Spiritual Action

It is becoming commonplace for teenagers to be involved in body building. Getting in shape and building muscle is not a bad idea if it is done correctly. Though teens may appear to be fully-grown, there are still key areas that are still developing. There are three major elements to a good body building routine for teens, weights, nutrition, and rest.

Teenagers have energy reserves that are the envy of others, and those reserves may cause problems during a body building workout. Because of teen's never ending energy supply, they make over work one set of muscles and ignore others.

The thought is that more is better, however, in weight training nothing is further from the truth. A rounded workout in which all muscle groups are worked equally is better. Once a muscle has reached a certain point there is no need to strain it further, in fact you can actually reverse your progress or worse yet cause injury.

Prefer reps instead of weight; do not start with the most heavy weights! Start your training program using light or moderate weights, then add weight as your strength increases.

To many times nutrition is neglected in favor of massive amounts of supplements. While supplements can be helpful in moderation eating the right quantities of protein and fiber are more important. You see when you are training you are actually tearing the muscles and in order to heal properly and "build" they need proper nutrition.

Another often-overlooked aspect of nutrition is water. Your body is comprised of 60% plus, and major organs depend on water to receive nutrients. This includes your muscles. The recommendation of eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day is merely a starting point, when you are training you should increase your water intake considerably. Your joints and vital organs will thank you, plus you will increase the success of your work out.

Next to water, this is the most overlooked aspect of training, especially in teens who feel indestructible. When you sleep the growth hormone, IGF-1 and testosterone are released, these are both necessary to the repair and growth of your muscles. That is what sleep was designed for, reparation of the body.

The key to building muscles is a balanced approach, daily hard work outs at the gym is not enough. This can be difficult for a generation accustomed to instant gratification, but it is the only way for consistent success and the prevention of injury.

You can begin weight training at this time, also if you enjoy a sport like football it is key that you develop a strong and healthy body. Simply follow the above plan, and your workout can be safe and productive.