Son's progress

[7thgentxn]

Hello all. My son and i started SS together 3 weeks ago. We both use the app between sets. Love it. But i think i started him out wrong. His squats are great, bench seems lite, and squats seem heavy. He is just about to turn 14 and is 5'10 and 165 lbs. Any advice?

[peez]

Hi 7thgentxn,

It's great you are lifting together. Don't worry about it - I see perfect linear progress and you just started. Keep at it for a few month like that and he'll already be quite strong. Eventually, when these curves flatten out we'll see if anything is unusual (unlikely).

Make sure to feed him well. What I would worry about is form - make sure he learns the lifts properly. There are some pretty decent SS coaches in Texas!

[Agilic]

Is he tanner stage 4 or beyond?

Assuming you meant deadlift is feeling heavy?

Starting weights/current weights?

How long resting between sets?

Has he gained any weight since starting The Program?

How big of jumps is he taking on each lift?

[7thgentxn]

I had to Google Tanner stage. Lol. I haven't seen what he's been packing since he was a baby. So I assume he is stage four.

I did mean dead lift. He does complete all reps and all set but it looks like he is about to pop a nut.

We use the app timer which I believe is 3 minutes. He has gained weight because he eats everything in sight.

He started deadlifting at 90 pounds and I guess putting on five pounds each time has put us where he currently is at 145

[peez]

Looks like you are on the right path.

I did mean dead lift. He does complete all reps and all set but it looks like he is about to pop a nut.

Sound like nothing is wrong (that's a typical deadlift look when you squoze i.e. valsalva hard and get tight) - as long as technique is OK. Keep increasing etc. by the book (you have the book and read it, right)? I can't say it often enough, form matters most right now. If your son sticks with it he can become mighty strong, but patience is key!

We use the app timer which I believe is 3 minutes.

It's OK to rest longer as the weights go up, but young'ones need less rest time than their parents. 3-5 minutes sounds about right.

He has gained weight because he eats everything in sight.

Excellent - just make sure you have sufficient protein in it, 150g+ (1g+ per lb of bodyweight)

[7thgentxn]

Thank you all for the response.

[Agilic]

Ditto what Peez said....assuming form is and stays sound, keep on putting 5 lbs on there and watch the magic happen . Also....if he's still deadlifting every workout and it's very hard consider substituting another exercise such as powercleans or chin-ups for deadlifts every other workout.

145 lb relatively isn't a lot for a deadlift, but the fact that he's lifting at 14 and getting stronger is great. Lifting is supposed to be very hard, so as long as he's enjoying the process he should continue to make great progress!