MEDIA
From Dr. Drew
QUESTION: I'm 16 years old, I weigh 170 pounds and I'm 6'5" tall. Is it okay for me to lift free weights? Could it harm my body in any way?
ANSWER: Here's George DeJohn, fitness expert and author of Three Minutes to a Strong Mind and a Fit Body (Brown Books, 2000), to answer your question.
George: Weight lifting has many benefits, including strengthening muscles and bones and boosting metabolism. Given your genetic make-up (you share your tall, skinny build with many of the professional basketball players I've trained), you'll want to take special care not to overload your long levers (i.e., arms and legs) and risk straining your connective tissue.
Before embarking on a traditional strength-training program, I suggest that you begin by performing strength-training exercises in a pool, which will reduce the stress on your joints. If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer for one time only and ask him or her to prescribe a workout for you. Follow that program for three weeks, working out three to four days per week. After about three weeks, your joints should be strong enough to handle a strength-training program on dry land.
Given your age, I would suggest that for the first year of training you focus on lifting lighter weights and performing a relatively high number of repetitions (1215 per set). I'd wait for at least a year before training with heavy weights. You don't need to lift a huge amount of weight to see results. Try not to get caught up in being macho and trying to lift weights that are too heavy, too soon. Listen to your body. If you begin to develop pain or discomfort in your elbows or knees, back off and reduce the amount of weight and/or intensity of the program.
Muscle doesn't come from strength training alone. You've gotta eat, too. There's no need to spend money on expensive weight-gain powders in order to put on muscle. Instead, try eating five to six small meals throughout the day, making sure to include plenty of healthy foods, such as chicken, fish, turkey, vegetables, oatmeal, egg whites, and red meat (in moderation) in your diet.
Finally, be patient. Even with extreme intensity, we can only gain about five pounds of lean muscle mass per year. Believe it or not, that's a lot of muscle to gain in one year. Rest assured that many strong and powerful N.B.A. stars started off just where you are.
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