Fitness for teens
Many teenagers and their parents wonder what an appropriate exercise program is for them as they grow and develop into adults. It's been proven that teenagers and children can benefit from strength training just as adults do, as long as it's done safely and with the guidance of a professional.
When it comes to programming, it's important for teen girls to vary their routines every six weeks or so. This provides a novel stimulus both through a change in exercise selection, as well as changing the number of reps to elicit the desired response such as muscle building, strength gains, or power and performance. It's also a great way for a teen to figure out what she likes and what works best for HER body.
So, how long should teen girls work out each day? Teen girls should aim to have an hour or more of physical activity each day. This can be 40 minutes of weight training and some cardio (always after weights unless you're training for a specific sport). There's some benefit to adding more vigorous activity a few days a week for 30 minutes as well. You could choose something like a sport to engage in, such as basketball, volleyball, or jiujitsu. You could also consider trying one of the many amazing HIIT workouts on YouTube.
How many times per week should a teenager engage in cardio vs strength training or other modalities? Cardio is named as such because it stands for cardiovascular exercise. Cardio, or aerobic exercise, is any activity that raises your heart rate into an elevated heart rate zone. There are many types of cardio, such as steady state, where you're doing a longer duration at 60-70% of your max heart rate, all the way to sprints. Cardio relies on your ability to use oxygen, something that declines for women with age and adds to the importance of learning fitness skills early to carry you through adulthood. To get the effects of introducing oxygen uptake and cardiovascular health, you want to be in the 70% or more of your max heart rate cardio zone. But don't fret if you aren't there; you can work your way up!
Strength training is the best thing anyone can do, especially teen girls! It improves metabolism, strengthens bones and muscles, is aesthetic in how it shapes the body, and it naturally helps alleviate depression and anxiety! I mean, could you ask for a better tool??
How often should a teen rest? You do the work during the workouts, but the real magic happens during rest. All the micro-tears in your muscles that happen during exercise need that rest to heal, rebuild, and get stronger. Especially as a teen, don't take your rest and recovery lightly. Work hard in the gym, but learn to relax once that work is done—your body will thank you!
Consistency is THE key to most things in life, especially fitness. Things won't be perfect. You'll fall off track, miss days, fail lifts—That's OK. It's about the long game and just picking back up where you left off. For the general population and most beginners, doing a full-body weight-lifting routine three days per week is a great place to start. Each day, try to pick around 8-10 exercises with the majority coming from the core movement patterns which are: squat, hinge, vertical push, vertical pull, horizontal push, horizontal pull, unilateral, and transitional. A good rule of thumb is to start with the biggest body part and work your way down. So, usually legs first. If you ever have questions at the gym, ask an experienced lifter! Most of them would be so happy to help a young person pursue health and fitness.