I would like a strength rotation for my teenage son...

4

40something

Guest
My teenage son is doing track right now so what he needs is some strength training. He is a beginner with weight workouts. I would greatly appreciate any suggestion's/advice to get him started.

Needless to say he is not going to have the patience to do an hour long workout which is why I've come here for a rotation. I do Cathe workouts as is, I rarely mix up the segments so I know you guys can give me suggestion's for doing that. Ideally I would like to have 30 minute maximum workouts for him...maybe even less than that to start with. He doesn't think he needs to weight train so the less 'painful' this is for him to do the better chance of success I will have getting him to stick with it.

I have the pyramids, Push/Pull, Supersets, and the CTX series. I also have most of the other Cathe total body/circuit workouts including the newer Coremax, MuscleMax, High Step Challenge and HSTA.

I do not have S&H, Pure Strength or Gym Style. If you guys think portion's of those workouts would be better/easier to work into a shorter workout, please advise.
 
Would the Timesaver DVD be what I am looking for? There are shorter segments of weight work focusing on one body part. I do not have that DVD so I don't know what the workouts are like...anyone care to comment on how thorough those weight segments are?
 
Before you suggest anything to your teenage son, I'd run this question by his track coach to find out how weights can be incorporated into his track training - AND get the coach on board to recommend weights as well as you. The more voices your son hears about the benefits of weight training, the more likely he is to adopt a program.

I personally think you have plenty of DVDs so far to get your son started. Depending on your son's coach's opinion on when to train (i.e. should or should not your son train legs with weights on the same day as trackk training), IMHO your son could do the following 6-week rotation:

Weeks 1, 3 and 5:

Mondays and Thursdays:

CTX Leaner Legs, followed by Leaner Legs abs Mondays and Allstep Abs Thursdays

Tuesdays and Fridays:

CTX Upper Body Split, followed by the Kickbox core/ab routine on Tuesdays and Power Circuit core/ab routines as well (you need good core strength for track, indeed for all competitive sports).

Weeks 2 and 6:

Mondays and Thursdays:

PLB Pyramid Up routine, followed by PUB ab/core routine

Tuesdays and Fridays:

PUB Pyramid Up routine, followed by Core Max med ball routine Tuesdays and Core Max floor routine Fridays

Week 4:

Mondays and Thursdays:

PLB Pyramid Down routine, followed by Muscle Max ab routine Mondays and HSC ab routine Thursdays

Tuesdays and Fridays:

PUB Pyramid Down routine, followed by Core Max med ball routine Tuesdays and Core Max floor routine Fridays.

Just a suggestion - but again, I'd make sure his coach is in the loop on any outside training.

A-Jock
 
Thanks alot A-Jock. I really appreciate you taking the time to work that rotation out. The coach (all of the boys coaches for that matter) encourage the boys to use the schools weight room either in the morning before school...or after sport practice. But really, the only coach who keeps on them is the wrestling coach. The other coaches figure if they workout they do, if not, whatever. My son is in sports all year and he really could benefit by some overall conditioning and strength work, but I think he's intimidated to use the schools facility because of the upper classmen. Anyway, he's doing track now and he's a distance runner and also does high jump. He does well in track but if he worked on strength training he could probably be even better. And he needs more power in his swing for baseball.
 
Hi again, 40something. I thought of this after I'd entered my post: the CTX Upper Body Split is quite long, probably an hour, so your son could split up the split by doing chest and triceps one day and back, shoulders and biceps another day. That should fit in with the timeframe you'd mentioned.

Certainly strength training is necessary for athletic performance as well as overall health. I especially recommend he focus on core strength and back strength for baseball if he needs to put more power in his swing. He could also do some aquatic training to improve his swing by standing in shallow water, with the water just up to or just underneath the underarm level, and practice his swing through the water for some good endurance training.

Also, I've read that track athletes benefits greatly from plyometric training, including the plyo drills Cathe has on her many cardio workouts. There's a good book by Dr. Donald Chu called "Jumping Into Plyometrics", which is a good foundation for the science of plyo work for athletes. There's a companion video for this book. You can get these at the Human Kinetics website - www.humankinetics.com.

A-Jock
 
Hi, A-Jock,

I am in the similar situation. I have a 7 year old girl very much into ice skating. She is in USFA Beginner program now. Her coach told me that they expected her to pass 1st test by the end of this summer. He also mentioned that she need more strength buildup.

I have no clue of what can help to my daughter in skating. Could you recommend any books to read in this field? Also, can I use some of Cathe's program to get her start?

She likes to work out with me. But she is still a little girl. Her attendtion span is very short. She likes to giggle a lot when I told her what to do after 20 minutes. Any suggestion can keep this little one in track?

Thanks

WantFit:)
 
Hi, Wantfit! You are very wise to be very, very judicious about strength training for your 7-year-old. Children's bodies are simply not like teenages or adult bodies, and what works for an adult could probably severely injure a child.

I would suggest you go on to the Human Kinetics website (www.humankinetics.com) and see if there are any books available on the subject of SAFE training for children. I believe Dr. Wayne Wescott, who is really a titan in the field of fitness research in general and fitness for young people in particular, might have a book or two on the subject.

IMHO your daughter is far too young for Cathe workouts.

