How to gain weight for a teenager: the most necessary knowledge

Greetings, my young friend. Today we have an important and serious topic - how to pump up a teenager.
I remember when I was 13 years old, watching films with Arnold Schwarzenegger, admiring his huge biceps, and then going up to the mirror and crying quietly. But I did not despair, I was sure that at the age of 14 I would have more muscles than him, and at 15 I would be called to play the role of the Terminator.

But the problem is that I didn’t know how to pump up such a mountain of muscles so that girls would run after me in droves. Well, or at least enough muscles so that my appearance doesn’t make them laugh.

Now the situation has changed radically. Therefore, right now I will tell you how to build muscles for a teenager.

Is it even possible for a 13, 14, 15 year old teenager to get pumped up?

In fact, it all depends on your genetics. It will be the hardest for guys who have arms like the legs of a sparrow , and whose ribs are more prominent than their abs. Gaining weight as a teenager is very difficult.

If you're a chubby lover of grandma's pies, then this will be a little easier for you.

The main difficulty will be nutrition. I remember my childhood and how we spent from morning to evening on the street and we clearly had no time for food. Everyone, with the exception of plump Seryozha, he always had a bun in his pocket.

Therefore, if you decide to become a pumped-up male, then be prepared for the fact that you will have to go home and eat on a schedule .

The next difficulty is that you won’t be able to push yourself too hard in the gym. The fact is that at this age the spine has not yet formed; if you give a large axial load, this can lead to dire consequences. Therefore, I would advise you to first use the services of a personal trainer.

But, despite all these difficulties, it is possible for a teenager to get pumped up. The main thing is that you have a desire and approach this matter responsibly.

Exercises to combat excess weight in teenage boys

To actively lose extra pounds, you need to do vigorous exercise. This applies to everyone and adolescence is no exception. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage the child to engage in active sports.

Active physical exercises include:

long distance running;
roller skating, skateboarding, scootering or biking;
jumping rope;
games of tag and other active yard games;
active team games such as badminton, football, basketball, handball, volleyball and others;
aerobics or modern dance;
swimming in the pool.

The workout should last more than half an hour. It is advisable to exercise outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. This will help in the fight against excess weight by improving metabolism.

Such exercises should be combined with proper nutrition, excluding fast food, carbonated drinks, chips, excessive consumption of sweets, fried and fatty foods.

Thin young men also look unattractive. An angular body and a stooped back require effective measures to be taken. And if a balanced diet does not help, then you need to choose exercises that promote muscle growth.

However, this does not mean that the child should work out in the gym and look like a bodybuilder. The teenager’s body is not yet strong enough to handle such stress. At this stage it will be enough to create a small relief. The following physical exercises are suitable for this:

Lie facing the floor, push your toes to the floor and spread your arms wide apart to the sides. The hands are directed forward, the legs are straightened, and the head is not tilted. In this position, exhale while bending your elbows and lower yourself down until your chest touches the floor, then inhale and take the starting position.
The starting position is the same, only the hands are located strictly under the shoulders and directed forward. You need to perform the movements as in the previous exercise, only when lowering your body, do not move your elbows to the sides. They should be pressed against the body and pointing backwards.
Take 0.5-1 kg weights in your hands. Stand up straight with your hands at your sides. Raise your shoulders high while inhaling and take the starting position while exhaling.
Grab the horizontal bar with a wide straight grip. Take a deep breath, pull yourself up until your chin touches the bar, then exhale and take the starting position. Movements should be smooth, without jerking.
Grab the bar with your feet (at the knees), hanging upside down. Palms crossed at the back of the head. Raise your torso as high as possible while exhaling, and lower while inhaling.
Climbing hands along a horizontal ladder.

With the help of such exercises you can shape your abs, biceps, triceps, and trapezius muscles. For training to be effective, you need regularity. It is quite enough to exercise every other day for 60 minutes. The number of repetitions is selected individually, depending on physical fitness. But every time it should increase.

Pumping up muscles at home

We all understand that at the age of 14 you don’t have money for the gym, and saving on buns in the school canteen is also not an option, because without food you won’t gain weight.

If asking your parents is not an option, then you can start training at home . And then, when you reach the size of a closet, you can take money from high school students.

What can we pump up at home:

back;
legs;
breast;
shoulders;
hands;
press.

I’ll tell you right away that it will be more difficult for a teenager to build muscles than for an adult man, but you’re a serious guy and you’re not going to relax, so you’ll succeed.

Back

As for me, the back is the most important thing; it needs to be trained first. If you have a powerful back, then at least you will have fewer problems with the spine, because the muscles will create a good corset that will take the main load and relieve the spine.

