Regimen Training With 13-Year Old Son - Routine Question

[SocraticMethod]

My son just turned 13 and is getting into strength training. I picked up MAPS 15, thinking the short workouts would be a good starting point for him. And they are, but with our schedules, training 6 days a week is proving problematic and will only get worse with his baseball season starting. So I was thinking of a 3X per week full body routine. I ran Greyskull most of last year and saw good strength gains, but I think throwing him into all those barbell lifts with no experience - and me being far from good at coaching/teaching - might be a bad idea. My thought was to take that basic idea but tweak it use mostly dumbbells and higher reps so he can get more practice in how to do them properly. I was thinking something like this:

Week 1 - Day 1
Dumbbell Chest Press 3 X 8-10
Goblet Squat (changing over to back squat or SSB squat once his form is a little better) 3 X 8-10
Horizontal Pull accessory (Incline DB Rows at home or machine rows at the gym)
Hamstring accessory (DB RDLS, or leg curls or Nordics, etc.)

Week 1 - Day 2
High Incline (85 degrees) DB Shoulder Press 3 X 8-10
Trap Bar Deadlifts 3 X 8-10
Vertical Pull accessory (banded Chins or lat pulls)]
Optional quad accessory like Bulgarians or walking lunges

Week 1 - Day 3 -- same as Day 1

Then Week 2 we'd switch the Chest and Shoulder days so training shoulders twice.

Throw in some arm stuff for fun at the end of sessions or an optional 4th day if we have time over the weekend.

Has anyone trained with a kid around this age? Does this look like a good idea or am I setting him/us up for failure?

He plays football and wrestles and wants to add strength for football season especially. He had never done any strength training before this year.

Open to suggestions.

@Stargazer Rex @RollSonnenRoll @JimRussel @Urban @Baby Hanma @essenpee

 

[DEVILsSON]

I would always do most explosive exercise first(cleans, snatches, swings, plyos, etc if you choose to do it), followed by exercise you plan to use most weight(typically lower body lift like squats or dead lifts), followed by other exercises whether other movement patterns or accessory work.

So if I were to go with something along with what you posted I'd organize it as follows:

Week 1 - Day 1
Goblet Squat (changing over to back squat or SSB squat once his form is a little better) 3 X 8-10
Horizontal Pull accessory (Incline DB Rows at home or machine rows at the gym)
Hamstring accessory (DB RDLS, or leg curls or Nordics, etc.)
Dumbbell Chest Press 3 X 8-10

Week 1 - Day 2
Trap Bar Deadlifts 3 X 8-10
Vertical Pull accessory (banded Chins or lat pulls)]
Optional quad accessory like Bulgarians or walking lunges
High Incline (85 degrees) DB Shoulder Press 3 X 8-10

If you can teach him good deadlift form that would be great. No one is saying he should lift heavy but he should be comfortable with the exercise.

I would sprinkle some more calisthenics in there as well as to make it fun and challenging. There are also impressive feats he could try to master if he's lighter like dips, pistols, L-sits, leg raises, crunches, planches, handstand push ups, muscle ups, flags, etc.

If it's offseason then he can lift a bit heavier as you have it or maybe a tad heavier even for 2-3 days with conditioning on top if he chooses (maybe some LISS running, sprints/stairs or calisthenics density sets of exercises like burpees, squats, jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, etc). If it's in-season I'd raise the reps into the 15-20 rep range(and maybe ditch deadlifts).

 

[Baby Hanma]

My first suggestion...

Switch to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps for the exercises. I know you're concerned for your son's safety, but going heavier (6 to 8 reps per set) is still considered light in real strength training standards. The strength gains are more pronounced in that rep range.

Second suggestion...

Is there any reason you are afraid of having your son do actual back squats? Coaching someone how to squat shouldn't be much of a problem. Barbell back squats are a better leg and glute exercise than goblet squats.

Third...

Instead of doing two accessory exercises after the two main lifts on each day, you should instead have him do a third compound barbell movement. Your son will be a living embodiment of fast recovery. Not only will he survive three heavy compound movements per workout, he will also thrive in it. Especially with such low (3 sets) volume.

Fourth... If you'll have your son skip barbell pressing movements, you gotta have him hit his triceps. Dumbbell presses won't hit the triceps hard enough. You should fill that gap.

I can give more if you wish. But those four are very important.

 

[SocraticMethod]

Thanks, guys!

