Training age

[djsnit]

Hi coach. My girlfriend’s nephew would like to start training, he is 12. What would be an appropriate age to start the program? He has not gone thru puberty (would that be a good marker?).

[Jeff Illingworth]

While kids can certainly learn the lifts and do some exercising with proper coaching, pre-pubescent humans cannot effectively train as their hormonal milieu is insufficient.

[Nockian]

While kids can certainly learn the lifts and do some exercising with proper coaching, pre-pubescent humans cannot effectively train as their hormonal milieu is insufficient.

Perfect Ripp quote.
I think he also said that they can struggle to control the weight and that it should be approached more as play ? Although, at 12 he isn't far off being at the ideal age anyway.

[Meshuggah]

Perfect Ripp quote.
I think he also said that they can struggle to control the weight and that it should be approached more as play ? Although, at 12 he isn't far off being at the ideal age anyway.

That's all this place is now, little SS Robots marching around repeatings things everyone has already seen a thousand times.

[Evelyn O'Donnell]

On the general topic of kids, playing, and strength-- I've noticed in the past few decades that playground equipment has transformed into something than no longer gives kids any opportunity to climb.

"Back in my Day" rant ahead:

When I was a kid in the '70's, playgrounds had jungle gyms made out of metal bars that you could actually climb on in a variety of ways. Crazy, I know. As a 10 year old girl, I could easily pull myself up, swing by my arms, hang upside down, do some basic gymnastic movements. We all could do that without a second thought, because that's how humans play. We didn't think about the fact that our bodies had adapted to the stress, with callouses and muscle; we were just having fun.

Nowadays, I'm not even sure where a kid would go to play like that. Somewhere along the line, playground equipment got ultra "safe", and a whole lot less fun. A kid can go up a shallow staircase and walk across a bridge, but there's absolutely no place where she use a bit of upper body strength, because the equipment designers have all made sure of that. Yet another huge disservice to our kids, IMHO.

[Dalton Clark]

A good marker is when he has axillary hair, some semblance of facial hair, or the like. This would indicate that actual training can occur. Before then, sure encourage him to lift but understand that putting someone who hasn't gotten into the swing of puberty through any linear progression is likely a bit ridiculous. This is somewhere between 12-17 years old. I would assume that the majority is 14 though.

[Yonason Herschlag]

If he has an interest, he can be encouraged to master technique. Some 12 year olds are slow at learning technique, others pick it up quickly. In either case having the technique already mastered as he begins puberty will enable him to do the program that much more effectively when he's ready for it.

As a side note, one of my boys was constantly picked on in school when he was eight or nine. I got him started on push-ups and chin-ups, as well as running on the treadmill. He started out doing sets of ten or so push-ups, and worked his way up to sets of 100 by the time he turned eleven. Little kids don't have much of any testosterone, but they do have plenty of growth hormone. Doing some sort of program is not going to go to waste - it's a heck of a lot better than doing nothing.

[ChrisRozon]

On the general topic of kids, playing, and strength-- I've noticed in the past few decades that playground equipment has transformed into something than no longer gives kids any opportunity to climb.
...

Nowadays, I'm not even sure where a kid would go to play like that. Somewhere along the line, playground equipment got ultra "safe", and a whole lot less fun. A kid can go up a shallow staircase and walk across a bridge, but there's absolutely no place where she use a bit of upper body strength, because the equipment designers have all made sure of that. Yet another huge disservice to our kids, IMHO.

Come on, most playgrounds still have plenty of jungle gyms that incorporate all sorts of climbing and monkeying around. They DON'T have the demonstrably dangerous elements that gave me and all my siblings multiple concussions and lots of stitches over the years, and the landing areas are much better designed overall. My old daughter and her friends regularly climb straight UP vertical poles in playgrounds using only their arms.

Source: Dad of a 2 year old and 5 year old who spend their lives jumping and climbing off surfaces that seem way too high to my terrified self.
Also, the only Dad in the area who can hand-over-hand all the way across the monkey bars

[Phill]

It's probably crude and I apologise in advance but I've told my boy when he has hair above his wang, he can come lift weights.

[Silentpadna]

That's all this place is now, little SS Robots marching around repeatings things everyone has already seen a thousand times.

Not really. Some of us older guys just getting started have decidedly NOT seen this stuff a thousand times. It's beneficial for newbies, even if it's tiresome for you veterans. Mean that with respect.