What should my 14 year old do for muscle growth

I started lifting around that age and never looked back. For some reason, weightlifting is one of those endeavors that is thought to be bad for younger people. I just don't see it. At fourteen, he's good to go as long as he learns to do it correctly from the start.

I remember going to MC Sporting Goods and grabbing my first can of Joe Weider's Dynamic Muscle Builder off the shelf. Tasted like chalk and yet, I couldn't get enough of that crap. Some things never change.
 
King Kabuki said:
How is partaking in a school extra-carricular activity like Wrestling not honing Social skills? He learns to be a team player, the value of sacrifice, and every other social lesson that applies to being part of a team. And I don't know what school system you work in, but the one I went to necessitated you maintain a certain GPA to even be able to play sports. Hence, the question about focusing on schoolwork is a non-factor. What 14 year-old would learn supplementation? A smart one. I have plenty of them that I myself work with on a routine basis through my job.

I never said not to join the team. My intial post said join the team and wrestle at his natural weight.



Just because you work in education does not give you the right to judge this man. I love how so many of you guys in here come to this board and ask for tips and shit, and so many of you don't even understand you have 14-19 year-olds posting right along with you on a routine basis. Yet when a man comes in here and asks how he can help his son get the information to be a better Wrestler, it's almost all discouragement? Kind of sad.

I'm judging no one. What I said to the person was let him wrestle at his natural weight. Kids nowadays have horrible enough body images without adding in to it, and I'm not accusing the dad of doing this. I would just advise him to be very cognizant and aware of it, and always to err on the side of support and reassurance rather than too much pushing and encouragement. Some kids have insecurities they never talk about, and mentioning something like their diet could confirm their already irrational body images.

Wrestling on his school Wrestling team is not going to deprive this man's kid of a childhood. His Father actually BEING THERE to be SUPPORTIVE and help get INFORMATION is not going to deprive him of a childhood. NOTHING this gentleman has said has hinted at ANYTHING like getting tunnel-vision and focusing only on Wrestling. You know, some people didn't even have Fathers around to even ask for this kind of information for us. This guy deserves a medal, not discouragement.

Couldn't agree more. The only thing I would say is it's maybe not a father's place to advise and cajole. That is probably a coach's place. Again I would think a parent would be better served in a support role.

What I find even more hilarious looking back over this thread is that the thread-starter never mentioned weight-cutting OR supplementing (and for everyone's information when I say supplementing I'm talking about protein powder and a multi-vitamin at this age, but thanks for asking before assuming shit), so why that shit was even mentioned I don't know. He asked how the kid should eat to grow muscle and training tips. If the kid Wrestles at all or does anything resembling a workout, he's going to grow muscle, if he eats well he'll grow better muscle.

I don't think kids should take any supplements. Multi-vitamin, fine, protein powder, I disagree. Selah. Two well-intentioned people can disagree.

You guys discouraging this man remind me of the parents who come into my store who tell their kids that protein bars are bad for them, but that they'll buy them a Snickers on the way home.

Buying your kid a Snickers bar ain't a hanging offense where I'm from.

In my response to the father I told him only that I thought it would be advisable to let his son wrestle at his natural weight. I don't feel that was an attack, just an opinion, again based more on my work with kids than my knowledge of nutrition.

In my response to you I first stated that I agreed with most of the things you said to try to avoid this very kind of mudslinging. Obviously you have encyclopedic knowledge of nutrition, and I don't question that. I just feel that any kind of supplementation at this age, especially when the impetus is coming from the parent rather than the athlete himself is ill-advised.

I would say if the athlete brings the issue of supplementation up himself, take him to a physician or dietician and have the two of them set out a plan appropriate for his age. I think one would want to tread very lightly when proposing possibly harmful things to one's children.

KK, it's your forum, I'm just living in it. If I can respectfully dissent, I appreciate the opportunity. So far I've only availed myself on two occasions, in the discussion about steroids and now this. If it's unwelcome, let me know, and I won't darken your door again.
 
Tot@l_Recal| said:
yeah really. 14 year old cutting weight and worrying about grams of protein = shitty life and possible death...


Says who?? I turned out fine physically.
 
My advice since u asked:

From personal experience, wrestling, and research I recommend that you do not have him cut weight for wrestling at that age, other than natural weight loss that occurs through exercise.