I completely forgot about more explosive stuff. I've been thinking of getting a foam box for box jumps. Beyond just general fitness, I think working on explosive movements would help him with wrestling shots.

On off days (if he doesn't have baseball) I have a sled and was thinking a day of GPP with sled pushes/drags and farmers' walks could also be good. Unless/until he gets back into BJJ over the summer, then we'll see what we're doing on time.

He's definitely not "lighter" - thanks to my and his mom's genes. At 13 he's about 5'8" and around 175. He wrestled HW for middle school last year. He's probably grown 2 inches since the end of the season and leaned out so he could really turn into a monster with the right training and puberty's help before next season.

@Baby Hanma - my immediate concern re: barbell squats is just that we've been doing goblet squats on our current program and his form is still atrocious, so I was thinking to stick with that and then work our way to barbell back squats. I've never taught someone how to squat, though, so maybe putting the bar on his back would make it easier to teach good form? I do remember when I first started squatting and I'd do a set with just the bar it would be ass but once I had 135 or more on it the weight and gravity would help me hit depth.

And I didn't even think that DB presses wouldn't hit his triceps like regular bench would (don't think I ever realized that at all, actually). Great call on dips - I have a dip attachment for my rack.

And on the lower reps, part of it was also thinking he just needs more reps to "practice" the movements and build the muscle memory. Do you think 4 X 6-8 would be better?

Thanks again, guys.

 

[Poon Goon]

My entire lifting regimen was bench press by myself in my garage starting at 12yo. It was the mid 90s so there was no internet to look at for advice on programs or technique. Benched 225 in middle school and broke my HS record of 335 with no guidance whatsoever. I undoubtedly did dumb shit and had poor form at times, but I don't recall any catastrophic consequences.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your plan, but from my experience I wouldn't shy away from the barbell. My only regret is that I only had and cared about bench back then. Wish I would have been squatting and deadlifting too.

 

[Baby Hanma]

And on the lower reps, part of it was also thinking he just needs more reps to "practice" the movements and build the muscle memory. Do you think 4 X 6-8 would be better?

No practice reps will be done if the weight is too light. A person needs to practice with a weight he'd struggle with in order for the thing to be a true practice rep. And if you really want to have him practice the reps, go super light and have him do sets of three to practice form with almost zero fatigue.

 

[maximus__]

Thanks, guys!

I completely forgot about more explosive stuff. I've been thinking of getting a foam box for box jumps. Beyond just general fitness, I think working on explosive movements would help him with wrestling shots.

On off days (if he doesn't have baseball) I have a sled and was thinking a day of GPP with sled pushes/drags and farmers' walks could also be good. Unless/until he gets back into BJJ over the summer, then we'll see what we're doing on time.

He's definitely not "lighter" - thanks to my and his mom's genes. At 13 he's about 5'8" and around 175. He wrestled HW for middle school last year. He's probably grown 2 inches since the end of the season and leaned out so he could really turn into a monster with the right training and puberty's help before next season.

@Baby Hanma - my immediate concern re: barbell squats is just that we've been doing goblet squats on our current program and his form is still atrocious, so I was thinking to stick with that and then work our way to barbell back squats. I've never taught someone how to squat, though, so maybe putting the bar on his back would make it easier to teach good form? I do remember when I first started squatting and I'd do a set with just the bar it would be ass but once I had 135 or more on it the weight and gravity would help me hit depth.

And I didn't even think that DB presses wouldn't hit his triceps like regular bench would (don't think I ever realized that at all, actually). Great call on dips - I have a dip attachment for my rack.

And on the lower reps, part of it was also thinking he just needs more reps to "practice" the movements and build the muscle memory. Do you think 4 X 6-8 would be better?

Thanks again, guys.

Where are you training and what do you have available?

I wouldn't be too worried about Barbell lifts etc for a kid of that age. If your son wants to do it that's completely different though.
Nothing wrong with kids lifting, barbells but lifting anything will get the job done.

I started my proper strength training journey with kettlebells at 15. The swings, snatches and over head pressing set me up really well when I went into barbell work.

I think you are on the right track but trying to tick too many boxes. If you can manage to get a Squat/Lunge, Pull from the ground and some form of press, you have the basics covered.

Build around that with fun activities like medball throws, farmers carries or high rep challenges. That idea to get a plyo box is great. Turn it into a competition where you and your son compete to throw the medball the furthest, jump the furthest , carry something the furthest etc.

