Teen Bodybuilding Tips
If you are a teenager thinking about starting to train with weights because you want to add some more muscle to your body, then you should know what you are in for before you start. Gaining muscle will happen faster when you are young but it will not happen overnight, it requires patience, tenacity and consistency to get results.
Plan Ahead then Execute
When starting off you should train your whole body three times a week but you need a plan and you need a specific objective you are shooting for. From adding ten pounds of muscle to increasing your bench-press by 20 pounds, needs a plan just like eating correctly, it needs an executable plan.
If your plan is to only train when you are free or eat correctly when you feel like it, the results will be minimal. Plan your days ahead so that you can cheer yourself up at the end of the day be sticking to your plan, no plan means planning to fail. Sh.t happens so when you miss a meal or a workout remember to always get up and start again, never give up.
Always watch overall volume week to week
Many teenagers who train with weights fall into the trap of thinking if one set is good then ten sets must be better. When it comes to weight training this is not true as it will only result in overtraining when you are doing too much volume. Your superior recovery rate because of your age does not mean it is endless, muscle repair needs time and good nutrition.
Free weights will get better results than machines
Research shows us that machine work will give you 75% of the muscle fiber activation compared to free weights. You should only use a select few machines like lat pull-downs and leg extensions or leg curls and calf raises.
Learn perfect technique/form
As a teenager starting with weight training for the first time it is imperative you learn exactly how to perform the basic movements correctly. This will have a major effect on your success in the future as stopping bad habits once they have been started can often hold you back for months or even years because of injury.
Use correct nutrition
This is probably more important as a teenager because developing the correct eating habits will dictate the success you get as time passes. Ideally you should eat 20 to 30 grams of protein a day divided into 6 meals which only comes about from planning ahead, take carbs before you train.
Rest between sets
You should concentrate on your rest time when training as you should try and only rest 30-60 seconds between each set, giving you just enough time to recover so that you can push hard during your workout and keep track of what you need to do next.
Cycle your workout
Training in cycles is vitally important if you want to see results. You should always change the workout you are doing every 6 to 8 weeks so that you continue to grow and your muscles do not get time to adjust.
Stretch after and before every workout
Stretching will reduce muscle cramps and increase range of motion as well as your flexibility.
Drink lots of water
Ideally you should drink 1-2 gallons of water every day. It helps a lot of things including the removal of the lactic acid build-up from training but also improves your recovery. Taking supplements like creatine will also help a lot with keeping the water you drink from being wasted.
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