Safe and Effective Strength Training Techniques for Teens

The weight room can be one of the biggest catalyst for a youth athlete in confidence and performance. It can also pose a danger when used incorrectly. Like most things in life, if we approach the weight room without plan, focus, and proper knowledge then the weights and methods go from being effective beneficial to potentially dangerous and harmful. Strength training is something that often gets passed down from people with no real background in it, but they were the sport coach that got assigned to the weight room or the family member who used to work out. The problem with this can be a lack of knowledge in long term athletic development and also mental and emotional needs of teenagers. The strength gained from lifting weights can be the biggest advantage you can give a teenager, but if we misapply it and they get hurt then strength training will always have a negative attachment. Here are some of the ways we make strength training safe and effective for the teens we work with at Showtime Strength and Performance. 

Progressions and Regressions

Every exercise you use with a youth athlete should have stages of progression and regressions based on their age, ability, and maturity. This even applies to things like push ups and sit ups. We need to create an exercise pool that athletes can safely do for where they’re currently at. Think of this as matching the program to the kid, not forcing the kid to match the program. Here are a couple examples of Progressions and Regressions. 

Exercise : Barbell Squat

Regressions : Goblet Squat - Goblet Box Squat - PVC Squat - Bodyweight Box Squat

Progressions : Tempo Squat - Squat with Chains - Squat with Bands - Specialty Bar Squat

Exercise : Bench Press

Regressions : DB Bench Press - 1 Arm DB Bench Press - Push Ups - Hands elevated Push Ups

Progressions : Close Grip Bench Press - Bench press with Chains - Bench Press with Bands

Progressions and Regressions help the athlete comfortably train what they can within their ability and allows for long term progress to be safely made. Every coach can create their own lists based on the population they work with, space, and equipment available. 

Proper Loading 

There is no reason for a youth athlete to ever come close to missing a lift. We will allow our advanced athletes to train to a point where they have 1 rep left in the tank. These athletes have often been with us for multiple years. Thinking logically, does it really matter if a 12 year baseball player bench presses a new 1 rep max? There is no reason and it really only serves as an invitation for potential injury. Most of our teens will train in rep ranges of 5 to 15 reps depending on the exercise. We stop the sets once we see a breakdown in technique. This isn’t to say that over time the weight lifted shouldn’t increase, but weight on the bar is a low priority at this stage of training. At this stage we want to develop the habit of exercise, proper patterns, desired intent, and then slowly build some muscle and strength. Muscle and strength are purposely listed after everything else. They are a by product, not the sole goal of training. 

Safety

This shouldn’t need said, but it’s the job of the instructor to teach the basics of weight room safety. This includes things like:

Spotting

Loading and counting weights

Technique

Staying out of others way when they’re lifting

Equipment storage

Clean Up

Equipment adjustments

Knowing when they feel discomfort or pain and communicate that 

Many times the safety aspect of the weight room will be overlooked and coaches will assume that kids know how to be safe in the weight room. This isn’t reality. Take a few minutes to explain each exercise and basic safety pre cautions with exercises being used. This should always be part of the plan. 

Proper Methods

Every time a new college wins the football national championship, there will be a write up about the strength and conditioning plan they used and you’ll see it filter down to the high school and middle school settings. Believe it or not, the physical abilities and needs between a 12 year old and the top line backs in D1 football aren’t the same. Then why do we often try to apply these methods to their training? The Ohio State football team isn’t recruiting 12 year olds any time soon and for the kids that go on to play college sports, the strength coach will implement the methods they want used at that time based on the needs of the team. In teens, we need a solid foundation of fitness and movement capacity. We don’t need the biggest squats and deadlifts. We don’t need to peak the athletes we work with because all of our training should be designed to have a cumulative effect over the next 10+ years. If we can instill the habit of exercise, proper nutrition, healthy sleep habits, and stress management then our athletes will come into their own peak performance when the time is needed. As stated earlier in this, don’t force the kid to the program. 

As a coach of youth athletes, we have the potential to help make a positive impact for the rest of their life. I always will be grateful to Bill Sanders for taking the time and energy to teach me and others how to properly lift and exercise when he did. It was one of the most impactful things of my life. It inspired me to continue training as an adult and also to coach. Every time I hear of a teenage hating the weight room because they were forced to lift something they hadn’t prepared for, it crushes me. The rest of their life, basic strength training will be a negative because someone’s ego got in their way. At Showtime, we have helped athletes pick up a weight for the first time in their life and given them the tools to continue into their adult life. If you’re a parent and would like your child to build healthy habits and increase confidence in their sport and life, please reach out and we would love to share the gift of strength, health, and happiness. 

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