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Other/Mixed (Super) Simple training templates for teenagers

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
Benjamin Renaud

Benjamin Renaud

Level 8 Valued Member
Hello everyone, at their request, I've slowly been introducing the older 2 of my 4 kids (13 and 14) to training. We first started with technique work on basic push, pull, squat and hinge. Now that they've got a bit of technique down I've been talking with them about various templates they could use to get into the habit of training, since consistency is the biggest hurdle for now.

For now I've got these super simple ones that are easy to follow and adapt but also not too time consuming since they also participate in various sports. Exercise selection, sets and reps are adapted to the intensity level required for motor control learning and frequency is adapted depending on the template. The goal isn't strength or even progression in weights as much as learning and building the habit. For now they've been mainly doing bodyweight stuff with some kettlebell goblet squats and deadlifts.

One lift a day - pick one lift from the 4 main categories that doesn't interfere with daily activities or sport and that isn't the same as last session. Easiest to fit with their sports.

Upper/lower split - rotate through an ABAB format with push/pull days and squat/hinge days.

Super simple strength - just pick 2 from the four categories and rotate in an ABAB format with the other 2. Add jogging or crawling or carries if the weather permits.

Easy strength - 10 reps of each of the 4 categories. Add jogging or crawling or carries if the weather permits.

Most of these would be done for 4-6 (very)short sessions per week. Sometimes it's only 10 minutes a day, especially the OLAD. They always warm up with the Flexible Steel joint mobility that Louka demonstrates.

Note: they haven't yet tried all of these templates, they are just the ones I have in mind and that I mentioned to them. They've mostly done OLAD or Push-pull-squat. The push-pull-squat seemed to be the hardest to follow when done only 2-3 times per week for an average 3 sets per exercise.

I'd love to hear what everyone else has in mind that could be very easy to explain and adhere to for teenagers that want to train but haven't completely built the habit yet. Short sessions done at a higher frequency seems to help them stay with it compared to longer routines done only 2-3 times per week.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have!
 
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I beleive kids could benefit from easy strength a lot. At that young age, on a daily basis training that young nervous system oh… it sounds fantestic to me.

Powerrto you and to your kids!
 
I love the SF strength info but for this particular circumstance I would recommend Stronglifts 5x5. It is simple, well laid out, has easy predictable progression, and eliminates guesswork. Gives a very good foundation of strength and after about 6mo the you can easily transition over to something in SF for a lifelong training regimen
 
With kids that age ‘goal setting’ means something like a poster of Arnie on the wall. I’d encourage them to focus on a ‘menu’ approach rather than a template. Get them to think of every way they like to lift weights and encourage them to go to the gym as often as they like and lift in one or more of those ways until they feel like going home. Encourage them to use every piece of equipment and every machine. Also encourage them to keep a training diary - even post it notes on the wall - and occasionally look back at what they enjoyed or didn’t enjoy and how much they’re lifting ‘now’ compared to ‘then’. If programming is what they want, then reflection will lead them there. I honestly wouldn’t even try to factor it in right now.
 
I’d probably teach them to the basic lifts and introduce the principles of progressive overload and SRA.

Once they are solid move on to the more specific techniques. Breath control, rep speed, exercise selection, that sort of thing.

Lastly once they have that down start introducing concepts like periodization and how to manage competing goals.

As much as I hate to say it, learning programming is kinda far down the list of what you need to get stronger. You can go a very long way with consistency and working technique.
 
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PTTP or Even Easier strength/40 day workout - they can practice their technique while seeing their numbers go up at the same time. Especially if they are also doing other sports.

I like the ground force exploration as a warm up as well, the 4 point crawling and pushup walks at the end are great for tying everything together and get a bit of a sweat up with the tension required. Maybe you could sneakily build strength that way as well as through structured "weight training":


 
Pin down some basic exercise selection and some form of load variation.

Recently reactivated my long-planned isometrics + submax sandbag and asked my kids if they wanted to get in on it. My son took me up, so now every other day on an A,B,A,B,A,B breakdown. The plan is simple - max effort set of overcoming isometrics for 8-12 breaths followed immediately DropSet style by a similar sandbag exercise. Must get between 8 and 15 reps, adjust load and/or number of isometric breath counts accordingly to manipulate loaded rep count. Avoid full failure but close is OK.

Two sets and on to the next exercise. I have had to use almost zero cues to pin down good form, the iso is ideal for this and having good form at long muscle length seems to translate perfectly to dynamic.

