Howdy to all the Lifting Folk,whether Young or Old or In-Between,
I need to hear from someone with knowledge of any Teen-Age Powerlifting limitations, restrictions, League safety guide-lines,injury incidents, etc.
A 17 year-old kid I use to train for football,3 or 4 years ago,was now about grown,and competing in Powerlifting Contests, most of which were on "Adult-Level" playing fields. Here's this terrific kid, who had been following his older Brother around (who has been a Champion Lifter for years), trying to live up to the peer-pressure and persona,of being a Champ like his Brother. There's certainly nothing wrong with a Little Bro/Big Bro relationship that's positive for both. The concern I have is the effect from regular sessions, 5-7 times weekly,of "The Big 3",the Deadlift,the Squat,and Barbell Bench Press.We are talking Big Boy or Man weight,400 lb. benching,1,000 lb. Dead attampts,700-950 lb.Sqats,with a still-growing 17 year old male,5'6" tall,247 lbs.,37% BF.
He came to me on his own,after a 4 year span, in which we did not communicate much. He softly told me that he had been competing with his brother,in Powerlifting Bouts for the past 3-4 years, and felt he needed to take off a year,in order to lose weight and cut his lean mass.It then came back to me that this young man had broken his neck, while shallow diving,a few years back.I thought of that just as he had gotten into a work-set warm-up (working with 405 lbs),doing squats.I watched his belly sag over his shorts,his legs started trembling, his Lumbar was arching into his last reps,as he huffed and sweated,trembling all over as the bar was racked.A pretty female sitting near him,got up and hugged and kissed on him,telling him how good he was,etc.It made me think.A kid that is,literally,being encouraged to lift weight,and compete at,the level of a Fully-Grown Adult.Is this right(if it were handled right,probably),but I'm talking about the past few years,age 13-17(the crucial years of Puberty),being a Competitive Lifter,at the levels I described.Please,NO OPINIONS!!I really need to hear sound advice from experience/knowledge,or both.I am truly concerned,as He wants me to help him "Detrain"(that's what many sports players must do after the season),lose BF,etc.That's not a problem,but he wants to start doing it again when the year is up.Thanks for your time.Jack Stack
I need to hear from someone with knowledge of any Teen-Age Powerlifting limitations, restrictions, League safety guide-lines,injury incidents, etc.
A 17 year-old kid I use to train for football,3 or 4 years ago,was now about grown,and competing in Powerlifting Contests, most of which were on "Adult-Level" playing fields. Here's this terrific kid, who had been following his older Brother around (who has been a Champion Lifter for years), trying to live up to the peer-pressure and persona,of being a Champ like his Brother. There's certainly nothing wrong with a Little Bro/Big Bro relationship that's positive for both. The concern I have is the effect from regular sessions, 5-7 times weekly,of "The Big 3",the Deadlift,the Squat,and Barbell Bench Press.We are talking Big Boy or Man weight,400 lb. benching,1,000 lb. Dead attampts,700-950 lb.Sqats,with a still-growing 17 year old male,5'6" tall,247 lbs.,37% BF.
He came to me on his own,after a 4 year span, in which we did not communicate much. He softly told me that he had been competing with his brother,in Powerlifting Bouts for the past 3-4 years, and felt he needed to take off a year,in order to lose weight and cut his lean mass.It then came back to me that this young man had broken his neck, while shallow diving,a few years back.I thought of that just as he had gotten into a work-set warm-up (working with 405 lbs),doing squats.I watched his belly sag over his shorts,his legs started trembling, his Lumbar was arching into his last reps,as he huffed and sweated,trembling all over as the bar was racked.A pretty female sitting near him,got up and hugged and kissed on him,telling him how good he was,etc.It made me think.A kid that is,literally,being encouraged to lift weight,and compete at,the level of a Fully-Grown Adult.Is this right(if it were handled right,probably),but I'm talking about the past few years,age 13-17(the crucial years of Puberty),being a Competitive Lifter,at the levels I described.Please,NO OPINIONS!!I really need to hear sound advice from experience/knowledge,or both.I am truly concerned,as He wants me to help him "Detrain"(that's what many sports players must do after the season),lose BF,etc.That's not a problem,but he wants to start doing it again when the year is up.Thanks for your time.Jack Stack