weight training for 13 year old

Google plyometrics for explosive speed. Work forearms and wrists (wrist roll) for bat control, avoid building pectorals as they will reduce flexibility and possibly batspeed.

I stayed away from weight training until my son had hair on his legs and face. He is a Junior and just started lifting. Prior to that, he did nothing but body weight resistance.

quote:

Originally posted by jason145:
I wanted to ask if light weight training is good for my 13 year old son?...Also what exercises and weight should he use if its safe for him to use.?...especially for explosiveness regarding hitting and speed..thanks in advance for the advance and tips...

Jason

Proper weight training is fine so long as it is progressively and safely loaded and the youth athlete has proper lifting mechanics.

I would advise against plyometrics until he is strong enough to handle advanced speed work like repeated depth jumps and sprint-based work. Strength is a major component of explosiveness, and to introduce an untrained athlete to that type of workout is a good way to get injured quickly.

Body Weight activities only at this age....pull-ups, push-ups, ab work is ok, I wouldn't touch a dumbbell/barbell at this age.

I always advise people the following way: No lifting is better than wrong lifting.

My son started a weight training program at 15 in a professionally supervised program with someone experienced with teen athletes. I don't think he missed anything by waiting. He is 16 now and the rate of improvement at 16 is multiples of what it was at 15.

My only regret is not insisting on better nutrition as he became an adolescent. The weights only take you so far without the proper diet.

please look at older posts

quote:

Originally posted by bsballfan:
Body Weight activities only at this age....pull-ups, push-ups, ab work is ok, I wouldn't touch a dumbbell/barbell at this age.

I always advise people the following way: No lifting is better than wrong lifting.

Brilliant!

I cannot tell you how many times I have debated with folks (even some on this site) about this; there is a class of "trainer" that views weightlifting as a kind of "look what I can survive" type of thing. The point of training is to make you better (faster, quicker, stronger, whatever it is) so you can be better at your sport. If your training doesn't do that in some measurable way, look at something else. If you aren't a competitive lifter; and believe me, those guys are every bit as athletic in their sport as you are in yours, you should work on getting better in your sport and do the things that help you do that.

Sorry for the rant. At thirteen, I would recommend that the young man do some mild resistance work with the idea of establishing the neuropathways for when his bones stop growing (essentially, he is teaching his body to respond to training later). Nothing too difficult, no workout should be so strenuous that he doesn't recover by the end of the next day. Bodyweight work sounds like just the prescription.

quote:

My only regret is not insisting on better nutrition as he became an adolescent. The weights only take you so far without the proper diet.

Very crucial part of the puzzle, and many times most overlooked.

quote:

Originally posted by fanofgame:

quote:

My only regret is not insisting on better nutrition as he became an adolescent. The weights only take you so far without the proper diet.

Very crucial part of the puzzle, and many times most overlooked.

100% agree.

I've had my son doing mostly body weight types of things (like others have recommended) along with some band work to help with building shoulder muscles for pitching and general throwing.

One thing a pitcher instructor advised him to do was get a bucket full of rice and have him work on his grip and forearms using the rice. Any real weights have been discouraged at his level. Heavy weights with yound adolescents can cause some serious injuries if too much weight is used or if the weights are used improperly. Kids tend to have an altered view of what is reasonable and will often try to use too much weight or will lift in an awkward manner. Shoulder injuries are very common and for that reason I limit any freeweights.

One thing I have done, and for some strange reason he seems to enjoy, is some of the P90X pushups and pullups or band exercises. They are relatively low impact and he finds them fun. We avoid any of the dumbell exercises though. Different types of pushups work different muscle groups and seem to work well. Plus it doesn't get much cheaper than that.

Please check with your pediatrician before taking any advice from anyone.

Check with a doctor if you feel the need. But don't waste your time with a pediatrician. I can tell you from experience that most are incredibly ignorant of sports issues.

quote:

Originally posted by Baseballdad1228:
Please check with your pediatrician before taking any advice from anyone.

Keep in mind that the age of 13 the boys body is far from being fully developed and mature------

Pediatricians, even if they are "incredibly ignorant of sports issues," which is an analysis I've never heard before, are still best qualified to advise on 13-year-old bodies.