Not saying you should use this exact approach, but I would use some form of effort-based, variable load, fixed number of sets, whole body program with a simple progression scheme. DeLorme done with 8 reps instead of 10 maybe.
 
Just a quick clarification, I might not have been clear in the original post. I'm not trying to teach them programming besides very basic stuff. I explained to them the importance of proper form and the stop signs. They keep a few reps in the bank. We find rep ranges and volume that they can work in safely depending on the exercise they are doing. But they don't really think about progression more than adding a bit of volume as they get better at the exercises. I mean they've grabbed a bigger bell for DLs and moved up from change plates to KBs for goblets squats but that's about it.

The main objective is to find a way of training that they enjoy and are compelled to go back to so that they develop consistency.

My son really enjoys the OLAD, he plays around with the rep schemes from session to session and has fun with it. My daughter on the other hand has been struggling to find a schedule she likes. She likes to do more than just a single lift per day but if the sessions are too long to complete, she ends up not finding time to do them and isn't as consistent as she'd like. She's the one that spurred the discussion about "templates/programming" yesterday as she was wondering how she could find ways to be more consistent with her training. EDIT: I don't push them at all to train, they ask for my help and guidance.


@DocMike thanks for the suggestion, for now they only have access to the equipment I have at home so barbell work isn't accessible but I'll keep that program in mind for the future. I know my brother did it for a while.

@LukeV I know they do the menu approach when they have access to the gym at school since during their weightlifting classes they barely get any coaching or instructions. They do keep a training log, that way they can easily go back to it and check all the work they've been doing.

@3letterslong hadn't thought about Aleks' challenge, good idea to add it to the OLAD!

@lais817 thanks for the warm-up videos, I'll have fun playing around on the floor with the kids doing them. PTTP was also in the back of my mind, albeit a modified version with KBs since it's all they have access to for now at home. I'll have to go back to ES book to find Even Easier Strength since I don't remember the specifics but thanks for the suggestion.

@North Coast Miller pretty cool that your son jumped in on the isometric training with you. How old is he?
 
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Enjoyment is key to developing the habit, so I really like your idea of asking them to pick a couple of exercises they like and repeat.

My own son, (13) is into some bodybuilding techniques. I urge him to avoid excess but in terms of the bigger picture, I like that he’s developing the habit of exercise.

We started training together last year; I started with some basic Bodyweight routines to develop awareness and strength then progressed to things like goblet squats and deadlifts with a kettlebell before we joined a proper gym.

He doesn’t let me train with him now as he goes with his mates but he tends to use machines with standard bodybuilding loading. He’s grasped prog overload though and is seeing some really stark improvements. This last bit is quite a strong reason to continue; seeing numbers going up is reassuring to a newbie imo so try and factor that in
 
At what age do you all start training your kids?
My son is 7 and I do some bodyweight stuff with him and pulling/pushing my sled. He can do about 3 pull ups now and a bunch of push ups - at what age should I start to use weights/kettlebells? How are you all doing this?
 
Benjamin Renaud said:
Just a quick clarification, I might not have been clear in the original post. I'm not trying to teach them programming besides very basic stuff. I explained to them the importance of proper form and the stop signs. They keep a few reps in the bank. We find rep ranges and volume that they can work in safely depending on the exercise they are doing. But they don't really think about progression more than adding a bit of volume as they get better at the exercises. I mean they've grabbed a bigger bell for DLs and moved up from change plates to KBs for goblets squats but that's about it.

The main objective is to find a way of training that they enjoy and are compelled to go back to so that they develop consistency.

My son really enjoys the OLAD, he plays around with the rep schemes from session to session and has fun with it. My daughter on the other hand has been struggling to find a schedule she likes. She likes to do more than just a single lift per day but if the sessions are too long to complete, she ends up not finding time to do them and isn't as consistent as she'd like. She's the one that spurred the discussion about "templates/programming" yesterday as she was wondering how she could find ways to be more consistent with her training. EDIT: I don't push them at all to train, they ask for my help and guidance.


@DocMike thanks for the suggestion, for now they only have access to the equipment I have at home so barbell work isn't accessible but I'll keep that program in mind for the future. I know my brother did it for a while.

@LukeV I know they do the menu approach when they have access to the gym at school since during their weightlifting classes they barely get any coaching or instructions. They do keep a training log, that way they can easily go back to it and check all the work they've been doing.

@3letterslong hadn't thought about Aleks' challenge, good idea to add it to the OLAD!

