Tween weight training

[arachne123]

My DS12 is already very fit and active - loves football, rugby, tennis, hockey, running etc. but he's keen to add in some weight training. I do weight training myself using dumb-bells at home - I started off with a PT but now just follow YouTube videos. Hasfit and Fit by Mik are my favourite as they give lots of info on form. I just wondered if these kind of workouts are safe for a tween or if there is anything I need to be aware of for him? Or if there are any good workouts on YouTube specifically aimed at this age group?

He should ask his coaches. Workouts for a middle-aged woman might not be what a sporty 12 yo boy should be doing.

I totally agree! My PT does small group coached sessions where my teens go. I know he’ll push them just enough to progress safely.

Definitely NO. Bones are still plastic at that age.

With that attitude @Mischance then no child should do any sport! Weights are safe if done appropriately as @IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads says. There’s a PT at my gym who runs strength and conditioning classes for children from 9. And he coaches specialist sessions for football teams. They train the classic compound lifts in an age-appropriate way.

Talk to the coaches of his sports. With so many different sports he needs to make sure he isn't focusing too much on one muscle group. Does he not do any S&C sessions as part of his training already?

This is an old theory. Current thinking is it's ok as long as technique is.cortect and weights used are appropriate.

My two (12 & 14) have the added complication of some hypermobility, but I find that when they're having growth spurts they need to be careful about intensity as they're more prone to joint pains and niggles. It seems to take their muscular system a bit of catch up to be able to support the skeleton. It's often sad that young people temporarily go clumsy after growth spurts as their brains have to adapt to the changed configuration in where their hands and feet are now.

It's not a life stage suited to "heavy lifting" and bulking. But lower reps, lighter weights tends to be suitable. Many gyms allow supervised access from this age group and typically allow access to classes and resistance & cardio machines, but not free weights until around 16.

My son has been joining me at my bootcamp classes since he was 10/11. He uses fairly small weights and it’s all supervised by our PT/instructor. His school also offer S&C sessions for those in sports teams, which are more gym based.

Definitely speak to his coaches first. My kids have sport specific S&C that they do, but tbh it’s not massively different to what I have programmed. I have also noticed a lot of places starting kids coaching which is great.