No, Sports Medicine MDs, paticularly pediatric orthopedic surgeons are the best to speak on 13 year old bodies; at least as far as training goes. There are some very good ones out there and many have websites devoted to training for pre-adolescent males and males just starting adolescence.

Almost all of the ones that I have read say just what the dads here are saying. Avoid heavy weight training, concentrate on stretching and mild resistance exercises.

Check it out....


American Academy of Pediatrics
Strength Training by Children and Adolescents
Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness
Policy Statement:
http://aappolicy.aappublicatio...pediatrics;121/4/835

Hawghauler, great link. Thanks for posting it. There's a lot of mythology out there about weight training and young athletes. So it's a pleasure to get an affirmative take from a particularly credible source.

quote:

Originally posted by Ole Ball Coach:

quote:

Originally posted by fanofgame:

quote:

My only regret is not insisting on better nutrition as he became an adolescent. The weights only take you so far without the proper diet.

Very crucial part of the puzzle, and many times most overlooked.

100% agree.

I would love any tips on how to get my son to eat better. He is tall (5'8") and very thin (110 lbs) for his age (14). Any attempts on my part to correct is high carb, low protein diet just lead to rebellion. He has done some research himself (he is self-conscious about being so skinny) and will eat a good amount of protein for a day or two. Any ideas on how to best persuade him, short of only keeping protein in the house (still won't work for school though)...

You could have a high school coach talk with him. I know with my son I could talk until I was blue in the face, but as soon as a weight training coach started to talk about eating, he was all over it.
Parents don't know anything.

quote:

Originally posted by Hawghauler:
You could have a high school coach talk with him. I know with my son I could talk until I was blue in the face, but as soon as a weight training coach started to talk about eating, he was all over it.
Parents don't know anything.

Another thing I might add is that you really can't force feed muscle growth. A lot of parents here ask what they can do to help an athlete "fill out," but what they mean is how do they get junior to grow some more muscle. Usually the question is spurred by some new protein shake or another.

To an extent, you can correct a nutritional deficiency, and almost certainly you can improve an athlete's diet to make sure that their nutrient quality improves. After that, an athlete will not gain more muscle just because he (or she) piles on the calories. Weight (generally in the form of bodyfat)? Yes. Muscle? No.

Muscle growth comes from the stimulation of the muscle tissues, and then an appropriate amount of recuperation and the nutrients being supplied when needed. Really, nothing fancier than that.

My 13 y/o downloaded the ebook "You Are Your Own Gym" to his ipod. Written by a guy who trains elite US fighting forces. There are exercises that everyone can start out with and others or variations of exercises that are very challenging. The book takes a common sense look at nutrition and what it takes to follow through with your commitment to fitness.

The main reason I recommended the book to my son was it wasn't about vanity and being muscle bound. The guy has made a living teaching soldiers how to better stay alive. It's about being stronger, more agile, increasing balance, having more endurance, etc. All this seemed to be particularly pertinent to a young baseball player as well.

quote:

Originally posted by fanofgame:

quote:

My only regret is not insisting on better nutrition as he became an adolescent. The weights only take you so far without the proper diet.

Very crucial part of the puzzle, and many times most overlooked.

You really think you can measure the difference between an athlete training with a strict diet and one who eats a typical diet assuming both are getting all the essential vitamins and minerals and enough calories?

quote:

Originally posted by cball:

quote:

Originally posted by fanofgame:

quote:

My only regret is not insisting on better nutrition as he became an adolescent. The weights only take you so far without the proper diet.

Very crucial part of the puzzle, and many times most overlooked.

You really think you can measure the difference between an athlete training with a strict diet and one who eats a typical diet assuming both are getting all the essential vitamins and minerals and enough calories?

Not sure what you mean by "strict." For highly trained athletes, though? Absolutely.

Our mantra has always been that the athlete should not get bigger for bigger's sake (though we had some linemen for which that obviously didn't apply), but should be pound for pound as strong as possible. Generally, a "stricter" diet features a more limited number of calories but enough macro and micronutrients that the athlete can maintain healthy fat levels and still perform optimally.

With that said, I have trained some great athletes that are, by most measures, fat. Don't know what to say, they are just great athletes who got it done. A "regular" diet (featuring fast food and the rest) didn't hurt them. Would they have been better at a healthier weight and with a better diet? Maybe, it sure was hard to argue with the way they already performed....