Advice for a 14 1/2 year old looking to increase strength

M

mute356

0
My son in a 6-1, 225 14 year old. He will be 15 in December and plays football and basketball. He hasnt hit puberty yet and looks like he is just starting too. At football lifting, he is one of the bigger freshman but doesnt lift near as much as smaller freshman who have hit puberty. He is benching maybe 130, squatting 210 and deadlifting maybe 230 or more.

I hear that lifting before puberty is not healthy. They arent doing heavy weight, but there are freshman benching 220 or squatting 275. Is that normal? Also, what is the best type of lifting to build pure strength, specifically in the shoulders. He has a weaker core and is a bit gangly, long legs. We do core stuff too, but what do you recommend to build pure power?
 
Some of it could be timing... if he hasn't hit puberty yet and the other kids have, then he probably won't have the same amount of muscle bulk as the others yet. There's nothing that can be done about that, unfortunately. It also depends on what he's been doing for training compared to the other kids. I couldn't tell you what's normal for that age for basketball or football players, but hopefully someone on the forum might know. Have you seen the Young Athlete Development section yet?

There might be some useful information there for you: Young Athlete Development
 
I wish I could have been a 6-1, 225 lb 14 year old who hadnt yet hit puberty! Holy ***** this kid is going to be crushing in a few years!
 
Thank you so much for the replies. I will check out that section you linked.

Thanks Purp. He is still a boy, no body hair, kids face and voice, baby fat. He is all crushed because the smaller kids are stronger but I tried my best to explain how puberty works hahaha. I was a 5-9 8th grader and by the time I was a soph I was 6-4. My other kids were very late bloomers too. Hes impatient. He just isnt seeing the strength gains he had hoped for....

Thanks again guys.
 
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