Teenagers not gaining muscle in the gym
Should I work myself to failure on each set?
Yes you can work yourself to failure as long as your technique doesn't get compromised. When you feel you can't lift the weight with the best possible technique then stop. The key to big and strong muscles for teens is about having good technique. If technique is poor then you will often be working the wrong muscles and if lifting to failure is done repetitively with bad technique it may cause injury'
This is a question that is debated in loads of fitness magazines and by fitness professionals. Most teenagers have the view that the heavier weight they lift will mean the bigger their muscles will become. It often becomes a competition between male teens about who can bench more' Instead it should be about who has the best technique. The key to big and strong muscles for teens is about having good technique. If technique is poor then you will often be working the wrong muscles and if lifting to failure is done repetitively with bad technique it may cause injury. So next time you go to gym don't do each set until you physically can't lift the weight do it until you can no longer do a repetition with the perfect technique.
How long rest do I need after each weights workout?
This depends on how much protein your consuming, how much sleep your having and how long you have been going to the gym for.
The best advice I can give is understand and feel your own body. Do not listen to anyone else if your body is painful then your muscles haven't fully repaired and should not be worked on until they are rested and free of pain'
As a teenager your body is constantly adapting and growing so you need to make sure you have enough rest between workouts to allow your muscles to fully repair and grow. When you're a beginner and you first start the gym you will feel considerably more pain the day after a workout than someone who has been going a long time who's muscles are used to the stress of weight lifting. For beginners they will be in the endurance' phase of gym where each muscle is being worked but no single muscle is being worked too intensely, so therefore I advice a minimum of minimum of 24 hours rest between each workout. The best advice I can give is understand and feel your own body. Do not listen to anyone else if your body is painful then your muscles haven't fully repaired and should not be worked on until they are rested and free of pain. For those teenagers who are more regular to the gym and have moved past the endurance stage' allow at least 48 hours rest between working the same muscle. You are likely to be on a split programme and working only a couple of muscles each workout, therefore you need to have at least a couple of days rest until you work those muscles again. How much rest you should have depends on three main factors. The amount of protein you have; If your consuming the right amount of protein then your body will repair quicker than if you're not giving the body the protein it needs to repair the muscles. Your body repairs itself during rest so it also depends on how much sleep you're having. If you're having under 7 hours sleep then your body will not repair at the same rate as someone who has had 10 hours sleep. Finally, it depends on how intensely your working the muscles. The more intensely you work a single muscle the more rest it will need to fully repair itself.
How can I make my muscles defined when i'm lifting weights?
Simple, burn the fat around the muscle! If you want a look like christiano ronaldo or Jessica alba and you want to know their secret, then all their secret is, is they have an extremely low body fat percentage'
Simple, burn the fat around the muscle! If you want a look like christiano ronaldo or Jessica alba and you want to know their secret, then all their secret is, is they have an extremely low body fat percentage. The only thing as teenagers that is stopping that real defined look is that fat around your muscles. This is why some teens who never do crunches or situps have better abdominals than those who spend hours working on there abs but still have a lot of fat around their abs. To get those muscles defined you need to do high intensity running press-ups, situps and cut out the junk and processed food.
How many muscles should I be doing in each workout?
There are many different programmes that each work different amount of muscles per workout. My advice is that the amount of muscles you are doing depends on your experience in the gym and what phase of gym you're in.'
Beginners- (endurance phase) whole body workout (every muscle) (strength endurance) day 1 upper body day 2 lower body day 3 rest
Regulars- (hypertrophy phase) 3 way split for example Day 1- chest+ triceps day 2 back + biceps day 3 shoulders + legs day 4 rest
(hypertrophy phase) 4 way split- for example
day 1 chest day 2 back day 3 arms day 4 legs day 5 rest
When lifting weights as a teen should I start my sets from lightest to heaviest or the other way round?
http://www.teeenfitnessadvice.com advises
Start with the heaviest weight then drop down when you can no longer lift that weight'
We advise firstly, that before lifting any weights u are warmed up and have completed a warm up set. After that start with the heaviest weight and then work your way down. The reason for this is that if you start with a light weight and move up by the 3rd or 4th set your muscles will be fatigued so you will never be able to lift your full potential. For example if the heaviest weight you could bench was 50 kg then by starting at 30 kg your and doing a couple of sets your chest and triceps will fatigue and you may only be able to lift 40kg on your 4th set, therefore never being able to reach your potential.