But not every adult, even an adult, understands this. But really, why build a powerful back if you can just spread your elbows wider, imagine that your back is as wide as the equator and proudly walk around the city, scaring passers-by.

But if you still want to build real muscles , then at home you can do the following exercises:

Pull-ups . There are a huge variety of pull-up options. The most effective for pumping up the back, in my opinion, are classic wide-grip pull-ups. You can also do pull-ups with a reverse close grip. If you don’t know how to do pull-ups, you can buy an expander band (by the way, it will also be useful in other exercises). With such an elastic band it will be easier to pull yourself up and over time you will learn to pull yourself up on your own.
Bent-over dumbbell rows. This exercise should be done with light weight and, most importantly, light weight. This exercise places an axial load on the spine, therefore, you need to pay attention to the technique. If you don’t have dumbbells, you can use the same elastic band.
boat. This exercise is a must for teenagers. It strengthens the muscles along the spine, which will allow you to increase the load on dumbbell rows in the future. And in principle, if Masha asks you to carry her briefcase home, you will have a much better chance of carrying the briefcase without breaking your back, and maybe you can carry Masha too.

At home, these are perhaps the most basic exercises that will help pump up a teenager’s back, but this will be quite enough to build a powerful back like Statham’s.

Legs

This is something that even grown men often forget about. Or maybe they don’t forget, maybe they just think that their gherkin will look more massive against the background of thin legs. But I advise you to pay enough attention to your feet too.

If your whole body is proportionally developed , then you will look better than if you have huge arms, and your legs will give way from the weight of your own huge arms.

In addition, there are a huge number of muscle fibers in the legs; each workout stimulates a good release of testosterone and makes not only the legs grow, but also the back, chest, and even neck.

To pump up a teenager’s legs at home, we will need:

Squats . You can squat with or without weight. Naturally, it is better to squat with weight. You may not have extra weight in the form of a barbell or dumbbells, but you do have a schoolbag with textbooks. Just throw it on your back or put it in front of you and squat.
Lunges . Also a very cool exercise. It also pumps up the buttocks very well. And I’ll tell you a secret, my little male, girls like inflated male butts.
Pistols . These are squats on one leg. A great option if you find it easy to squat with your own weight.
Walking to higher ground . It could be a chair, a sofa, a bedside table, in general, anything where you can put your foot and get up without hitting your head on the ceiling.

I described these and other exercises in detail in the article on how to pump up thin legs , so follow the link and learn.

So the legs were pumped up. But, I want to note that if you have a weak back, then I do not recommend lifting your legs with additional weight. Therefore, first, pump up your back, and then add weights to your leg training .

Breast

Well, what would it be like without powerful breasts? This is the main attribute of a successful man. Especially if your breasts are larger than those of your classmates. The sagging breasts of classmates who are on a pie diet do not count. This is not a reason to be proud.

To have pumped up breasts, you need to do the following exercises:

Wide grip push-ups . This is perhaps the simplest and most accessible exercise. If you find it easy to do push-ups with your own weight, then a backpack with textbooks will always come to your aid.
Dips . These are already exercises for advanced people. If you want to focus on your chest, then look for wider bars and tilt your body a little forward when performing. If you are generally a powerful guy, then again you can use a backpack and complicate the exercise.

Perhaps you have weak arms , so you won’t be able to immediately start doing push-ups like an adult. There is nothing wrong with this, you just need to strengthen your arms first, and then start doing push-ups.

Shoulders

It will be more difficult to pump up your shoulders at home. Most exercises that work the deltoids require a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebell . In some cases, you can limit yourself to ingenuity, but not in all.

So, what can you do at home:

Dumbbell/barbell press while standing or sitting . Not everyone has a barbell at home; dumbbells are easier to find, but if you don’t have them, you can use, for example, water bottles.
Swing dumbbells to the side . Also a good exercise, especially if you have dumbbells. If there are none, then we take water bottles again.
If suddenly you have a kettlebell at home, then you can do kettlebell rows to the chin . It will be absolutely wonderful. But I remind you that this exercise can only be done if you have strong back muscles, so that the weight of the weight is taken not by the spine, but by the muscles.

At home, it is best to pump your shoulders if you have an expander band. This thing is inexpensive and gives you the opportunity to upgrade whatever your heart desires.

Hands

So we finally got to our hands. How else can you conquer girls if not with your hands, right? We all want to pump up our biceps like Everest, so that once we strain our shirt and the T-shirt breaks, the main thing is that our mother doesn’t scold us.

