Need Gym advice.

[Langmuir]

Need some gym advice. I have been lifting at Lifetime Fitness since March with my son who is 14. We have mostly been doing a powerlifting workout (squats, DL, bench) but also do a good amount of shoulders, back, arms…etc to support the PL lifts. Lately there has been a trainer there who watches us and as soon as she see him doing something wrong either she or she sends another trainer over to us correct his form. I have been lifting on and off for close to 30 years in about a dozen different gyms. I don’t claim to be an expert but I know good form when I see it and I know bad form. Now I agree my son’s form is not always perfect and there things he needs to work on…that is true with everybody even these damn trainers. I try to make corrections but his form for most lifts is good enough to go a little heavy. Note, I am with him and spotting him on every single lift and correcting any non-symmetries and such. We spent the first few months only working on form. If we only work on form or I correct every little thing he does, he will get bored and aggravated quickly as would anybody. So sometimes I just let him lift.

Just last night he was doing sumo DL. This is how he always does DL, he said it was more natural to him than conventional DL. The trainer who watches us sends over one of her coworkers to show my son how to do sumo. What he showed was terrible technique with an overly arched back. Granted my son needs to get his shoulders back and his hips a little lower and closer to the bar, but it was not that bad. I use Krzysztof Wierzbicki as my gold standard of sumo technique. My son’s form was much closer to Wierzbicki’s technique than this trainer’s.

How do I get these trainers to leave us alone? They always say they don’t want to see him get hurt. He is 14, I am more likely to get hurt than him. If I see him doing anything dangerous, I stop it.

 

[psu1969a]

Need some gym advice. I have been lifting at Lifetime Fitness since March with my son who is 14. We have mostly been doing a powerlifting workout (squats, DL, bench) but also do a good amount of shoulders, back, arms…etc to support the PL lifts. Lately there has been a trainer there who watches us and as soon as she see him doing something wrong either she or she sends another trainer over to us correct his form. I have been lifting on and off for close to 30 years in about a dozen different gyms. I don’t claim to be an expert but I know good form when I see it and I know bad form. Now I agree my son’s form is not always perfect and there things he needs to work on…that is true with everybody even these damn trainers. I try to make corrections but his form for most lifts is good enough to go a little heavy. Note, I am with him and spotting him on every single lift and correcting any non-symmetries and such. We spent the first few months only working on form. If we only work on form or I correct every little thing he does, he will get bored and aggravated quickly as would anybody. So sometimes I just let him lift.

Just last night he was doing sumo DL. This is how he always does DL, he said it was more natural to him than conventional DL. The trainer who watches us sends over one of her coworkers to show my son how to do sumo. What he showed was terrible technique with an overly arched back. Granted my son needs to get his shoulders back and his hips a little lower and closer to the bar, but it was not that bad. I use Krzysztof Wierzbicki as my gold standard of sumo technique. My son’s form was much closer to Wierzbicki’s technique than this trainer’s.

How do I get these trainers to leave us alone? They always say they don’t want to see him get hurt. He is 14, I am more likely to get hurt than him. If I see him doing anything dangerous, I stop it.

Huh! good technique is important to reduce chance of injury. If YOU do not like the advice tell Trainer to mind their own business or find another gym. You are the parent.

 

[cjrugger]

You guys never cease to amaze

 

[Ohio_Pirate]

That's a lot of detail but I never once saw where you asked the trainer to leave you and your son alone. Start there.

If they still want to try to impart their wisdom against your consent then I'd ask to speak to the training director or manager and see if there's a liability waiver or something you can sign if the staff will agree to leave you alone. Doesn't seem that complicated.

edit: if that doesn't work, start going around when the trainer is working with a client of her own and offering your own unsolicited advice to them. "Oh you don't like when I come over to tell you how I would do it?!?!!? Interesting!!"

 

[psu1969a]

You guys never cease to amaze

really, and the reason is?

 

[fizzyskittles]

Tell them in explicit terms to leave you and him alone .

 

[Langmuir]

Oh I forgot to mention the main reason I have not been more assertive with them. They have a policy of nobody under 15 in the free weight area. If I tell them to shove off, I am afraid they will just say that he can't work out there anymore. Many gyms are very strict about age limits and so far I have been about to get away with here I think because I am with him the whole time. I never let him make one lift unless I am right there.

Oops that is an important piece of info that I was thinking about but just got bogged down in details was I was writing.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

Oh I forgot to mention the main reason I have not been more assertive with them. They have a policy of nobody under 15 in the free weight area. If I tell them to shove off, I am afraid they will just say that he can't work out there anymore. Many gyms are very strict about age limits and so far I have been about to get away with here I think because I am with him the whole time. I never let him make one lift unless I am right there.

Oops that is an important piece of info that I was thinking about but just got bogged down in details was I was writing.

That doesn’t really hange anything. Tell them to leave you alone or find another gym.

