The toned torsos, six-packs and rippling biceps of sports stars and celebrities can’t do much for the body image of the average teenage boy, but if you’re a guy in your teens, you have body-building advantages they would love to have.
During your teenage years, you’re in a phase of your life when your body wants to grow. You’re churning out hormones that are specially designed to help you get bigger. And, right now, you may be able to take in a huge amount of food and use it to build a strong body.
However, it's easy to make mistakes in your quest for muscle. Here's how to avoid those pitfalls:
- Get leaner, stronger and fitter with cross-training
- Do these five things now
Following these steps will help you give your muscles the exercise and the fuel they need for getting bigger.
1. Get a checkup
If you’re new to exercise or you have any health issues, especially heart problems or conditions that affect your muscles or joints, get a once-over by your GP before you start a muscle-building programme.
2. Skip the shortcuts
As you’re starting on your path to bigger muscles, focus on the basics.
Don’t even think about taking anabolic steroids. They are a Class C drug, and are illegal to own unless with a medical prescription. They make the body over-produce testosterone, so increasing muscle size and strength. Not only are they illegal, they can give you mood swings, moobs and small testicles and, according to the NHS, could make you infertile.
During puberty, your body naturally pumps out testosterone. This hormone encourages your muscles to grow.
Personal trainer and ex-professional footballer, Ian McCaldon says: "When building muscle, there are no shortcuts. Just long, hard consistent hours in the gym. It's like learning a language. You don't just build a vocabulary in one week; it takes months and years to really build and understand the language.
"Building muscle is the same; it takes time for that muscle to build and, along the way, you'll start to understand your body and your character."
3. Build a solid programme
When you're starting out, avoid just trying out bits and pieces from different weight-lifting programmes you see in magazines.
Ian says: "Working to a well thought out programme is vital. You need to know you're working all the right muscle groups proportionately.
"It’s no good having a big upper body and skinny legs - looking like a carrot!"
At first take it steadily. Build a basic core programme that includes bench presses (for your chest), squats (legs), deadlifts (legs and back) and shoulder presses (shoulders and upper arms).
Sports nutrionist Gavin Allinson says: "You can do resistance training from an early age. You can practice the movement patterns, like bench press, squat and deadlift.
"There’s a lot of supervision if it’s done correctly," he says, "so parents shouldn’t be over concerned about injury."
4. Eating well
You need calories for growth and performance!
Gavin says: "The main thing is to have a good diet. Teenage boys are still growing so they have to make sure they eat enough."
Edinburgh-based Ian, who is also a youth fitness coach agrees. "Eating right is the cornerstone when trying to build muscle. It's like a car: if you don't fuel it then it won't work!
"Muscles are the same. If you don't fuel them properly then they don't perform and grow."
His advice is to eat the right sort of food. It’s no good eating loads and loads of pasta and expecting it to give you endless supply of energy. The same goes for protein. The body will only process food and use it when it's needed.
If you load up with too much carbohydrate (like pasta) the body will store what is not used as fat. If you load up on protein (like meat or protein shakes) then the body will just get rid of it (pee it out!) or store it as fat.
There is a fine balance between what the body will use in relation to how you work out.
Experts say have breakfast every day and eat a healthy diet, with protein from lean meat, chicken, eggs and fish and plenty of carbohydrates from foods like wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread, fruit, vegetables, milk and low fat dairy products.
As you are exercising and building muscle you can have more calories, but don’t eat junk food. Make it the right type of calories from real, healthy foods.
5. Feed your muscles when they’re hungry
Another muscle-building hormone your body produces is insulin. Roberta Anding from the US Dietetic Association says: "It makes your muscles soak up sugar, proteins, and other components that make them bigger and stronger."
Insulin is extra-effective right after a workout. So within 30 minutes after a workout, eat a blend of carbs and protein. Some options:
- Turkey sandwich
- Peanut butter and jam sandwich
- Nuts and seeds
- Smoothie with yoghurt and fruit
Skip these five mistakes
Here are five things NOT to do when you're working on building strong muscles:
1. Don’t hurt yourself trying to look cool
You know those guys who always moan and strain in the gym until they’re red in the face? Don’t be one of them.
Ian says: "I see this all the time in the gym. Scrawny teenagers all pumped up on testosterone and a fuelled ego trying to look the hero to impress their friends or the girl on the cross trainer.
"Heavy weights + poor technique = injury and bad posture in teenagers. Not a good look boys."
The advice is, stay within your limits.
2. Don’t try to figure it out on your own
If you are just starting out, don’t assume you know how to do everything.
When you don’t get the technique right, for example, leaning back and jerking up the dumbbells while doing biceps curls, you’re not focusing the load on your target muscles.
Instead, you’re bringing in other muscles into play and making them do the work.
Find a qualified trainer with good credentials at your gym, or talk to coaches at your school who know what they’re doing in the weight room.
Ask for lessons on how to properly do all the common lifts.
Ian says: "Learn from the experts how to exercise with the correct posture and technique. You'll look good and look as if you know what you are doing."
3. Don’t overdo protein
Teenage guys read about high protein diets in the muscle magazines and go over the top. If you train a lot you do need protein but not half a cow and protein shakes as well.
Ian, who used to play football for Livingston FC and Oxford United, says: "The body will only use a certain amount of protein depending on how hard you've trained the muscles. Protein is needed for muscle repair after a seriously hard workout but don't overdo it by necking gallons of protein shakes."
"I'm a great believer that unless you're a professional athlete and training 4-5 hours a day, then your protein should come from a natural source like red meat, chicken or fish."
"I see it all the time in the gym: guys throwing back protein shakes and they can't see their toes for their big, fat bellies!"
4. Don't skimp on rest and sleep
The experts we spoke to say don’t train every day. Your body needs to time to rest and recuperate. Your muscles will benefit from having a break.
Most kids like to stay up late but sleep is essential so you are energised and ready for your next training session.
"This is important because this is the time when the body is relaxed and has time repair itself," says Ian, who would also recommend yoga relaxation too.
5. Don’t rush it
"If you are eating right, doing the right training and accelerating muscle growth, you are making progress," says Oxford-based Gavin Allinson. "When the time is right, depending on your age and development, you will put on muscle."
Trainer Ian McCaldon is more philosophical. "If working out and building muscle makes you feel good and energised, then let that energy be the catalyst for your dreams and goals. After all, gold medals and world records were not achieved by sitting on the sofa watching others fulfil their dreams!
"Building muscle is for life, not just for looking cool on the beach!"
Reference: http://www.webmd.boots.com/fitness-exercise/guide/the-teenage-guys-guide-to-gaining-muscle
Reference: http://www.webmd.boots.com/fitness-exercise/guide/the-teenage-guys-guide-to-gaining-muscle
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