Lifting weights is one of the best things that you can do for your body, it makes you stronger, burns calories efficiently, and makes you more fit overall. And no matter what your age is, a weight lifting program will be beneficial for you. And with all the information out there that focuses more on adults, I understand that it can get pretty confusing for teens and kids under the age of 16 to find out more about this fascinating world, what program should they follow? What types of workouts should they do? And one question that I get asked a lot is, how much should a 14-year-old lift with dumbbells?
A 14-year-old should lift enough weight with the dumbbells that allow them to do 12 repetitions, with the last two posing a little bit of a struggle and tension for the muscles. For some 14-year-olds, that weight could be 2 or 3 pounds, for others, it could be 8 or 9 pounds depending on their natural strength.
In this article, we’ll talk about if a 14-year-old can lift dumbbells, their benefits, and how much weight they should lift.
Table of Contents
Can a 14-Year-Old Lift Dumbbells?
Did you know that lifting dumbbells or weights, in general, doesn’t have anything to do with how old you are? Besides the obvious exception of kids under the age of 8 or 9 since they can’t safely follow instructions during that period and most gym equipment isn’t suited for them anyways. With that being said, all kids above the age of 10 can lift dumbbells without worry.
This means that 14-year-olds can definitely lift dumbbells as long as they maintain the proper form while doing so to avoid any sort of injury. They shouldn’t go overboard with the weights and should instead lift something light, especially during the first couple of sessions.
Obviously, as a 14-year-old, your muscle mass growth potential isn’t gonna be as impressive as that of an adult since you haven’t (most likely) reached an age of puberty where muscles can be fully developed, however, lifting weights and dumbbells especially, at a young age, is a great way to develop strength and to get used to weight lifting which is gonna benefit you when you get older.
Benefits of Lifting Dumbbells For a 14-Year-Old
I personally started going to the gym and lifting dumbbells back when I was 14/15 and it was the best decision of my life since it allowed me to get used to a fit lifestyle and develop good habits which made me sculpt my dream body when I got older, Here are the benefits that of lifting dumbbells as a 14-year-old:
- It makes you stronger which is essential if you practice some type of sport
- It burns calories efficiently so forget about being overweight when you get older
- It burns fat, especially around the abdominal area which will make your abs visible
- It strengthens your bones and joints
- It reduces the risk of injury since you’ll get a lot stronger
How Much Should a 14-Year-Old Lift With Dumbbells?
When it comes to lifting dumbbells and any sort of weight in general, how much you lift really depends on each individual person since there are a lot of factors in play like genetics, natural strength, weight, and so on.
However, as I mentioned in the beginning, being a 14-year-old, the best way to find out the optimal dumbbell weight for you is to lift something that’s heavy enough to make you struggle within the 11th and 12th repetition. For some 14-year-olds, that weight can be just a mere 2 or 3 pounds but for others that have been blessed genetically, it could go to as much as 15 pounds.
Example
If you’re still confused about it, let’s put things into perspective by giving an example: Let’s say it’s your first day at the gym and you decided to give these dumbbells a shot. You start out with curling the 2-pound dumbbells, you reach the 12th repetition, and you realize that you’re still not feeling any tension or struggle. This implies that these dumbbells are too light for you which means that you need to move on to the next level.
You then decide to give the 6-pound dumbbells a shot, but when you reach the 10th repetition, you really start to feel the struggle and tension and you barely have the energy to finish the 12th repetition. This means that the 6-pound dumbbells are considered the optimal weights for you.
If you’re more of a visual learner, here is an illustration that explains how you should calculate your optimal weight:
Additional Tips
- After you find your optimal weight, if a month later, you realize that the 12th repetition doesn’t pose the same struggle as before, then it’s time to move on to the next level
- When you’re trying to find your optimal weight, make sure to start with a weight that’s light enough and work your way up in order to avoid any sort of injury, don’t start with a heavy weight since you’ll only increase your chance of injury
- The optimal weight is exclusive to each individual exercise. If you can dumbbell press 25 pounds for 12 repetitions, it doesn’t mean that you will be able to curl that same amount. Make sure to calculate the optimal weight for each type of exercise
- Before finding your optimal weight, make sure to use the 1-pound dumbbell to warm up and get your muscles used to tension
Conclusion:
Lifting weights at such a young age is one of the best things that you can do for yourself and for your body. Not only will it make you stronger, leaner, and more fit, but it’ll also teach you how to be disciplined which is an important skill to master further down the line during your life. So as a 14-year-old, go to the gym, grab those dumbbells, follow the methods mentioned in this article to find your optimal weight, and get into work. I promise that you won’t ever regret it.
