Teens and Weightlifting

Triceps extension: another old exercise, but one of the best for the triceps. Sitting on a bench, hold the dumbbell behind your head, arm bent at the elbow. Slowly raise the weight until your arms are straight, and then lower it to the starting position. Do not move the elbows during the exercise.

Military press: This exercise is designed to develop the shoulder muscles (the deltoids or “delts”). Grasp the barbell, palms down, stand up and bring the barbell to your chest. Push the barbell over your head and lock the elbows. Bring the barbell down to your chest and lower it to the ground.

The Chest

Bench press: A classic exercise, but still the best for developing the chest muscles (the pectoralis or “pecs”). Lie on your back on the bench. Have your spotter hand you the barbell (life is a lot easier if your bench has a rack for the barbell). Gripping the bar with your hands shoulder width, lower the bar until it touches your chest. Then press the bar up until your arms are straight (never bounce the bar off your chest). Breathing technique with the bench press is important. Inhale fully as the bar comes down and exhale as you straighten your arms. The shoulders and upper arms assist in this exercise, thereby helping with their development.

The Fly: Lie on the bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Your arms should be locked and pointed toward the ceiling. Slowly lower the bells to each side until the arms are parallel to the floor. It'd okay to bend the arms slightly at the elbow as you do this exercise.

The Back

The back muscles balance and oppose the chest muscles. Proper development of the back muscles may help prevent the back pain that becomes so common as one ages.

The Deadlift: Stand facing the barbell (which is on the floor). Squat in front of the barbell. One hand grabs the barbell palm up while the other hand grabs the barbell palm down. Take a deep breath and slowly lift your body by straightening your legs. Lower the barbell to the floor. Remember to exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower the weight.

Bent-over row: Bend at the waist and grab the barbell, palm down. Brace your other hand on a chair or bench. Pull the barbell off the floor until it touches your chest. Slowly lower to the starting position. Repeat with other arm.

The Stomach (“Abs”)

Improving the stomach muscles improves any person's appearance.

Crunches: Lie on the floor, hands behind your head, knees bent. Curl upwards, as if you're trying to touch your lower ribs to your pelvis. Slowly curl back down. Start with one set of 10 and work your way up to at least 3 sets of 50.

Sit-ups: Lie on the floor, feet under a piece of furniture. Place your hands behind your head and sit up, touching your elbows to your knees. As your abs become stronger, you may want to hold a light weight behind your head for added resistance.

Once again, all exercises should be done S-L-O-W-L-Y to obtain maximum benefit and to minimize the chance of injury

Having a teenage weightlifter at home can be a real challenge; you want to encourage him (or her), but you don't want anyone to get hurt. Only by getting involved can you be sure that things are going to be done correctly.