No dehydration, sauna suits, starvation, sweat rooms, extreme diets, laxatives, etc.

Feed him good, healthy food including fats, carbs and protiens. Plenty of water. Muscle growth is sporadic at that age so basically tell him to eat when he's hungry and keep the fridge stacked with nutritous stuff.

If he's trying to put on mass then eating more and more often along with doing more compound exercises at higher (but not max) weight should do the trick, as simple as that sounds.
 
Brand Nizzle said:
Says who?? I turned out fine physically.

Me too, but I know at least two people from my HS wrestling team who now have medical problems linked to flucuations in weight, most likely from cutting weight in HS and College, mostly HS, since there were far less restrictions. And that is just a couple years out of college.

However, the idea that you can just wrestle at your natural weight is insane, unless you are a genetic freak, or have a couple of older brothers who are wrestling stars. Cutting weight is a part of wrestling, its a shame it is, but thats the reality. Of course, I would never recommend some of the shit we used to do, which was pretty much just controlled starvation.

Some of you seem pretty naive, the kid is 14 and has a dad that is obviously interested in looking out after him, thats a lot more than I can say for myself. By the time I was 14 my parents could care less what I was doing, and I had already been introducded to far many worse things then cutting weight, like drugs and older women.

Look at it this way, cutting weight by skipping a couple of meals, is still alot healthier then what most 14 year olds do, with eating fast food daily just sitting around playing on their computers. Not taking vitamins or eating nutriously probably hurt me more then cutting weight did.

That being said, it still is just HS wrestling. Unless your kid is on the varsity team and wrestling at meets, he should focus on building strength/power first. Get him on a well planned diet and training schedule. Talk to his coach, see what weight class he sees your son at next year.

Bottom line, he shouldnt have to do anything drastic or unhealthy. All the dehydration techniques like sauna suits, spitting, diuretics, will be unnecessary and should be completely avoided.

Your kid is lucky to have a parent like you, get him set up with a nice healthy diet with a good basic strength training program and the rest will take care of itself.

And King Kabuki is right on, you arent depriving your kid of anything, do you know how many doors a good athletic background can open up. Along with the benefits of eating healthy and exercising.
 
GPP

Make him sling the sledge.
Flip some tires.
Sprint and speed drills.
Light plyo's.
Burpees.
Jump rope.

That should be good until he's about 16, then put him under the weight.
Powerlifting basics combined with introductory Oly's i.e powercleans and pulls.

That'll be $55 for the consultation and $55 for each hour afterwards.
 
In my response to you I first stated that I agreed with most of the things you said to try to avoid this very kind of mudslinging. Obviously you have encyclopedic knowledge of nutrition, and I don't question that. I just feel that any kind of supplementation at this age, especially when the impetus is coming from the parent rather than the athlete himself is ill-advised.

I would say if the athlete brings the issue of supplementation up himself, take him to a physician or dietician and have the two of them set out a plan appropriate for his age. I think one would want to tread very lightly when proposing possibly harmful things to one's children.

KK, it's your forum, I'm just living in it. If I can respectfully dissent, I appreciate the opportunity. So far I've only availed myself on two occasions, in the discussion about steroids and now this. If it's unwelcome, let me know, and I won't darken your door again.

I don't mind the dissent, you'll find I actually kind of welcome it. Boxingfan will tell you as well. Heh heh. Many guys in here I've gone toe-to-toe with on many an occasion.

As for the point you made about protein powder. There's no point to that. Protein powder is no more detrimental to the health of a child than a piece of chicken breast. I made the point about parents buying their kid Snickers versus a protein bar because in America that's the level of mis-education. Buy the kid what equates to a stick of sugar, as opposed to something that has enough protein to feed the growing muscles properly and a small amount of sugar enough to replenish glycogen stores. But because of bad press like through the Steroid scandals, parents are convinced there's this dividing line and kids should not be allowed to supplement their eating. Yet, a meal at McDonald's is fine? It's just slightly hypocritical. The one that's actually dangerous is socially acceptable. The one with the better health benefits is BAD. It disheartens me.

