Anonymous wrote:Hire a personal trainer for a few sessions

OP here. I did this at my gym and it was useless. The program seems designed to sell more training sessions, basically. For ex, they spent the entire first session doing silly intake: measuring his waist, BMI etc., and did a long survey about fitness goals (he is a beanpole, this isnt about weight loss or body shape , and we were pretty clear about that - this is like what you’d do when an older, overweight person with orthopedic issues comes in for the firs time!), and then over the next few sessions they did a bunch of exercises he cant really do on his own. Even though I was clear I wanted him to come out with a program he could do on his own. It feels like the program is designed to make you think you cant work out alone. And frankly they dont seem to want clients who only want a couple sessions. That’s why I’m looking for other ideas. I’ll check out the app/book, and open to other ideas too!

Personal trainer or YouTube. He should really focus on technique

Hire a personal trainer for a few sessions

There are many apps that have lifting programs (splits). I use Sam Sweeney. It has a daily lift program, usually 2 week split. But there are many out there, that should not only list each move but also show how to do the move and offer adaptions in case you don’t have all the equipment.

Get a barbell and get him to work on his deadlift and overhead press form with light weight. Read Starting Strength, video himself. Also pullups/pushups. That will set him up nicely for spring.

Anonymous wrote:^if you tell us where you live we can suggest groups that offer weight training, cross fit, agility etc for teens.

Thanks! I’m in Bethesda. I think he will get baseball workouts in the winter but we wanted to get a jump on them, so just a basic weight training routine until then would be great.

^if you tell us where you live we can suggest groups that offer weight training, cross fit, agility etc for teens.

He is a freshman in High school and works out with various sports teams there. Anyone who wants to, I guess is allowed to work out in the weight room with the baseball team right now, so he's doing that - and the sport he plans to do will start working out in the winter for their spring season.

Sports teams. He went to group training sessions with a personal trainer for his sport in 7th grade. They had lifting sessions for the team that started in 8th grade.

If you live in Fairfax County the rec centers have weight lifting classes for teens to teach them proper form and use of the equipment.

My 14yo freshman has also learned in PE. Also, his spring sport has supervised lifting/conditioning twice a week this winter.

Have you considered a trainer/training facility? For my son’s sport (baseball) there are a number of trainers/training facilities in our metro area. They do strength classes (where they teach proper lifting), agility classes etc and have (I think?) a program with unlimited use of the facilities. Mostly baseball specific but other athletes welcome. I would imagine most metro areas would have similar options.

Our rec center had classes for teens in weight training.

PE, but then workout videos on YouTube. Just like I do when I want a new routine.

PE for my son as well.

They had lessons at PE in MS and HS.

How did he get a program to start? Mine wants to lift, but we’re getting such a runaround at my gym - they are really overcomplicating his ‘fitness program.’. I know a fair bit about weight training but I also know that puberty is a dangerous time to get something wrong, so I’d rather have a professional resource to get him up and running. He wont be playing a sport (and having team workouts) until spring, but he wants to start before that to be ready.

thanks!