Getting in shape and staying in shape is fundamental for children, especially teenagers. Good habits practiced during the teen years can lead to healthier lives as they grow older. But teenagers have constantly growing and changing bodies, so pumping weights or hitting the treadmill should all be done with caution. Starting an exercise plan, navigate the gym and avoiding pitfalls should all be considered when teens start to work out.
Starting Off
If you've decided you want to get stronger while you are younger, but not quite ready for the gym, start off at home. Use the basic push-ups and sit-up routines to get your body used to resistance training. Then move onto using at-home devices like the Swiss ball, which can provide plenty of resistance training that can rival pumping iron in terms of efficiency. If you prefer using DVDs and such, Pilates is a good safe starting point that incorporates proper breathing and flowing changes from one exercise to the next. Pilates can strengthen those all-important core muscles that you'll need to support your gym activities.
Learning The Gym
If you are ready for the gym, come mentally and physically prepared. Don't go in thinking you're going to start pumping serious iron from day one. You'll need to get used to using the equipment first. Be sure to find the gym staff to show you the basics. You may want to start using the machine-based weights before moving onto free weights like dumbbells and barbells. The Supreme bodybuilding website suggests you work out all major body parts in one day, but rest the muscles the next day because that's when they'll grow more. Targeting muscle groups during the teen years can be detrimental to a growing body and cause long-lasting pain in later years.
Avoiding Pitfalls
Some pitfalls to teen workouts should definitely be avoided. Regardless of what you do, hydrate with water. At least three liters a day should do the trick. Don't forget to include cardiovascular activities. It's good to do them on the days between weightlifting. Be careful with sports drinks that contain lots of sugar; your energy levels could spike, but then crash at the worst times. Speaking of consumption, there may be temptations to use supplemental powders and muscle-building drinks. Again, you don't want to put too much strain on your body as you grow, so be sure to follow specific serving-size directions.
Tags: during teen, during teen years, resistance training, teen years, they grow, your body