14 year old doing the programme

[Gav1]

Hi.
My 14 year old nephew started NLP about a month ago and I’m trying to get him to eat more. He’s 5ft 11 and 195lbs.
He doesn’t actually have a physical or appetite issue, he’s just become more body conscious and doesn’t want to be a fat, podgy teenager.
I’m explaining to him, to concentrate on getting bigger and stronger and worry about aesthetics after he’s achieved that.
How many calories should a 14 year old be eating daily? Are there any videos explaining this, so I can get him to watch it? His father is 6ft 4 and around 240lbs, but doesn’t train or do any other exercise. I don’t want him to waste his potential because he could actually get very strong if he does things correctly.
Thanks.

[Ray Gillenwater]

Gav- Read through this and reply if you have any further questions: Can You Put Your Kids on a Strength Training Program? | Mark Rippetoe

[Gav1]

Thanks.

I've had a read through and if I'm understanding this correctly, Tanner stage 4 is between 14 and 15.5 years old. He is 14, so should be able to train. I am not forcing or trying to get him training. I found out that he was doing some resistance exercises from following crap on youtube and so I had him train with me and told him to just follow this programme, rather than potentially get hurt.
My 2 questions are:

1. Should he add 5lbs a session, less than 5lbs a session or stick to the same weight for multiple sessions.

2. What should he be eating? Amount of calories?

He is very motivated and will continue to lift weights even if I tell him to stop. He has now started to become very conscious about food and is becoming obsessive with what he's eating. I just want to educate him as best as possible.

Thanks.

[Ray Gillenwater]

1. Should he add 5lbs a session, less than 5lbs a session or stick to the same weight for multiple sessions.

2. What should he be eating? Amount of calories?

He has now started to become very conscious about food and is becoming obsessive with what he's eating.

I've only had a few teenage clients. Hopefully others with more experience will reply with more insight. In my limited experience, my observations are:

• Rip's point about body awareness and control, especially during the eccentric part of the lifts, is spot on
• It's hard to get kids to try hard and give a shit - which is required to get to near-perfect form
• With those two points in mind, progress kids only when their form and bar speed justify it
• This applies to adults too, but you'll have to be extra careful with kids

Nutrition has to match progression. Think about food as the thing that allows for recovery from stress. A massive surplus needs to match rapid progress. Less than linear progression requires less than a massive caloric surplus - how much will depend on the situation.

Try this: Get him on 1g of protein per pound of target body-weight (let's say 225) and adjust total caloric intake based on rate of progress. If you have him repeating 135lbs on the squat for a week and a half, a massive caloric surplus will probably cause him to quit, since most of the weight gain will be fat in the absence of linearly progressive stress.

Since his psychology and self-image are both fragile at this age, you'll need to walk the tightrope between weight gain and his perception of what chubby is. It will be tough to balance perfect form, progress, caloric intake, and body composition. You'll need to reassure him that any excess pudginess can quickly and easily be burned off once he's big and strong. He may not buy into this. Pay close attention to matching progress under the bar with caloric intake and it will be a learning experience for both of you. If a small failure might ruin his interest in strength training, I recommend hiring a coach. This is probably a good idea anyway, if you can afford it.

There's no black and white answer here unfortunately.

[Gav1]

Thanks Ray.

That has helped me immensely. I will do exactly as you say and have him progressing slower than normal. I'll keep an eye on his form and have him adding weight as and when I think it's right.