Is lifting at 14 years old safe

J

jakjakattack

White Belt
Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Hey guys,

The title really says it all, im pretty skinny right now and I am looking to put on muscle for my muay thai and jui jitsu. Also for dat summer physique. It would just be lower weight (ie body weight or below) deadlift, bench press, squats, stuff like that. Is it safe?

Regards,
Jackson
 
It's perfectly safe as long as you take all the right precautions. All the giant bodybuilders and insanely strong powerlifters started off at some point barely able to bench 150 for 10. Focus on proper technique, form, and you have to develop a sort of "feel" for your body to know what's efficient and won't injure you. Don't focus on the exercises you find easy, focus on the ones that frustrate you or you have a difficult time doing.
It's also REALLY REALLY important that you prevent injury by warming up before lifting and that you get a stretching regimen going that will help your mobility, form, and posture.
 
Thesaucydog said:
It's perfectly safe as long as you take all the right precautions. All the giant bodybuilders and insanely strong powerlifters started off at some point barely able to bench 150 for 10. Focus on proper technique, form, and you have to develop a sort of "feel" for your body to know what's efficient and won't injure you. Don't focus on the exercises you find easy, focus on the ones that frustrate you or you have a difficult time doing.
It's also REALLY REALLY important that you prevent injury by warming up before lifting and that you get a stretching regimen going that will help your mobility, form, and posture.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was planning on doing most of this stuff, I have looked over the faq quite a few times. Thanks, also, any weights you would recommend I start at as I 115lb 5'8", quite skinny teenager?
 
In addition to what was just said ^^

Very safe as long as you are aware of your own limitations and don't attempt too heavy without having proper spotters. Don't have an ego with lifting at your age.

Warm ups are devalued often so i'll reiterate that. Stretching and mobility work is always a bonus if you have the time (make the time), it will save you in the long run.
Form always first. Weight will come in time, and you have plenty of it.

Eat good calories, preferably in a 250-500 caloric surplus since you wish to gain muscle. I recommend the lower end and bulk slowly since there will be less fat gain, though slower muscle gains. But you have time for days and days so don't stress it, Rome wasn't built in a day.
Intake a goodly amount of protein (0.85-1.3g per lb of body weight)
 
i started at age 12. as long as you use proper form, and have a well rounded workout routine, go all out. if your form sucks, and you only workout certain groups of muscle while neglecting others, you will fail and fail hard!
 
They started us at 14- freshman year of high school.

Bad news- You're pathetically weak and will make no progress for a while.

Good news- You got time on your side. Just eat a lot and sleep a lot. Worry about building a strong foundation. You'll have time to get ripped later.
 
start light, ask for help in the gym from friends with experience in lifting weights or gym staff, make sure your form is correct, once you have that area sorted, increase weight gradually, dont run before you can walk.

like the previous post says, youve got time on your side, dont rush
 
jakjakattack said:
Hey guys,

The title really says it all, im pretty skinny right now and I am looking to put on muscle for my muay thai and jui jitsu. Also for dat summer physique. It would just be lower weight (ie body weight or below) deadlift, bench press, squats, stuff like that. Is it safe?

Regards,
Jackson
Click to expand...

Unless you injure a certain part of your bone you're not going to stun your growth lifting. You should lift.
 
jakjakattack said:
Hey guys,

The title really says it all, im pretty skinny right now and I am looking to put on muscle for my muay thai and jui jitsu. Also for dat summer physique. It would just be lower weight (ie body weight or below) deadlift, bench press, squats, stuff like that. Is it safe?

Regards,
Jackson
Click to expand...

You do realize that for MUAY THAI, you don't have to "put on muscle". Do you want to practice Muay Thai or be a bodybuilder?
 
MuayThaiExpert said:
You do realize that for MUAY THAI, you don't have to "put on muscle". Do you want to practice Muay Thai or be a bodybuilder?
Click to expand...

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Even for MUAY THAI, which is a weight class sport, an athlete may find added hypertrophy beneficial- and as he's a kid who only weighs a shade over 50kg, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

As a caveat, I would say that it's highly unlikely that even with an excellent programme and nutrition that a kid like him will actually put on much appreciable muscle mass in any short amount of time. I would, however, highly recommend a good strength training routine. That's something that can be developed more easily.
 
Yes it's safe. Don't lift with your ego, do things right on the first pass and it will pay dividends. Don't cheat on the squat depth.
 
MuayThaiExpert said:
You do realize that for MUAY THAI, you don't have to "put on muscle". Do you want to practice Muay Thai or be a bodybuilder?
Click to expand...

This is a very good point.

Sure, lift to build strength, but having bigger muscles is not necessarily an advantage for either Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu. You should talk to a trainer and explain exactly what you want to achieve and they'll be able to you out.

I'd also encourage you to look at some body weight stuff too. It's good for building core strength and also tends to help with coordination which is obviously beneficial for martial arts. Plus, you'll build strength (if you do it right), without necessarily building bigger muscles. It can be a good option when you're starting out at least, even just to develop the muscles a little before lifting.
 
INTERL0PER said:
I'd also encourage you to look at some body weight stuff too. It's good for building core strength and also tends to help with coordination which is obviously beneficial for martial arts. Plus, you'll build strength (if you do it right), without necessarily building bigger muscles. It can be a good option when you're starting out at least, even just to develop the muscles a little before lifting.
Click to expand...

Huh? By it's very nature bodyweight training (aside from insane feats of strengths like dragon flags) is much more hypertrophy than strength-oriented since there's not much you can do without resorting to high rep ranges. There's no way to replicate a max effort squat, deadlift or bench, all of which are utterly superior when it comes to building strength without "unnecessary" hypertrophy.
 
MuayThaiExpert said:
You do realize that for MUAY THAI, you don't have to "put on muscle". Do you want to practice Muay Thai or be a bodybuilder?
Click to expand...

Why do you assume that because someone wants to put on muscle he's automatically a bodybuilder? Why not answer his fooking question?

Listen to Eric ^^^^^, buddy!
 
MuayThaiExpert said:
You do realize that for MUAY THAI, you don't have to "put on muscle". Do you want to practice Muay Thai or be a bodybuilder?
Click to expand...


Just because he doesn't "have to" doesn't mean he shouldn't. He also trains jiu jitsu and a good strength foundation will be invaluable to a kid like him for years to come.
 
Kiwi Tricker said:
Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Even for MUAY THAI, which is a weight class sport, an athlete may find added hypertrophy beneficial- and as he's a kid who only weighs a shade over 50kg, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

As a caveat, I would say that it's highly unlikely that even with an excellent programme and nutrition that a kid like him will actually put on much appreciable muscle mass in any short amount of time. I would, however, highly recommend a good strength training routine. That's something that can be developed more easily.
Click to expand...

The problem is, he's all over the place. I've seen guys on various message boards, who want to train in something, but then they talk like they want to be bodybuilders. Strength training for Muay Thai isn't the same as bodybuilding, which I guess you know that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,263,291
Messages
57,219,578
Members
175,588
Latest member
MateusNardello

Share this page

Back
Top