The Ideal Age To Start Bodybuilding
Many young people want to start bodybuilding before they are minors.
Is it suggested to practice this sport before coming of age?
Who should do bodybuilding?
What are the harmful effects and benefits of weight training?
What are the exercises to do?
Is weight training bad for growth?
For minors, weight training needs to be assisted by adults or adults.
Why is this necessary?
As a growing adolescent, the body (muscles, limbs, bones, joints and tendons) is in the process of transformation. It is therefore important to be careful when doing weight training so as not to impact on this growth.
It is important to remember that body growth and muscle development are not the same. The practice of bodybuilding has nothing to do with the growth of the body because it is the hormones and testosterones that are responsible for the growth of the bone as well as the muscles.
When practiced with care and aesthetics, weight training strengthens the whole body. There are several exercises to do and several training programs appropriate for each morphology.
Strength training is not inadvisable for minors, but it should be practised in the presence of people who know the exercises well in order to avoid making the wrong gestures. And above all, it should be practised in moderation because the change is made little by little.
As the saying goes: "weight training is not a sprint but rather a marathon "
If strength training is not done properly, it can affect the growth of the body and even stop it. For growing bodies, the wrong move can cause muscle trauma and damage to the spine or other bones as the skeleton is still developing.
17 year olds should not exercise with heavy weights as this will not affect bone development until after the age of 22.
Is it dangerous to do weight training before the age of 18?
The benefits of weight training:
Strength training is not dangerous for minors if they practice it with care in the presence of a trainer or an adult to coach them with exercises and programmes adapted to their body.
It is possible to do weight training at home with the agreement of the parents of the adolescent. But preferably not after training in a gym. In this way, the trainee can already see the movements and exercises to be done that are suitable for growing bodies. With parental consent, it is possible to join a gym in France from the age of 16.
It is important to consult a doctor beforehand to find out if your body is suitable for these exercises.
Hormonal and physical changes during adolescence can have a mental impact on a young person if they are not ready for the changes.
Therefore, strength training can help a young person to accept change and see for themselves the progress of their body without being stressed.
The young person can therefore work on the growth of his or her body by himself or herself by doing appropriate exercises. Reducing stress due to changes brings self-confidence. The muscles will also be strengthened and there will be an impact on everyday actions.
It is important to warm up well before any weight training and to follow the instructions during the exercises in order to have a good result without impacting the growth of the body. Teenagers can also be assertive and self-managing at any time, especially outside of school activities.
Strength training can also be practiced with other disciplines such as martial arts, team or individual sports. With the right weight training programme, the young person can develop the body carefully and manage the growth of the figure, especially since most teenagers today are suffering from obesity because of not practising sport.
The impact of weight training
Before practising bodybuilding, it is necessary to be aware that the duration of physical changes in boys and girls is not the same.
It is not advisable to do strength training before the age of 15 to avoid growth problems as the body is still developing. This will reduce the risk of injury or problems with bones or ligaments or muscle tears.
This can be due to poor exercise or if the body is lifting the wrong weight for its size.
What to do before the age of 18?
Bodyweight training, a complete bodyweight training program is the ideal exercise for a teenager.
How to do it?
Practice exercises with full body or half body programs with light weights to work on endurance, strength, flexibility and especially muscle growth.
Thanks to weight training sessions, the body will gain muscles and the teenager will experience the phenomenon of hypertrophy, i. e. the increase in fibres in the muscle.
The more the teenager exercises, the more the body changes and progresses.
And with this programme the young person can do it without danger because there is no impact on the growth of the body. Of course if you respect the instructions like warming up before and stretching after each exercise.
Here are some bodyweight exercises that a teenager can do 3 times a week for 45 minutes with a break between each exercise:
Doing dips with a weight bench to develop the upper body and gain muscle mass in the triceps and pectoral muscles
Hip thrust for gluteal and hamstring exercises.
Push-ups for pectoral muscles
Pull-ups to work the back muscles and thus strengthen the back
You should not do : ROWING BARRE, EARTH LIFT, SQUAT, NUKE DEVELOPMENT to avoid growth problems
As the hormones during adolescence are already complete, it is not necessary to take food supplements.
It is advisable:
- to have a balanced diet composed of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, fibres and starchy foods for a complete intake.
- to recover well by sleeping because a well-rested body develops well