Of course, you are unlikely to believe me, but I want to tell you that when you pump your back, chest and shoulders, your biceps and triceps work and, accordingly, swing. But I myself understand that this does not sound so convincing, so you will not be able to sleep peacefully until you find exercises that will turn your rowan branches into powerful oak stems.

So, what can you do for biceps:

Standing/sitting barbell/dumbbell curls for biceps . This is perhaps the most popular exercise and the most effective. Again, if we don’t have the equipment, we go ask mom for bottles of water.
Reverse close grip pull-ups . In addition to the back, this exercise also works the biceps very well. It turns out we kill two birds with one stone.
Hammers with dumbbells or with the same bottles . This exercise differs from regular biceps curls in that the palms face each other.

What about triceps:

Narrow grip push-ups from the floor . Great exercise for that. To pump up your triceps and at the same time load your chest. The difference from classic push-ups is that we place our hands closer to the body, and when lowering, we do not spread our elbows to the sides, but rather press them against the body.
Push-ups on parallel bars . In this case, you need to find narrow bars. When lowering, keep your body straight, do not lean forward, and move your elbows back.
Back push-ups from a bench/chair/sofa /whatever. The exercise is difficult, unpleasant, but effective. But the main thing here is to learn the correct technique, which is the most difficult thing. According to statistics, 10 out of 10 people do not succeed in this exercise the first time. Therefore, I recommend doing it under the supervision of a trainer or a person who has already mastered the technique.

I wrote more about how to build healthy arms

Press

And here is another weakness of girls. Washboard instead of a belly . If you can see abs on your stomach, then be sure that at the age of 14 all the girls are yours. And it doesn’t matter that these may not be cubes, but ribs, they still have not yet learned to distinguish between them.

To pump up your abs, you don’t need any equipment at all. Just lie down on the floor and lift your body, and then lift your legs. In general, there are a million exercises, even if you change them every day, the exercises may not be repeated for the rest of your life.

I have already written an article about how to make six-pack belly fat for a man, and since the program will be no different for a teenager, just go ahead and read.

So, here are 15 exercises for younger students:

The first 5 exercises are to warm up the muscles. It is strictly forbidden to do complex exercises immediately after sleep.

We take a deep breath and rise on our toes. We pull the handles up as high as possible, as if we are trying to reach the ceiling. We lower ourselves to the full foot and exhale. Number of approaches – 10.
We tilt our head to the left, return to the starting position for a couple of seconds and then tilt our head to the right. Next, we make circular movements with our heads - to the right side, then to the left. Execution time – 2 minutes.
Now shoulders and arms. We alternately raise one shoulder, then the other, then both at once. Next, we swing our hands upward - in turn, now with our left hand, now with our right hand. Then make circular movements with your arms, as when swimming – first breaststroke, then crawl. We try to do the exercises as slowly as possible.
We rest our hands on our sides and bend – left, right, then forward and backward. 5 times - in each direction.
We walk in place for 2-3 minutes, raising our knees as high as possible. Next, we jump 5 times on the left leg, then 5 times on the right leg, then 5 times on both, and then jump with a 180-degree turn.
We stretch our arms forward, interlock our fingers and stretch forward – as far as possible. Then, without losing the lock, we lower our hands down and try to reach the floor with our palms. Well, we finish the exercise by trying to reach the ceiling with our clasped palms.
We do squats. Conditions: keep your back straight, legs shoulder-width apart, hands can be clasped behind your head or extended forward. The number of repetitions is 10-15.
We do push-ups. Boys, of course, do push-ups from the floor, but for girls the task can be simplified - you can do push-ups from a chair or sofa. The number to repeat is from 3-5.
Boat. We lie down on our tummy, stretch our arms forward and slightly up (lift up the bow of the boat), and also put our legs together, lifting up the “stern of the boat.” We bend the back as hard as possible. Execution time – 2-3 minutes.
Bridge. We lie down on the floor (children who know how to lower themselves onto the bridge from a standing position, lower themselves straight from it), rest their feet and palms on the floor and, straightening their arms and legs, bend their back in an arc. Execution time – 2-3 minutes.
We sit on the floor and spread our legs to the sides. We alternately reach out with our hands to the toes of our left foot, then to the toes of our right. It is important to touch your stomach with your leg so that your body lies with your leg - parallel to the floor.
Bend your left leg at the knee and lift it up, clapping your hands under it. Then repeat with the right leg. Next, we raise the extended left leg as high as possible (at least 90 degrees relative to the floor) and clap our hands under it again. Repeat for the right leg.
Martin. We spread our arms to the sides, move our left leg back and, slightly tilting our body forward, freeze in the swallow pose for 1-2 minutes. It is important that the body at this moment is parallel to the floor. Next, we repeat the exercise, changing the leg.
We hold a regular ball between our knees, straighten our shoulders, and rest our hands on our waist. Now we slowly squat, keeping our back straight and the ball between our knees. The number of repetitions is 10-12.
We rest our hands on the floor and “hover” above it in a “push-up” position. Now slowly, using our hands, we “go” to a vertical position. We rest a little in the “ostrich” pose and “stomp” our hands forward to the original position. We walk back and forth with our hands 10-12 times.

