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3/22/19
While the amount of strength and coordination required to safely start lifting weights is quite low there’s one thing I need to say :
The personal trainer coaxing teenagers to struggle with the ugliest of sub 100lb bench presses does not deserve to be making any money, let alone a good hourly wage, attempting to injure your child having them do something they are wholly unready for.
To safely be a beginner to weights a basic level of strength and coordination/athleticism is necessary.
Ideally all children grow up playing multiple sports, and constantly playing outside.
Sometimes an 11 year old will have the requirements. Oftentimes 16 year olds will still be lacking this base.
(Cheetos, PlayStation, and ZERO physical activity cause this.)
You as coach/trainer/big brother/father/who ever has a responsibility to help, not hurt the youth under your supervision.
I was lucky. I built this basic strength in karate class while still in elementary school.
Sensei had us throwing medicine balls, pushing towels across the floor, doing a bazillion pushups & a similar number of situps plus the occasional wrestling.
Basic strength.
In a gym setting I’d have kids doing similar.
You build them up with basic calisthenics, sled work, and catch.
However, you do know playgrounds are meant to be played on.
Sensei did it quite well. I’m sure I could go back to his dojo, observe a youth class, and not recoil in horror at all the youth barely escaping injury.
Youth sports? Youth trainers?
I doubt I’d make the same statement.
As I said calisthenics and sled work to safely build them up.
This can be done inexpensively just about anywhere. Make it a game for you and your kid, it’s a win-win-win. Both you and your kid are outdoors spending time together.
I still remember this 11 year old being dropped off to a roughly $75/hr trainer for “football speed” by his father during his weekend custody time. The whole thing bothered me. The father could’ve saved the money, exercised, and bonded with his kid. I’d run that errand on a day where I wasn’t with my son. For $0 they could have ran routes, the dad all time qb, it would’ve been just as effective, but far better.
I’m gonna branch off here and say something : if I’m in my future children’s lives I’m never (within reason) going to be unavailable to go outside and play.
I’m not going to always be too tired from work. I refuse that, you can’t let work suck the life out of you. Budgeting would scratch that necessity of overtime.
Lack of free hours is easily negated when there’s ZERO TV watched vs at least a part time job’s worth. You don’t have time for catch, but do for the television? Get your priorities straight.
Back to training :
Likewise when teaching to athletically competent teens… simplify.
I’ve seen trainers fail to get one kid to do anything resembling a coordinated power clean in an hour with a group of about a dozen.
1 on 1 I’ve taught three to competent in maybe 5 minutes each.
You show, and explain the method to the group, then go around evaluating and fixing minor errors.
The jump & shrug method is (in my experience) fool proof. I’ve taught a slutty 24yo (at the time, 2018) fitness chick to clean faster and more effectively than I’ve seen trainers TRY with high school football players.
(That day would’ve made an awesome instructional video for a group of high school guys. Their eyes would be glued to the screen as a taller slightly curvy athletic and thin tattooed 24 year old blonde does what they need to be learning.)
The lesson, in both, basic & simple.
Persistence & Tenacity