A-Jock
 
Thanks, A-Jock.

I did go to the website and find a couple books. Since the website was set up in UK, I ordered the books via Amazon.

And I also got an answer of what is anaerobic, plyometer from the messages you post in other topic. Thank you so much. I will go to our local library to check out Phil Campbell's book. You are absolutely right. Working hard sometimes just does not give the right result. You need to work intellegently.

WantFit
 
ddw98...I have hesitated to post on this subject but I feel I need to. I also have a 7 year old daughter who loves gymnastics. She has a good coach and she's in a good program. They don't push the kids, they don't give them deadlines to move up to the next level. Each child is treated as an individual and they are there first and foremost to learn gymnastic skills and to have FUN. I would be very skeptical of a coach who is putting pressure on your daughter to improve herself so she can move up to the next level. These are very young children. They cannot be expected nor should they have to 'workout' to improve in their sport. When she's much older, yes, now at this tender age, absolutely not.

You are the parent so you are the one who needs to set the boundaries.

Actually, I just had a thought. Have you considered enrolling your daughter in other classes such as dance, ballet and/or gymnastics? If she is a talented skater she will eventually need dance/ballet classes to improve her performances. Gymnastics will improve her overall strength, agility, and flexibility. Something to consider. I know, all of these classes are expensive so finances need to figure into the budget as well.
 
Dear 40something,

Thank you so much for understanding. It is so hard to balance everything. The ultimate goal is we want the best for our children, and try our best to protect them from hurting. That is why I think it is good for me to learn things from you guys who had the experience. So I can make the good judgement call.

A-jock, I did get the book you mention. I just started a few pages, but it is very interesting and I love it. Thanks

WantFit
 
Wantfit

Pilates might be appropriate for a 7 year old. Maybe Aquajock could weigh in.

Sasha Cohen & Michelle Kwan both do pilates training. It's primarily core work, especially at the beginner level. She could do the basics in under 20 minutes & some of the movements would have a lot of appeal: the seal, rolling like a ball, jackknives.

Debra
 
RE: Wantfit

I have Winsor Pilate 20 min series. I never thought about that. Thanks, Debra. I will try it.

WantFit
 
RE: Wantfit

IMHO, Wantfit, you absolutely need to consult with a pediatrician and read a good, scholarly book on children and movement before you try to put your daughter on to any program that traditionally has been directed toward adults.

Children's musculoskeletal systems are in the same incomplete, developmental stage as are the rest of their neural, hormonal and psychic systems, and serious long-term damage could be done in trying to fit a kid peg into an adult hole, as it were.

As I write this I have next to me the March 2005 IDEA Fitness Journal issue that is in large part dedicated to children and fitness issues. It is far too comprehensive to try to summarize here. I would suggest that you log onto the IDEA website (www.ideafit.com) and see if you can purchase this issue; there are three complete articles with some pretty heavy scholarly citations (one of the articles is on children and nutrition) and would be good reading for you before you embark on any sort of formalized training program for your daughter.

I would NOT put your daughter on any Pilates program at this time, especially one produced for and by adults, until you know what the current literature states. Pilates done badly can do a huge amount of harm, especially to a growing child.

A-Jock
 
A-Jock

Annette, I'm not questioning your expertise, but I am curious. Why would pilates be harmful to a growing child?

My gym offers a pilates mat classes for 8-13 year olds. After that, they're allowed to attend adult classes with a parent. The summer youth fitness camps also include pilates. The instructors are Stott certified which is a respected certification.

I am truly embarrassed & apologetic if I suggested an inappropriate exercise program for a child.

Debra
 
RE: A-Jock

Thanks, A-Jock and Debra.

A-Jock, I definitely will consult someone is specialized in the field. I don't want my little girl get hurt.

BTW, I read a few pages of Ready!Set!Go! It is fascinating. I am going to pay attention not just what I eat for regular meal, but also things I eat before, during and after anaerobic workout. I hope that would help me seeing the workout result. I have been in CTX for one month, not seeing any scale drop down yet.;(

WantFit
 
RE: A-Jock

Hi, Debra - in all honesty, I personally don't know enough about Pilates or children's fitness to offer an opinion myself on whether Pilates is completely contraindicated for a child, especially a preputertal child. However, I do know enough about the club fitness industry to know that too many times, wildly popular disciplines are overapplied and overoffered. If I implied that a child should never take Pilates, or any other discipline, I was wrong to do so; however, I'll quote the IDEA Fitness Journal article I cited yesterday, written by Gregory S. Anderson, PhD, and Peter Twist, MsC:

"Too often, children's programs are modeled after those designed for adults or even those meant for professional athletes. While fuzzy logic would suggest that 'what is good for the goose is good for the gander,' to date there is no evidence that early exposur to rigid training programs designed to develop the primary components of fitness lead to increased fitness levels of performance later in life."

IMHO, if one were to see a Pilates mat class, or other ostensibly adult fitness mode, offered for young children, I would ask before signing my child up for those classes what specific experience that class leader has in training and working with children, as well as what certifications they hold in their given disciplines. I'm well aware that Stott is a widely regarded certification; as a parent I'd simply satisfy myself that that certification addresses safety and effectiveness concerns for developing, as opposed to adult, bodies.

A-Jock
 
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