yes i am weak i'm trying to gain weight but my metabolism seems to make me stay the same. and i am 14...
Metabolism Shmetabolism! You need to eat more and work hard on eating more. When I was 17 you could count my ribs and I thought I ate like a horse. 10 years later and I've probably looked like an ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph at different times and am currently sitting at a reasonably lean 210 lbs. Try this recent article from TN, by the looks of the pictures the author was where you are now.
Yeah, metabolism is only a problem if you let it be. For every metabolisim type out there, there is a diet that you can fallow to gain muscle mass, or lean up, or whatever. And when I say "diet" I do not mean the dirty four letter word version that fat people think are neccessary. I mean a style of eating for life. I do think you are a bit young to worry about trying to gain muscle mass. That's not a medical statement, just I think you should be more worried about having fun and just staying active to keep in shape. Some pushups, pullups, situps, running, and bodyweight squats/lunges is what I would be doing at your age. Just my opinion.
I have heard that lifting weights when young can damage the growth plates, but that all comes down to how much, how often, and your technique. I agree with everyone here that weight training the right way will not stunt your growth in any way. Stick to 3 sets of 8 reps (close to failing on the eight) and you'll be in good shape. That kind of training is to develop power, not muscle mass or pure strength (they're in the 3 rep range). Make sure you have someone checking your technique, or you may do yourself some damage. If your dad has a cable machine they are good for young people because it is hard to do it incorrectly as the motion has to follow a set path, just watch little things like wrist alignment, and back positioning. I started weight training at 13 under good direction from my rugby coach and I am 195cm tall. Make sure you get someone to help you develop a BALANCED workout. Like Tom said before don't just focus on the vanity muscles. I have seen a fair amount of people develop serious problems trying to develop pecs and biceps, and forgeting that the the back mucles work to hold the should in place.
There has been a lot of very poor advice on this thread. Lifting weights CAN effectivley stunt your growth by causing damaging to the epiphyseal (growth) plates in a growing child. This does not mean you can't do it but at your age any weight training should be under the supervision of a qualified instructor, otherwise you are playing with your future.
Hence why I said he shouldn't worry about it at that age. And why I think he should keep the lifting at a moderate level and not try to add slabs of muscle.
You don't have to be training heavy weights, to do damage. Poor form can cause injuries as well. That is why wayneshin recommended training under and instructor. I also think cable machines are good for this as you do not have to stabilize the weights, and form is less of an issue.
Walking, sitting, standing, laying can all be done with poor form. What's the chance this kid is actually going to train with an instructor 3 times a week? There are only a few things cable machines are good for: pulldowns, cable pull, and rotational exercises. Using machines so you don't have to stabilize the weight is a big mistake because you're not working your stabilizer musles and therefore that can lead to poor form.
Well...not quite true. Machines/cable machines can be a great way to focus your routine and also to switch things up ones you have been lifting for awhile. A newb at lifting? I would say only do a machine for a day just to get an idea of what the motion is, then switch to free weights. Someone that's been lifting for awhile? Hit the machines every now and then to change things up, and too allow you to directly hit the muscle with more weight without having to focus on the stabalizers at all. Only every now and then though. So they have their uses.
I disagree. You wouldn't teach a person how to drive a car by recommending them to learn how to ride a bike first, would you? Same thing with lifting. A leg press is never going to teach someone how to squat. Chest press machine will never teach someone how to bench press properly. If you want to learn how to squat or benchpress you start off with whatever weight you can (even body weight) and then progress. It's all about making progress and adding weight. Our muscles are designed to work together, therefore they should be exercised and conditioned together with compound exercises. Only time a machine should be used is when someone is recovering from an injury...
You made the claim, so provide proof or evidence and your claim will be taken under consideration. Otherwise, your claim will be dismissed the same way it was admitted: without evidence.
I spoke with my wife about this subject. She is a Certified Youth Fitness Trainer. Teaches Youth Fitness for children 7-16. According to her, and the books she has DIRECTLY related to this subject, a child at the age of 13 can weight lift. HOWEVER it should be light weights with proper form. Form should be reviewed by a qualified instructor for the first couple of times. After they reach a certain developmental stage (determined by a DOCTOR) they then can proceed to heavier weights without any worry as long as form is correct (which is always true).
I would never suggest doing a leg press in order to learn/improve squats. You want better squats, you gotta do squats. And guess what...there's a machine specifically desinged just for that! Not a smith either...an actual squat machine. I have been asking all the CPT's that I know (I know about 15 of them) about using machines as an introduction to weight lifting and also as a way to shock your body once you have been working out for awhile. So far they have all agreed that they are good. I am also posting questions on the body building forums that I am a member of asking the same thing. Also, I could point you to several articles in various magazines making the same statements. Again, not as a permanent fixture in any routine, but they have their uses.
Info supporting my statements. Still looking for anything saying to avoid machines. No success. http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/articles-submit/andy-fairclough/machine-vs-free-weights.htm http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightlifting/a/freeweights.htm http://ezinearticles.com/?Machine-W...h-is-Better-For-Strength-Training?&id=1589885 Looking for more.
You mean as opposed to the numerous posts suggesting that their was no risk to the growth plates - all offered without evidence. Please refer to the links below. All are consistant in their advice that weight training can be beneficial to children but their are risks and it should be done under supervision by a qualified person. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01010 http://www.active.com/tennis/Articles/Strength_Training_for_Young_Players.htm http://www.free-online-health.com/kids-growth-article.htm http://www.faqs.org/sports-science/Sp-Tw/Strength-Training-for-Children-and-Young-Athletes.html
Well, the only thing I can find regarding not using machines, are people opinions. Every article I have found, be it written by a fitness professional, a certified training ghost written, or just a journelist that did some research, says that machines have their uses. Maybe you have some proof to the contrary? It is still just my opinion that machines are good every now and then and briefly for beginners.
I don't feel like reasearching much right now, but here's few things from the book Power Training by Robert dos Remedios, MA, CSCS...strenght training coach blah blah: From these 2 points he mentions in his book, you can see that machines are not good for any real-life strenght. You said there's a squat machine specifically designed for squats. Well that's great if you have bad knees or some other problems with your legs. But there's no way that machine can come close to the effectivnes of a real squat. First off all a machine is going to take care of balancing the weight, so your stabilizer muscles don't have to work on that which makes the lifting the load up and down much easier. With squats all the weight and balancing is on you; it works more muscles. Machines have their uses, but not when it comes to teaching someone (a healthy person)how to lift weights. You don't see olympic lifters use machines.
I used to exclusively use machines and when i switched to using dumbells for the upper body (we don't have any bars at my works gym) at the start of this year i was amazed at what i couldn't do! Going back and using machines now it feels awfully restricted and unnatural. Due to the lack of bars and only being able to access 70kg worth of dumbbells i still use a leg press machine though.
