Cathe--Strength training teens

NinjaMom

NinjaMom

Cathlete
Hi Cathe...I need your expert help. My 14 yr old daughter is a freshman in high school and just finished her first season on the varsity soccer team. Much of her competition was older (seniors) who were taller and solidly built. My DD is just under 5' and 96lbs...thank goodness she's fast but the games get very physical and she can easily get knocked down due to her size.

Her coaches are recommending strength training on a regular basis. I am all for this but would prefer to train her at home since the school's training room is primarily geared toward boys and the training did not seem appropriate for a young developing girl.

I have all your strength DVD's and all the equipment needed. I just need some guidance on where to start and how much to do in the beginning. Should I start with no weights until she has the form down? Are there any moves that you would not recommend for a young teen? I would like her to work each body part 2x/week. She is quite conditioned from her soccer training & karate and can perform many "on the toes" pushups with no problem but has never seriously strength trained.

Any help you can send my way is greatly appreciated. I do have the ACE personal trainer manual which I use as reference for myself but I would love to hear your input :)

Thanks!!

JJ
 
Hi JJ!

Strength training is a great way for teens to improve their strength, endurance, and muscle tone. But your concerns are valid and you sound as if you are asking all of the right questions :)

Remember to have your daughter start slowly, use proper form, avoid heavy weights, and increase her workouts gradually to prevent injury. I agree, lifting just a couple of days a week will be plenty in addition to her soccer.

To start with, I would NOT have her do a formal tape. Rather do this "all body weight" exercise program for two weeks:

Begin with a FULL 10 minute warm up (brisk walk on treadmill, or show her some of the moves that you remember from my strength training warm up workouts).

Then do:
3 sets of 20 squats (no weights)
one set (per side) of 20 lunges
1 set 5 pull ups if you have a pull up bar
3 sets of 12 tricep dips off step edge
3 sets of 8 push ups
3 sets of 25 crunches
1 long prone plank (elbows bent) for up to 20 seconds.
(Repeat the entire exercise cycle one more time)
8 minute stretch for all muscle groups


After this time period, you can introduce her to one of the total body tapes (ie: Muscle Max) with a very light weight and only as many reps as she feels comfortable with. If/when she finds the exercises too easy, she can increase her weight slightly. If she looks uncomfortable with any exercise or says it doesn't feel right to her, skip that exercise.

You may also want to check out her gym class program at school. I know of many that offer "basic weight training" as part of the curriculum (guys/gals together) which would be beneficial because she will experience new basic exercises and supervision from an instructor as well.

Good Luck!
 
Hi JJ!

Strength training is a great way for teens to improve their strength, endurance, and muscle tone. But your concerns are valid and you sound as if you are asking all of the right questions :)

Remember to have your daughter start slowly, use proper form, avoid heavy weights, and increase her workouts gradually to prevent injury. I agree, lifting just a couple of days a week will be plenty in addition to her soccer.

To start with, I would NOT have her do a formal tape. Rather do this "all body weight" exercise program for two weeks:

Begin with a FULL 10 minute warm up (brisk walk on treadmill, or show her some of the moves that you remember from my strength training warm up workouts).

Then do:
3 sets of 20 squats (no weights)
one set (per side) of 20 lunges
1 set 5 pull ups if you have a pull up bar
3 sets of 12 tricep dips off step edge
3 sets of 8 push ups
3 sets of 25 crunches
1 long prone plank (elbows bent) for up to 20 seconds.
(Repeat the entire exercise cycle one more time)
8 minute stretch for all muscle groups


After this time period, you can introduce her to one of the total body tapes (ie: Muscle Max) with a very light weight and only as many reps as she feels comfortable with. If/when she finds the exercises too easy, she can increase her weight slightly. If she looks uncomfortable with any exercise or says it doesn't feel right to her, skip that exercise.

You may also want to check out her gym class program at school. I know of many that offer "basic weight training" as part of the curriculum (guys/gals together) which would be beneficial because she will experience new basic exercises and supervision from an instructor as well.

Good Luck!
 
This is great - my son is just turning 14 and has been really interested in strength training, but I have been nervous about allowing it. He also plays soccer and could use some muscle against some of those older players! I am going to give this a shot with him, too.

Thanks, Cathe!!

Marie
 
This is great - my son is just turning 14 and has been really interested in strength training, but I have been nervous about allowing it. He also plays soccer and could use some muscle against some of those older players! I am going to give this a shot with him, too.

Thanks, Cathe!!

Marie
 
Hi Cathe,

This is exactly what I needed. I have printed out this program and plan to get started this weekend.

Thank you so much for responding!! :7


JJ
 
Hi Cathe,

This is exactly what I needed. I have printed out this program and plan to get started this weekend.

Thank you so much for responding!! :7


JJ
 
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