What should I do free weights or machines?
Poor technique of free weights could lead to pad posture or injury so its advised that beginners start with machines for 4-6 weeks before moving on to free weights'.
Both free weights and machines are useful and the choice between the two depends on your experience in the gym.
As a beginner the machines are a great way of starting off. The machines make working out simple and they are a great way help laying the foundations of the muscle. The machines are a great way of practising technique so that you can understand how to work each part of the body and then move on to free weights. The problem with starting on free weights as a beginner is that your technique may be poor and you may not understand the exercise. Poor technique of free weights could lead to pad posture or injury so its advised that beginners start with machines for 4-6 weeks before moving on to free weights. For more regular gym members I strongly advise free weights over machines where ever possible. Free weights challenge the muscles a lot more and they are a much more functional option as machines only make you lift weights in one single movement which is not like daily life. Free weights can also help to challenge the core and to strengthen the stabiliser muscles in your body.
What speed should I lift my weights at?
We advise 2 seconds on the way up and 2 seconds on the lowering phase but change the tempo to shock the muscle and encourage new muscle growth'
We advice two seconds on the concentric phase (lift up) and two seconds on the eccentric phase (lowering). However, There is no real right or wrong answer and keeping with the same tempo the whole time may let the body get use to it and stop stressing the muscles which will stop new growth. the slower your tempo means the more stress you are putting on the muscle and the more it's working. My best advice is that every so often you mix it up by adding a few seconds to your lift. Such things as slow training where the lift is 5-10 seconds up and 5-10 seconds when lowering. This is a great way of adding new stress to the muscle and shocking it so it encourages new muscle growth.
How much rest time should I have between sets?
The amount of rest time depends on what type of training your doing. If you're a beginner and you are in the endurance stage 30-60 seconds rest.
Hypertrophy stage 1-2 minutes rest
Strength training 3-5 minutes rest
If you're doing strength training you should have anything from 3-5 minutes rest as you will be working your creatine phosphate system so it will need time recover.
Is it better to do weights before running or the other way round?
It's better to do weights before running'
Studies have proven that an intense cardiovascular session can lead to a decrease in performance during the weights session after. This is because people lose a lot of their energy from running and then find their muscles are fatigued and they are mentally tired before their weights session. However, doing a weight session first has proved to make little difference to the performance of cardiovascular work after
When performing muscle building exercises can I train too much?
Yes, the body needs enough time to be able to rest and repair'
The short answer is yes. The body needs enough time to be able to rest and repair. If you train too much by lifting weights then you will reach a stage called 'overtraining'. Overtraining is where the muscles do not have enough time to repair and therefore they cannot repair quick enough for the amount of stress your body is putting on them. This leads to muscular atrophy where you lose muscle rather than gain muscle.
Teenagers not gaining muscle in the gym
By: oli Nutrition- what teenagers should eat Helping Your Child's Eczema Improve Help Your Child Kick The Thumb Sucking Habit The best Fitness tips for teenagers Volunteering with Children Exclusive Gifts For Child That is Special Children & Braces: Is It Time & What Are My Options? Kids Lehenga – a modern trend Lessons Learned From My Childhood How To Provide Your Child With Effective Potty Training Tips? Chiropractic - Is It Safe For Adults And Children And What Are The Benefits Of Treatment How a Baby Swing Can Stop Unnecessary Crying of Your Child Making Extra Money Offline With Child Care And Pet Care