More and more young people want to practice this sport before they come of age. Is it advisable for minors to do bodybuilding? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a practice? What are the choices of exercises?
Does weight training prevent growth?
Weight training is a sport with great potential but it must be done under the supervision of adults or professionals before the age of 18.
Why is this advice given to young people who want to take up sport?
Their bodies in adolescence are in full growth, muscles, limbs, bones, joints and tendons are in full transformation, knowing how to practice weight training is a guarantee of good growth, good physical condition and development.
It is important to be aware that this practice is a little extra for muscle development but is not the cause of the young person's body growth. It is the growth hormones and testosterone that actually play a major role in the development of bones and muscles.
Why practice bodybuilding?
It is a sport that allows you to tone the whole body, harmonizing it with aesthetics. Adapted to each morphology, there are many training programs that are composed of exercises of musculation appropriate to each muscle group.
Weight training does not prevent growth if it is practiced in a reasonable way and accompanied by qualified people who will show you what to do and what not to do. In other words, you have to do it gradually. Build a good foundation and above all be patient. Do you know this expression: bodybuilding is not a sprint but rather a marathon.
In fact, it is highly recommended that you start in stages. If you've never done weight training before, starting with a bodyweight program is a great way to prepare your muscles for more routine training later on. You will find more details on this program below.
Overtraining The fact that the growth of the body is too rapid and the weights are too heavy without a precise method could slow down or even stop the growth of the body. Each badly executed gesture can provoke a muscular traumatism on a juvenile body, especially as the skeleton still in formation could suffer damages especially at the level of the spinal column.
Until the age of 17, the teenager is in his most advanced growth phase, bone formation being definitive only after the age of 22, it is strongly recommended not to train with too heavy weights before the age of 18.
Is it dangerous to do bodybuilding before the age of 18?
The benefits of weight training
Weight training for beginners is safe if the teenager does his exercises with care, listens to his sports coach who knows how to adapt the training to his level thanks to a choice of predefined exercises.
If they want to train at home, they must ensure that they have parental permission or even that they do so under the supervision of a parent to start weight training. But it is rather advisable to register in a weight room before working out at home. In this way, the practitioner will already have all the knowledge and understanding necessary to do the exercises correctly. It is also important to make sure that you have the advice of your doctor before you start training. In France, you can join a gym from 16 years old with parental consent. However, the age of registration is 18.
Adolescence is a pivotal time when hormonal and physical changes can lead some people to not accept themselves physically.
This sport will help him to assert himself and reduce stress due to the endorphins secreted. He will learn to accept his body more easily thanks to a better understanding of his development.
In addition to the physical aspect where he will be able to sculpt a dream body over the sessions and gain muscle, his cult of the perfect body will be a discipline that will give him greater self-confidence and this will be seen in his everyday behavior. His physical capacities will be increased tenfold thanks to a muscular reinforcement.
This practice will motivate him to self-manage outside of school activities and to know his limits during weight training. He will understand the importance of knowing warm up properly before each session if he wants to learn to build up muscle quickly but above all to build up muscle correctly. Know that this warm-up is not reserved only for beginners, it is absolutely essential even for experienced practitioners.
At a time when touch screens, video games and TV series are available to everyone, teenagers can be prone to obesity. Adapted weight training programs are therefore a good way to help them grow healthily and develop their figure harmoniously. Coupled with other sports activities such as combat sports, team sports or individual sports, weight training can be an excellent choice to help them grow.
The harms of weight training
When it comes to strength training, you have to take into account that girls and boys grow at different rates and at different times.
As a general rule, it is better not to start weight training before the age of 15, as the body is not yet well formed, and young people could suffer injuries such as bone problems, ligaments, tendonitis or muscle tears.
These harms can occur if they train too hard or lift too much for their size.
Exercises with heavy weights, squats, deadlifts, bending of the forearms with bars are therefore absolutely forbidden.
How to train before 18 years old?
The best way to train for a teenager is bodyweight training, which is a complete strength training program.
This program is to be carried out to failure and thus to adapt to each one according to its performances. It will be adapted to all, beginner as confirmed or even for a recovery after a long stop.
Indeed, this program contains a lot of very original exercises. But if you don't feel like doing it, or you only do two or three reps, that's okay. Training at your own pace is the key to progress.
How do I get started in the gym?
The goal is to develop all the skills of a future high level athlete, without using weights, you will work on your endurance, strength, flexibility and muscle development. Then, after several weeks or months of bodyweight practice, you can continue with a full body and half body program with very light weights in the gym. There is also the possibility of training with elastics. This can also be an alternative to a gradual resumption of weight training after a long break or a program to do on vacation when you do not have a gym.
The beauty of their body will reside in the gain of muscle, you know then the phenomenon of hypertrophy which is the increase of muscle fibers through weight training.
Every exercise you do will develop muscle strength, every movement you perform will trim your figure little by little. You will see with time their body become more muscular.
There is no danger with this program because the gestures and methods will not be traumatic for their body.
Provided that they start with warm-ups before training, and finish with stretching during their sessions in order to have a better recovery afterwards for a good muscle growth.
Exercises for beginners
Here are some bodyweight exercises for teens to do 3 times a week, for 45 minutes with recovery time between sets.
- Dips with a weight bench to develop the upper body and gain muscle mass in the triceps and pectoral muscles
- The hip thrust to work your glutes and hamstrings
- Push-ups to build pectoral and triceps muscles
- Pull-ups to strengthen the back
- Abdominals and crunches to include in one session during the week
The following exercises should be avoided so as not to impede their growth:
- The rowing bar
- The deadlift
- The squat
- The neck press
As far as nutrition is concerned, since natural growth hormones during adolescence are at their peak, it is not really necessary to take food supplements. The nutritional advice is simple: a balanced diet composed of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber and starchy foods will be more than enough. It is therefore not essential to calculate your macros before at least 2 to 3 years of bodybuilding practice except in the case of a person who is overweight or obese.
A good recovery that includes a good sleep will be absolutely essential. Indeed, contrary to what young people think, giving yourself rest days will be necessary for your progress.
The hormone levels of a person between 16 and 25 years old are conducive to muscle gain. So don't try to get a lean body after a few months of weight training. If you do, you will be wasting time. This is really the best advice from a coach.
Finally, you should know that the way you train will not be the same when you start and when you have a few years of practice. Muscle building does not take place over a few days but over several months or even years of hard training.
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One Comment
I am 17 years old and I have already followed your dryland program which has worked very well for me and yet I have not been doing half or any other type of exercise for very long.
if we are careful and train properly I think there is no problem
see you soon julien at the fitness fair