Hi Gennaro,

I would like to know at what age can my son start using weights. He is 15 and plays Australian Rules Football at a junior club in Victoria, Australia. He plays with boys that are turning 16 this year and he only turned 15 in Jan 2010. Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon.
Pat

Hi Pat,

Your son can start weight training now with light weights and basic exercises. I would also suggest you combine his dumbell work with some body resistance exercises. I recommend that you also increase his total caloric intake and have him eat regularly throughout the day.
A common myth is that if you weight train alone you will get bigger and stronger, but without increasing calories (and as aerobically active as he must be) your son will not get bigger or stronger. The bottom line is, he has to be eating more quality calories than he is burning in order to put on size and strength.

I wish I had of known (or been more conscious) when I was a teen that it was OK to weight train and eat more, as I also played Aussie rules and was a very skinny kid. Although skillful I could have used an extra 10lbs for extra hip and shoulder nudge. Because Aussie Rules Football is a very physical sport and requires (among other things) power, endurance, and strength, basic weight training and calisthenics will be great for him.

Here is a guideline routine he can perform every day or 2nd day depending on how he recuperates from each session.

Warm up:
Arm circles
Body weight squats

Routine:
Pushups 3 x 15-20 ( very slow and controlled)
Dumbell flys 3 x 12
Pullups/Chinups 3 x 8-12
Dumbell single arm rows (with knee and hand on bench for support) 3 x 10-12
Hanging leg raises (abs) 3 x 15-20
Swiss ball crunches or Situps 3 x 20
Dumbell squats (holding dumbells by side progressively increasing load over sets and or sessions) 3 x 12-15
Single dumbell calf raises 3 x 12-15
Dumbell side raises 3 x 8-10-12

10 minute Warm down:
Stretch hamstrings, glutes, quads, calves, and upperbody. Refer to his coach or a good stretch book for specifics on stretching technique.

Let me know how he goes with it and keep in touch!

Gennaro