Weight Training for Teenage Boys: Tips to Be Safe and Look Good

I grew up the daughter of a personal trainer, and I constantly heard my mom rant about how she hated it when people made dangerous and often preventable mistakes while weight training. She said that she saw the most mistakes and injuries when teenage boys were weight training. My mission in this article is to help teenage boys understand the most common mistakes made during weight training and the injuries that can occur as a result as well as the proper techniques to use.

First, I will discuss the most common weight training mistakes.

1. Not having a spotter

· A spotter is absolutely necessary when weight training. If a spotter is not present, the weight lifter could potentially drop weights on himself, which could lead to serious injury or death. The presence of a spotter also helps prevent muscle injury because if the weight is too difficult the spotter can help the person training control their movement and give advice.

2. Trying to lift too much weight

· Teenage boys often make the mistake of trying to lift more weight than they are capable of. This can lead to pulled or strained muscles and in some instances even torn muscles.

3. Failure to stretch

· Stretching before a workout helps loosen the muscles. A failure to stretch can lead to severe muscle injuries.

4. Failure to warm up

· When weight training, teenage boys often forget to warm up and work up to their goal weight. Warming up also helps loosen the muscles and failure to warm up can lead to pulled, strained, or torn muscles.

5. Failure to cool down

· After weight training, many teenage boys are eager to get on with their day, so they skip the cool down. Cool down helps prevent muscle injury and reduces the risk of soreness.

6. Improper posture

· Many teenage boys will slump their shoulders or arch their back, this can cause back strain, which is painful and will delay training until it heals.

7. Improper technique

· Teenage boys also have a tendency to "swing" the weights rather than lift in a slow, controlled motion. In addition to being ineffective, this poses a risk for injury to the arm and back muscles.

8. Not switching up routines

· Although this doesn't create any health risks it will minimize the effectiveness of the strength training routine because the muscles will get used to the movements, and in turn they will not "grow" as well as they did at first.

9. Forgetting to clean up

· Not wiping the machines off after using them is a mistake that is common among teenage boys. This can be hazardous because others may slip on sweat that is on the floor and it's simply unsanitary. Help keep everyone at the gym safe and healthy and clean up.

10. Wear proper clothing

· This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but many teenage guys tend to wear baggy shirts and shorts. Loose clothing can get caught on the machinery in gyms and cause serious injury.

11. Wear proper footwear

· Although this probably sounds obvious, you would be surprised what some people wear to the gym. Teenage boys are especially guilty of this. When weight training or doing anything at the gym, one should wear closed toed shoes that have proper support and traction to avoid injury.

Now, I am going to give some tips on proper techniques for teenage boys to use while weight training.

1. Breathing

· Teenage boys tend to hold their breath while weight training. This is not proper technique and can cause the blood pressure to rise to a dangerous level. Depending on whom you ask, people will tell you different things. Some people say to inhale when raising and exhale when lowering, but others will tell you to do it the opposite way. The important thing is to do what feels comfortable but remember to keep breathing.

2. Rest your muscles

· Some teenagers work the same muscles everyday. To yield better results, one should wait at least 1 day before working those muscles again.

3. Do the appropriate number of repetitions

· Another mistake teenage boys make while weight training is not doing the right number of reps. Most try to do too many with too much weight. When weight training, one should be able to comfortably do sets of 12-15 reps.

4. Keep your core centered

· When weight training, some teens arch their backs or lean sideways in order to lift the weight they are attempting to lift. This not only causes muscle strain, it also reduces the effectiveness of the exercises.

5. Work toward a goal

· It is important for everyone involved in weight training to have a goal that they work toward. This helps keep you motivated.

I hope this information is helpful and informative for teenage boys who are weight training, parents of those teens, and anyone else interested in weight training.