Also, if you noticed one of my first-suggestions was for this man to seek and find a Licensed Dietician, then get them to work in conjuction with the kid's physician, and they both work along with the parent as a team to keep the kid in maximum health and performance in their chosen (because his kid chose this) Sport. But I don't feel there's anything wrong with the Father wanting to be informed, and pass along said information. Funny thing is a lot of the parents that bring their child-athletes to my store often find themselves in the place of standing on the side as I repeat to their kid everything their parent has already told them. The Confirmation from a Professional then makes the advice viable. But I often find myself saying to the kid "your Father/Mother is right you know."

I can understand why this is such a sensitive issue. But really, it just kind of ticked me off that a lot of people saw things in this man's question that weren't there.

However, the idea that you can just wrestle at your natural weight is insane, unless you are a genetic freak, or have a couple of older brothers who are wrestling stars. Cutting weight is a part of wrestling, its a shame it is, but thats the reality. Of course, I would never recommend some of the shit we used to do, which was pretty much just controlled starvation.

This is absolutely true. And here's the thing that makes it even more a reality. Let's say the kid is strong but not well-built, has ample bodyfat. As SOON as he begins to exercise and eat properly guess what's going to happen? Oh yes, his weight will fluctuate. As he loses fat and builds muscle to his genetic capability (sans supplements like creatine/GAKIC/Nitrous Boosters) he may find himself lighter than he's ever been. Like I said about myself. I was 180lbs when I was 12 and most of it was flab. As soon as I took my conditioning seriously I dropped down to about 156. Now I've mentioned I used some slightly extreme methods to do it, however, I'm alright now. And there's just nothing wrong with kids losing bodyfat and becoming more healthy. Some of the words in here if you put them in context sound like "oh your kid is strong and fat? Well let him stay fat and Wrestle at whatever weight he's strong but fat at." Which there's just no reason for that. He can get into condition in a perfectly healthy manner.
 
There is nothing wrong with making a diet for a 14 year old. Emphasis should be on a healthy diet, and not on "cutting weight," which implies rapid weight loss and possibly water weight loss. If the kid is overweight, just cutting out sugar, pop, candy, chips, cookies and all that garbage will work wonders.

I agree with Urban's post -- good foods first. Sups should be very carefully considered. I don't see anything wrong with protein powder and a basic multivitamin, but I wouldn't even add creatine at that age.

Exercise should also be body weight oriented at first as well, IMO. Add a barbell, weights, and a bench later if desired.
 
As a parent, you should educate yourself and your child on proper nutrition and strength/endurance training. If you cut the crap out of your diet, not only will you benefit, but you'll be setting an excellent example for your son. The stickies are a good place to start. There's nothing wrong with wrestling at a young age. I started when I was 12. I've coached freestyle clubs that had 5 year olds. Most of the people that preach the terrors of cutting weight have never wrestled. Like anything else, there are right ways and wrong ways to do it. The best thing you can do for yourself and your son is research. Good luck
 
My son just turned 18 and I had the same questions when he was younger 9 to be exact. I took him to a respected orthopedic surgeon, because I was concerned about growth plate damage from lifting I was told as long as he learns good form from a pro the only thing that will happen from hitting the iron is he'll get stronger. As far as protein supplements we were told to monitor his intake very carefully because to much protein in the body will cause a urea build up that can be toxic, but that his lifting will need him to bring the protein intake up to normal expected ratio's for someone who is in training. As far as schoolwork my son plays ice hockey and his grades are always the best in season, he knows bad grades = no hockey. He told me a quick story about his first day back as a senior in high school he was standing behind some friends and overheard them say geez have you seen Trav he's a beast, and the other friend said yeah but his father has had him lifting since he was 9, so be patient the muscle will come.
 
there is a REALLY REALLY good article on elitefts.com about what excercsies they were having HS students do to prepare them for weightlifting. i definitely reccomend that you check it out!!
 
Wow, this turned into a whole session on parenting, cutting weight etc. Maybe I should explain myself better.