 

[LafayetteBear]

Has your son gone fully through puberty yet? 14 is a little young to be doing power lifting, particularly if the kid has not completed puberty and his growth spurt. The risk of injury is enhanced. My son and I received that advice directly from his pediatrician.

 

[ImaWright]

Has your son gone fully through puberty yet? 14 is a little young to be doing power lifting, particularly if the kid has not completed puberty and his growth spurt. The risk of injury is enhanced. My son and I received that advice directly from his pediatrician.

I'm sorta with you on this if it truly is powerlifting (high weight, low rep) unless his boy has been working these lifts for a long time. On the other hand, the OP may just mean multi-joint lifts in the muscular strength or endurance modality. What I would absolutely not recommend for the 14 year old is Olympic lifts with any explosiveness or above body weight plyometric loading. I don't think any kid whose growth plates are still extremely active should be doing this type of lifting.

 

[Langmuir]

What I mean by powerlifting is we do the PL lifts. No maxing out. Nothing less than 5 reps per set. In fact just because of scheduling we usually don’t have more than a couple squat or DL (on separate days) workouts per month. Also our workouts are quick. Only a few exercises per workout and we are in and out in less than an hour and 15 min. Perhaps I should not have referenced PL at all. For chest, shoulder, and arm work we alternate between dumbbells and barbell.

 

[L.A.Lion]

You and your boy should toss some salt in the air and stomp in a circle around the barbell like this for a minute or so before doing the lift. It purifies the weightroom of intrusion by busybody trainers. The repellent effect will be stronger if you both wear the mawashi.

 

[PS4814]

Man up and say thanks but no thanks to trainer or trainer's underling.

Not sure what kind of gym lifetime fitness is, but I remember being a member at LA Fitness and the trainers were hounding people continually, correcting form and then going right into a sales pitch about signing up for personal training sessions with them. More than once had to tell them politely that I'm good and not interested.

 

[LionJim]

Man up and say thanks but no thanks to trainer or trainer's underling.

Not sure what kind of gym lifetime fitness is, but I remember being a member at LA Fitness and the trainers were hounding people continually, correcting form and then going right into a sales pitch about signing up for personal training sessions with them. More than once had to tell them politely that I'm good and not interested.

Gold’s leaves you the hell alone.

 

[ralphster]

I often wonder what qualifies someone to be a trainer. Anybody know?

 

[PS4814]

Gold’s leaves you the hell alone.

Yea LA Fitness was about a decade ago for me. Unfortunately the Gold's near me is really REALLY crappy and run poorly. They've been booted from their locations twice within the last 5 years due to not paying rent and being generally shady. Did crossfit for a year which really got me into olympic lifting until I realized how stupid and unsafe some of their workouts are. So now I found a gym that I'd consider crossfit lite and have been able to stick with it for awhile without any major injuries.

 

[LionJim]

Yea LA Fitness was about a decade ago for me. Unfortunately the Gold's near me is really REALLY crappy and run poorly. They've been booted from their locations twice within the last 5 years due to not paying rent and being generally shady. Did crossfit for a year which really got me into olympic lifting until I realized how stupid and unsafe some of their workouts are. So now I found a gym that I'd consider crossfit lite and have been able to stick with it for awhile without any major injuries.

Luck of the draw for me, I guess.

 

[VirginiaLion]

Oh I forgot to mention the main reason I have not been more assertive with them. They have a policy of nobody under 15 in the free weight area. If I tell them to shove off, I am afraid they will just say that he can't work out there anymore. Many gyms are very strict about age limits and so far I have been about to get away with here I think because I am with him the whole time. I never let him make one lift unless I am right there.

Oops that is an important piece of info that I was thinking about but just got bogged down in details was I was writing.

This is a major detail. It sounds as though they don't like the idea of a 14 year old being in the free weight area so.....trainers will hound to make a point so hopefully (in their mind) your son will tire of this and will no longer work out there.

 

[LionJim]

This is a major detail. It sounds as though they don't like the idea of a 14 year old being in the free weight area so.....trainers will hound to make a point so hopefully (in their mind) your son will tire of this and will no longer work out there.

That's probably not the case. If the trainers did know the boy's age, they wouldn't have a problem pulling him out. The insurance company is probably the one calling the shots here.

 

[PearlSUJam]

Planet Fitness is your friend. It's a judgement free zone after all.

 

[fizzyskittles]

What I mean by powerlifting is we do the PL lifts. No maxing out. Nothing less than 5 reps per set. In fact just because of scheduling we usually don’t have more than a couple squat or DL (on separate days) workouts per month. Also our workouts are quick. Only a few exercises per workout and we are in and out in less than an hour and 15 min. Perhaps I should not have referenced PL at all. For chest, shoulder, and arm work we alternate between dumbbells and barbell.