We finish the exercise with a simple exercise for relaxation: we stretch “at attention” while inhaling, tensing all the muscles – for 5-10 seconds. Then we sharply relax at the command “at ease”, exhaling. We repeat the exercise 3 times.

Training program for teenagers

You can train at home every day, the main thing is to alternate muscle groups. You can split your workouts into 3 days and do exercises for 3 days in a row, and then preferably rest for 1-2 days.

A program for a teenager might look like this:

Day 1, back and biceps

Wide grip pull-ups 3 sets to the maximum (no more than 16 times, if you get more, then take a backpack and put textbooks there).
Bent-over dumbbell rows 4 sets of 8-16.
Pull-ups with a narrow reverse grip, 3 sets to the maximum (also no more than 16 times).
Boat 4 sets of 16-20 reps.
Lifting dumbbells for biceps 4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Day 2, chest and triceps

Dips on the uneven bars 5 approaches to the maximum (no more than 16 times, or add weights).
Push-ups 5 sets maximum (no more than 16 times).
Close-grip push-ups, 5 sets maximum (no more than 16 times).

Day 3, legs and shoulders

Squats 4 sets to the maximum (no more than 16 times, if you get more, add weights).
Lunges 4 sets of 8-16 on each leg.
Walking uphill 4 sets of 8-16 on each leg.
Standing/sitting dumbbell press 4 sets of 8-16 reps.
Swing dumbbells to the sides 4 sets of 8-16 times.

This is how they turn into two-meter big men with the width of Van Damme's splits.

Duration of training

Bodybuilding for teens shouldn't be too strenuous, so don't train for too long. The optimal time is 40-60 minutes. This is quite enough for warming up, doing exercises and cooling down after class. Exercising for more than an hour can only cause harm to the body. However, if you have enough experience in sports, then you can, of course, increase the time, but you need to focus on your feelings. If you feel tired and unwell, you don’t need to force yourself to exercise.

Rocking out in the gym

for a teenager to pump up in the gym , because there are glands there . There are pieces of equipment both at the factory and at the construction site, it’s much more economical for the budget, but at this age you may not be allowed to go to the factory or construction site. But at the age of 18, you can safely leave school and go there to work, where you can not only get pumped up, but also earn money.

Now let's get down to business. If you still decide to go to the gym, then I recommend working out with a trainer, if you don’t want to ruin your health so badly in a couple of years, or even months, that you’ll never work out again.

By the way, in most gyms at the age of 13-15 you will not be allowed at all without a coach or parents , so discuss with your family the purchase of a subscription to the coach.

The most basic requirement for training teenagers is to minimize axial load, and at the very beginning it is best to eliminate it altogether. Gradually. When the back muscles become stronger, it will be possible to add basic exercises that involve an axial load, for example, squats, deadlifts, bent-over barbell rows, etc.

You can train in the gym 3 times a week, each of the three days will include certain muscle groups. A gym workout program might look like this:

Day 1, back and biceps

Pull-ups 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
Dumbbell rows lying on a bench 4 sets of 8-10 times (this exercise is similar to a bent-over barbell row; it is good because it eliminates axial load due to the fact that you are lying on a bench).
Wide-grip lat pull-downs to the chest, 4 sets of 10-12 reps.
Hyperextension 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Lifting dumbbells while sitting on a bench, 4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Day 2, chest and triceps

Bench press 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
Incline dumbbell press 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Reduction of arms in the butterfly simulator, 4 sets of 10-12 times.
Bench press with a narrow grip, 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
French press 4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Day 3, legs and shoulders

Squats with dumbbells 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
Leg press 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Lying leg curls 4 sets of 10-12 times.
Seated dumbbell press 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
Barbell rows to the chin 4 sets of 8-12 reps.

You can train your abs at least on each of these days, or you can train them separately at home on days when you take a break from training in the gym.