Brad is a 14 year old, 5'6" tall, who was 170 lbs 2 years ago. He is now 120. He is in good shape and enjoys running, stuff like that.
He was taken from his birth parents at 4 years old. He was adopted by a single man at age 7. This man physically abused him, and I mean beat the living shit out of him regularly. This kid still flinches when you come near him. He is my foster son, living with us for just a few months. He idolizes Tim Sylvia, since I knew Tim back in the Maine days. We worked together, whatever.
The kid has made friends with some wrestlers and him and I roll around together and I show him some stuff.
He is taking whey protein, the Doc said it was ok. He is on Adderall for ADHD. He is not worried about cutting weight or any of that crap. He just wants to compete and (my opinion) find an avenue that he can excel at and try to regain a control mechanism for his life.
Thanks to the guys sticking up for me. I don't want to push this kid too far, but I want him to know that he can accomplish alot if he tries hard and doesn't quit when things get tough.
Sorry to unload so much, but just so you all know. He is a good kid who has been through hell. He needs something right now, and I think this could help him alot.
 
Chad Hamilton said:
GPP

Make him sling the sledge.
Flip some tires.
Sprint and speed drills.
Light plyo's.
Burpees.
Jump rope.

That should be good until he's about 16, then put him under the weight.
Powerlifting basics combined with introductory Oly's i.e powercleans and pulls.

That'll be $55 for the consultation and $55 for each hour afterwards.

Listen to this guy.
 
After reading this thread all I have to say is that teaching your children about nutrition and understanding what they
 
Urban said:
feed him the following: broccoli, wild salmon, grass fed beef, walnuts, olive oil, blueberries, pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, turkey breast, and yogurt. focus on getting both protein and fiber in every meal, and supplement with a multi-vitamin and fish oil (fish oil can be taken with each meal IMO). Supplemental protein and creatine aren't going to do any damage, but bare in mind that they are just that: supplements. foster good eating habbits and a healthy diet first.

If he wants to lift (and I think everyone should lift) read the stickies in strength and power. He's old enough, his ball have dropped, it's time for him to start hitting the iron like anyone else. Lift heavy focus on progressing regularly.
you should listen to THIS guy. admitedly if he can't do 20 pushups he has no reason to be doing bench press, but 14 is not too young to be hitting heavy weights. I wish I started at that age.
 
markcowperthwai said:
Wow, this turned into a whole session on parenting, cutting weight etc. Maybe I should explain myself better.

Brad is a 14 year old, 5'6" tall, who was 170 lbs 2 years ago. He is now 120. He is in good shape and enjoys running, stuff like that.
He was taken from his birth parents at 4 years old. He was adopted by a single man at age 7. This man physically abused him, and I mean beat the living shit out of him regularly. This kid still flinches when you come near him. He is my foster son, living with us for just a few months. He idolizes Tim Sylvia, since I knew Tim back in the Maine days. We worked together, whatever.
The kid has made friends with some wrestlers and him and I roll around together and I show him some stuff.
He is taking whey protein, the Doc said it was ok. He is on Adderall for ADHD. He is not worried about cutting weight or any of that crap. He just wants to compete and (my opinion) find an avenue that he can excel at and try to regain a control mechanism for his life.
Thanks to the guys sticking up for me. I don't want to push this kid too far, but I want him to know that he can accomplish alot if he tries hard and doesn't quit when things get tough.
Sorry to unload so much, but just so you all know. He is a good kid who has been through hell. He needs something right now, and I think this could help him alot.

I've coached a few kids from similar backgrounds. Every kid is motivated by something different, some need to be phsyched up, other need to be calmed down and with some, you just need to tell them to have fun and do their best. Getting the kid invovled in an organized sport is probably the best thing you can do for him. Find what motivates him, and support the hell out of him. I think it's really cool that you care about this kid, just make sure he knows it. Good luck
 
Brad is a 14 year old, 5'6" tall, who was 170 lbs 2 years ago. He is now 120. He is in good shape and enjoys running, stuff like that.

Hmm, with those stats he should actually be looking to gain weight. Good solid muscle weight though. Unless he wants to stay in the lighter weight-classes.

And kudos to you, after seeing the exact situation, you deserve TWO medals.
 
you guys have been great. I have had a hard time some days, but my wife and I are very encouraged by him opening up more as of late. maybe some of you should become foster/adoptive parents. there are tons of kids out there that need the help and not nearly enough homes. Too many end up in group homes where they compete to be "the worst" my brother runs a unit for the kids no one else will take. thanks again, guys. you rock.
 
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