You’re fine . The average doctor is about as qualified to offer exercise advice as I’m qualified to argue in front of the Supreme Court . They get zero exercise training and physiology in school .
If you’re watching him , he’s fine. And fwiw explosive training or sports that involve running snd jumping cause much more stress on joints and connective tissue than weight training .
Your average doctor gets next to zero training in physics or biophysics. Basically, doc don’t lift.

 

[ralphster]

Stupid doctors

 

[LafayetteBear]

I'm sorta with you on this if it truly is powerlifting (high weight, low rep) unless his boy has been working these lifts for a long time. On the other hand, the OP may just mean multi-joint lifts in the muscular strength or endurance modality. What I would absolutely not recommend for the 14 year old is Olympic lifts with any explosiveness or above body weight plyometric loading. I don't think any kid whose growth plates are still extremely active should be doing this type of lifting.

Possible damage to growth plates was the most specific concern our pediatrician had about power lifting at an early age. .

 

[N&B4PSU]

You’re fine . The average doctor is about as qualified to offer exercise advice as I’m qualified to argue in front of the Supreme Court . They get zero exercise training and physiology in school .
If you’re watching him , he’s fine. And fwiw explosive training or sports that involve running snd jumping cause much more stress on joints and connective tissue than weight training .
Your average doctor gets next to zero training in physics or biophysics. Basically, doc don’t lift.

My experience also. I have no interest in listening to advice from those who have no idea wtf they are doing in the gym.. if they even bother to go (which most don't).

BTW... I, otoh, am fully qualified in front of the supreme court (well, the building... lol).

 

[fizzyskittles]

My experience also. I have no interest in listening to advice from those who have no idea wtf they are doing in the gym.. if they even bother to go (which most don't).

BTW... I, otoh, am fully qualified in front of the supreme court (well, the building... lol).

Yep, the amount of force on joints from jumping and landing greatly exceeds anything a properly conducted powerlift will do. Then we have the head trauma issue from contact sports, the knee issue etc.
Supervised lifting might be the safest physical activity they can do aside from walking. Even bike riding which is obviously low impact , well you can get hit by cars, fall off , hit your head etc.

 

[Langmuir]

That's probably not the case. If the trainers did know the boy's age, they wouldn't have a problem pulling him out. The insurance company is probably the one calling the shots here.

Yep that is really the heart of my dilemma. If it were just me, I would tell them to piss off. But I don't want to tell them to piss off and then have them throw the rule book in my face saying that he should not allowed in the free weight area anyway.

I agree it is the insurance company calling the shots. Just about every gym has age restrictions of 13 for machines and 15 for free weights. It must be a standard thing for their liability insurance. When my daughter was around this age, we were going to another gym and they absolutely would not let her in the free weight area. Simply switching gyms is not really a viable option.

 

[MJG-90]

I spent under $1,000 and have a pretty nice setup in my basement -- dumbbells from 5 to 35 pounds, two olympic bars, over 600 pounds of plates, a curl bar and more than enough plates for it (that was a freebie and not olympic size). I also have a pretty nice bench that has 4 different heights for the pegs and it has some cable / pulley stuff for rows, lats, etc. But I rarely use that. I stick to free weights as much as possible.

 

[Langmuir]

Possible damage to growth plates was the most specific concern our pediatrician had about power lifting at an early age. .

I looked into this before we even started. From what I can tell this is just one of those myths that permeates the medical community. There are some concerns about children who specialize at a very young age and train at a very high level. The classic example is young elite gymnasts who train intensively for 3-4 hours everyday. These young athletes are prone to stress fractures which may damage growth plates.

Most doctors are not going to understand the difference between competitive PL and using the PL motions as an overall strength exercise like we are doing. The biggest risk of injury is kids doing stupid stuff and dropping the weights. Young teen boys don't usually have very good judgement. Supervision is key and that is what I am doing.

Here is an article from the NIH that talks about many of these issues.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445252/

 

[Kmase21]

Lifetime Fitness seems way overpriced IMO. I go to LA Fitness and have no problems.

 

[fizzyskittles]

I looked into this before we even started. From what I can tell this is just one of those myths that permeates the medical community. There are some concerns about children who specialize at a very young age and train at a very high level. The classic example is young elite gymnasts who train intensively for 3-4 hours everyday. These young athletes are prone to stress fractures which may damage growth plates.

Most doctors are not going to understand the difference between competitive PL and using the PL motions as an overall strength exercise like we are doing. The biggest risk of injury is kids doing stupid stuff and dropping the weights. Young teen boys don't usually have very good judgement. Supervision is key and that is what I am doing.

Here is an article from the NIH that talks about many of these issues.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445252/

You’re correct . When my son was 11 he pulled 195 lb at a body weight of 65 lbs. At Westside barbell under the watch of Louie Simmons and Amy Weisberger.
If you’re watching him and have a decent amount of experience I’d trust you over most “ trainers “.