You know your own kid better than others, but it's hard to expect a child to do the same exercises week in/week out and progressively overload. My kids love to do medball carries or be pulled on my sled in the back yard. I make them do a sprint in between rounds. Same with gymnastics rings and they love to do long holds on them.

 

[Oblivian]

I'm training my 13 year old right now as well. He's training the following lifts: Trap Bar Deadlift, Box Squats, Bench, and Hang Clean. He'll do other assistance as well. The amount of strength he's gained in a few months is insane. Here is my logic to all of it:

Sets/Reps: He alternates each lift between a volume day and a top set day. On the top set day, he's basically hitting PRs every time.

Lifts of each day: I normally try to get in two which is typically Bench with either Box Squat, Trap Bar Dead, or Hang Clean. Hang Clean is sometimes on it's own and we do overhead press.

Rest days: He's probably only lifting 3-4 days a week. Time constraints are always a huge issue for us.

Conditioning: He gets this just by playing basketball and other sports outside.

Keeping it fun: He always wants to lift because he's basically PRing all of the time. I don't foresee his numbers slowing down anytime soon either.

Squat considerations: He warms up with goblet squats. His form is good on box squats (just parallel), but something goes to shit when he has to go low on barbell squats. I'm not too worried about it now and he'll get back to normal barbell squats at some point.

 

[SocraticMethod]

Where are you training and what do you have available?

I wouldn't be too worried about Barbell lifts etc for a kid of that age. If your son wants to do it that's completely different though.
Nothing wrong with kids lifting, barbells but lifting anything will get the job done.

I started my proper strength training journey with kettlebells at 15. The swings, snatches and over head pressing set me up really well when I went into barbell work.

I think you are on the right track but trying to tick too many boxes. If you can manage to get a Squat/Lunge, Pull from the ground and some form of press, you have the basics covered.

Build around that with fun activities like medball throws, farmers carries or high rep challenges. That idea to get a plyo box is great. Turn it into a competition where you and your son compete to throw the medball the furthest, jump the furthest , carry something the furthest etc.

You know your own kid better than others, but it's hard to expect a child to do the same exercises week in/week out and progressively overload. My kids love to do medball carries or be pulled on my sled in the back yard. I make them do a sprint in between rounds. Same with gymnastics rings and they love to do long holds on them.

Thanks, man.

At home I have a rack, barbell, SSB, American Press Bar, EZ Curl Bar, adjustable dumbbells, an adjustable sled, trap bar and mini farmer's Walk handles. Oh, and I have two KBs (35 and 44). I also have a Crunch membership and he's come there several times as a guest. I don't think they have much of an issue with the same person coming as a guest fairly often.

 

[Oblivian]

Thanks, man.

At home I have a rack, barbell, SSB, American Press Bar, EZ Curl Bar, adjustable dumbbells, an adjustable sled, trap bar and mini farmer's Walk handles. Oh, and I have two KBs (35 and 44). I also have a Crunch membership and he's come there several times as a guest. I don't think they have much of an issue with the same person coming as a guest fairly often.

Does he lift at school? Bottom line is that he's going to want to get good at what they do at school to compare to his peers. That's pretty much why we are doing bench, trap bar deadlift, box squats, and hang clean. They don't box squat, but they do squats and the coach lets them cut it really high. To me it makes much more sense to box squat in that situation, but I'm going to get him to below parallel by the time he's 14.

I can't emphasize enough that it's important for the kids to want to do it. Most are motivated by simply improving and hitting PRs, but most 13 year olds are showoffs and want to be able to brag to their peers.

 

[Baby Hanma]

I don't think they have much of an issue with the same person coming as a guest fairly often.

If you are a "Peak Results" member, you can bring any guest with you every single day for the rest of your membership, even if it's the same person over and over and over again for years.

Edit: A lot of people in my gym do it all the time.

 

[SocraticMethod]

Does he lift at school? Bottom line is that he's going to want to get good at what they do at school to compare to his peers. That's pretty much why we are doing bench, trap bar deadlift, box squats, and hang clean. They don't box squat, but they do squats and the coach lets them cut it really high. To me it makes much more sense to box squat in that situation, but I'm going to get him to below parallel by the time he's 14.

I can't emphasize enough that it's important for the kids to want to do it. Most are motivated by simply improving and hitting PRs, but most 13 year olds are showoffs and want to be able to brag to their peers.