@lais817 thanks for the warm-up videos, I'll have fun playing around on the floor with the kids doing them. PTTP was also in the back of my mind, albeit a modified version with KBs since it's all they have access to for now at home. I'll have to go back to ES book to find Even Easier Strength since I don't remember the specifics but thanks for the suggestion.

@North Coast Miller pretty cool that your son jumped in on the isometric training with you. How old is he?
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He just turned 16. I don't think he'd be up the straight iso plunge, but between the hybrid approach and the grudging realization his old man might actually know a thing or two, he's applying himself very well. If he can stick with it he'll get some solid results. 6 weeks in he's going up in strength and seeing some increased definition.
 
Benjamin Renaud said:
The main objective is to find a way of training that they enjoy and are compelled to go back to so that they develop consistency.
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Focus on the enjoyment part and keep it front and centre.

If your daughter has asked the question about what programming options are out there, then maybe show her the options - PTTP gives a simple to follow linear cycle and delves into waviness, S&S does step loading magnificently, ROP gives another take on step loading too. Find one that piques her interest and have her work something out using it / find something existing.

Benjamin Renaud said:
But they don't really think about progression more than adding a bit of volume as they get better at the exercises
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The "Triple progression" The Triple Progression System Explained | StrongFirst is pretty easy to understand, and would build off this concept. Maybe find a movement she wants to get stronger at and apply this to it?
 
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puddleduck said:
We started training together last year; I started with some basic Bodyweight routines to develop awareness and strength then progressed to things like goblet squats and deadlifts with a kettlebell before we joined a proper gym.
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This is exactly where we are now, me and the kids.

With regards to seeing the numbers go up, I think they are getting some satisfaction in seeing their rep numbers go up for now.

My son can now do 10 strict pull-ups on a good day. His push-up numbers went from barely doing 2 good reps to doing strong sets of 5. He also went from doing goblet squats with a 10lbs plate to doing them with the 16kg KB.

My daughter is also improving, she can now do strong hardstyle push-ups for singles and she can goblet squat the 24kg. She wants to be able to do a pull-up so she's working on ring rows and hangs for now.

Obviously improvements aren't as marked as adding weight to a bar or a machine but I think they are satisfied with engaging in the activity and not just by the progress they make. They get satisfaction from doing, this is why my daughter doesn't like the fact that she sometimes doesn't train as often as she'd like.

Thank you for sharing your experience in this matter.
 
lais817 said:
The "Triple progression" The Triple Progression System Explained | StrongFirst is pretty easy to understand, and would build off this concept. Maybe find a movement she wants to get stronger at and apply this to it?
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Great method. I'll definitely keep that one close by. I do try and teach them concepts/principles as we go along. Nothing fancy, just so that they slowly get a grasp of how to go about their training other than the "3 sets to failure" approach most kids they know use.
 
Xene said:
At what age do you all start training your kids?
My son is 7 and I do some bodyweight stuff with him and pulling/pushing my sled. He can do about 3 pull ups now and a bunch of push ups - at what age should I start to use weights/kettlebells? How are you all doing this?
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My youngest is 9 and he started doing pull-ups at around 6-7. He only does them from time to time, when he asks I get the bar ready for him and let him do some. He asks to do some KB DLs now and then, but I almost always have to re-coach him into a proper hinge, so I don't let him train those by himself yet. Push-ups seem to be the weakest one for all of my kids, I either have them do planks when they want to practice them or have them do a few good singles if they feel like it.

I just went along with how they ask me to do stuff. The more they want to train, the more I spend time with them looking at their technique and just playing around with demos and stuff like that. I try and always keep it fun and safe.
 
I think the one thing we would really need to establish before getting into specifics with respect to programming is what kind of base are they coming in with and are you looking to train them for the sake of training or is it more "GPP" for other pursuits, sports, activities, etc. From what you've mentioned, it seems like they might have a decent base for their age so I wouldn't be too opposed to pushing them a bit.

That said, whether people agree with everything published or not, Jim Wendler has been training high school athletes for quite some time now. His wife has taken over the middle school group which feeds into his high school group. I would dive into some of the podcasts he's done or his YouTube to get some potential ideas.

My 7 year old is starting to get into more formalized training now as opposed to general play to help support taekwondo. What we do is very, very basic though and I have zero thoughts about putting a bar in his hands or on his back at this point in time.
 
Any thoughts on yessis 1*20, getting all the joints going through their functions?
 
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