact I'd be happy to train someone at 13.

I do however, and this really goes for anyone, have a problem if they do so without any proper instruction and supervision. I know I spent a couple of years in the gym when I was 14-15 without any real idea about what I was doing and it was probably lucky that I didn't try to lift too heavier weights. I still ended up with hunched shoulders from doing all bench press and no back.

The big focus as a teenager should be technique and function, over genuine muscle/strength building. Work between 8-15 reps and avoid working to complete failure, as this is where injuries can genuinely occur.

I wouldn't shy away from lifting weights, but I would ensure that they are compound lifts (ie multi-joint), as opposed to your isolated bicep curls. I'd also would avoid machines, they tend to cut out the development of 2ndary support muscles which are just so important in real life.

This is very good advice.