They don't lift at school and won't (unless something changes) until after next year. He has another year of middle school. I would imagine the summer of 2026 when he's going into high school he'll probably lift with the football team.

 

[maximus__]

Thanks, man.

At home I have a rack, barbell, SSB, American Press Bar, EZ Curl Bar, adjustable dumbbells, an adjustable sled, trap bar and mini farmer's Walk handles. Oh, and I have two KBs (35 and 44). I also have a Crunch membership and he's come there several times as a guest. I don't think they have much of an issue with the same person coming as a guest fairly often.

Well and truly set.

My personal opinion would be to not worry too much about the traditional powerlifting sets and reps approach. I would focus on carries, throws and stuff like that. Think more strongman than powerlifting. Something as simple as a circuit of Farmers carries, sled pulls and lifting a kettlebell and lifting it up to chest height.

Then treat the barbell lifts as a bit of fun and to just slowly learn with sub max weights. In the end it's what your kid will do though.

My kids are a bit younger, but they always seem to want to lift my kettlebells, throw my medball, hang off rings and stand on the sled whilst I pull it.

 

[Oblivian]

They don't lift at school and won't (unless something changes) until after next year. He has another year of middle school. I would imagine the summer of 2026 when he's going into high school he'll probably lift with the football team.

They start weightlifting class at 7th grade here and you can lift at the YMCA here at 14. I wish more schools started them early. I see a lot of interest from 12+ kids - both boys and girls.

 

[bacon]

My kid is 14 (8th grade). He's been wrestling since he could walk so he's been doing calisthenics (pushups, pullups plus some kettlebell stuff) for just as long. He wanted to start lifting last year so I gave him a Starting Strength routine. He got some pretty fast results out of it and went from ~115 to 135 over the last year.

He'll be a freshman next year and they have a weight lifting class, but I know the guy who teaches it and he's spread too thin to make sure every kid is lifting correctly. At least my kid will know the basic lifts and how not to die under a bar or explode his lumbar. Some of the squat forms I've seen in that class make me want to run away screaming.

 

[Oblivian]

My kid is 14 (8th grade). He's been wrestling since he could walk so he's been doing calisthenics (pushups, pullups plus some kettlebell stuff) for just as long. He wanted to start lifting last year so I gave him a Starting Strength routine. He got some pretty fast results out of it and went from ~115 to 135 over the last year.

He'll be a freshman next year and they have a weight lifting class, but I know the guy who teaches it and he's spread too thin to make sure every kid is lifting correctly. At least my kid will know the basic lifts and how not to die under a bar or explode his lumbar. Some of the squat forms I've seen in that class make me want to run away screaming.

My experience with my son and his friends that have now had 2 years of weighlifting is that younger kids have a really hard time learning how to back squat. Their forms are surprisingly decent on trap bar deads and hang cleans. Bench isn't awful, but they move their feet around too much and squirm. They'll start relatively tight, but it all goes to shit. Squat is just horrible, but they can goblet squat decent and some can even front squat ok. It must have something to do with the bar on their back throwing the off. Box squats set relatively high are ok though.

FWIW, each class has about 30 in it. He's definitely spread thin. This is 7th and 8th grade as well, so that's rough.

 

[bacon]

I coach HS wrestling and can confirm most young kids have a serious problem with hinging at the hip. I blame Nintendo and excessive masturbation.

 

[maximus__]

I coach HS wrestling and can confirm most young kids have a serious problem with hinging at the hip. I blame Nintendo and excessive masturbation.

Constant boners make it hard to hinge over...

 

[maximus__]

My experience with my son and his friends that have now had 2 years of weighlifting is that younger kids have a really hard time learning how to back squat. Their forms are surprisingly decent on trap bar deads and hang cleans. Bench isn't awful, but they move their feet around too much and squirm. They'll start relatively tight, but it all goes to shit. Squat is just horrible, but they can goblet squat decent and some can even front squat ok. It must have something to do with the bar on their back throwing the off. Box squats set relatively high are ok though.

FWIW, each class has about 30 in it. He's definitely spread thin. This is 7th and 8th grade as well, so that's rough.

Just get them to lunge. I am not squat on the squat for athletes. especially combat athletes.

When I push my single leg work hard, I become much harder to take down. Especially rear lunges.I love squats but I think lunges are better and harder to hurt yourself.

 

[bacon]

You're probably right for fully developed adults, but these are kids. Their joints still work and they're made out of rubber. They'll see gains with anything as long as it's consistent.