You can do small complexes on the press , for example, the following:

Hanging leg raises on the bar 15 times.
Lifting the body on the bench 15 times.

You need to do these 2 exercises without rest, repeat 3-4 times.

How important is training for a child?

Exercise for a teenager is of decisive importance in physical development. Children aged 12–14 years experience active body growth and changes at the mental level. Puberty occurs. During the period of hormonal transformations, it is important for boys and girls to resort to actions that help strengthen muscles and bones, and train the cardiovascular system.

Gymnastic exercises ensure the fastest adaptation of a child’s not fully formed body to changes. Regular exercise for teenagers 12 years and older makes it possible to feel less tired in the evening. Physical exercises help avoid the occurrence of stagnant processes in the body of schoolchildren who lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass for a teenager

If you are thin and want to gain weight as a teenager, then be prepared for the fact that you will stop liking food and you will be sick from just the sight of it. Because you will have to eat a lot .

You will need to eat a lot of meat, fish, dairy products, various cereals, nuts and other things. The most important thing is to maintain the required amount of BZHU and cover the calorie consumption. I wrote about this in more detail in an article about nutrition for weight gain for a skinny guy.

And you must understand that if you train hard, put all your strength into training, but during the day you eat one cookie and eat yogurt before going to bed, then you will not have any mass.

Diet for teenagers

It is worth considering that all exercises for teenagers are designed to develop muscles, and not to burn fat. The exception is cardio exercise. Therefore, it is very important to maintain a proper diet. There is no need to keep your child on a diet; a growing body needs fats and carbohydrates, but you should teach him the right food. Only in combination with nutrition will physical exercise for teenagers bring optimal results.

The majority of the diet should be protein, as it is the building material of a growing body. Sources of natural protein include fish, meat, and dairy products. Carbohydrates should be obtained from cereals and dried fruits, and not from sweets and pies. A teenager should eat at least 4 times a day and under no circumstances should he skip breakfast, since the success of the whole day depends on it.

By following simple nutritional rules and performing aerobic exercises for weight loss for teenagers, the child’s weight will return to normal.

There is no need to force a boy or girl to adhere to a regimen by force, that is, to eat right and do physical exercises for teenagers; it is necessary to instill a love for this activity by explaining everything correctly to him.

Gainer and protein in adolescence

Now the wrath of a million mothers will fall upon me, but I will still say that all these proteins and other chemicals are harmless even for babies . Therefore, they can be safely used when gaining weight. I wrote about this in articles about sports nutrition for weight gain, namely about gainer and protein for skinny guys.

But I still recommend that you start without sports supplements, so to speak, start swinging like crazy . And then, when you reach a certain level and your weight stops growing, you can add gainer and protein.

But if you still decide to take this step at such a young age, then be prepared that the liver will fail not by the age of 30, but by 20, and the piper will no longer stand at 18. These are, of course, jokes and myths, but I I wouldn’t risk becoming a young myth buster and testing all this on my own experience, especially since your parents may not approve of your eagerness to use sports supplements. So buy some buckwheat, some breast meat, and run and swing.

At what age should you start strength training?

Strength training is necessary as soon as the child can maintain balance and postural control, listen and follow directions. This is usually around 7-8 years of age, but it depends on your child's maturity level. Although children under the age of 10 can gain strength from weight training, teenagers between the ages of 10 and 15 tend to be the most interested group. Your child should also be willing to engage in this activity and be prepared to practice multiple times per week.

Strength training for children is not weightlifting, powerlifting, or bodybuilding in its purest competition-oriented forms. These differences need to be clear to parents, coaches and children.

Preparing for Weight Training

Before your teen begins a formal strength training program, it is recommended to be evaluated by a pediatrician or sports medicine physician. There are several conditions under which weight training is not recommended, including for children with uncontrolled high blood pressure, seizure disorders, or undergoing chemotherapy for childhood cancer.

A qualified trainer with some experience in teaching teenagers should constantly supervise the participants, especially for groups that may lose concentration. The recommended instructor to child ratio is 1:10 (or less). The best place to start is with one-on-one sessions with a personal trainer.

Good form and progression of loads over time are important for any new trainer, but especially for developing and immature bodies. Always remember safety requirements, including proper technique and proper weight selection. Competition between friends or other kids in a training group can result in choosing too heavy a weight or using the wrong technique, which can lead to injury.

When choosing a place to exercise, look for a well-equipped gym with equipment that can be adjusted to suit the light workouts required by teenagers who have less endurance than adults. If the gym is not an option, then light dumbbells or bodyweight exercises can be replaced by machines and barbells.