THE YOUNG ATHLETE THREAD

Over the past few days, I got the idea to get a thread on here designed specifically for the goals and issues of teenage/student trainees. The purpose is for any person of a younger age to post any questions they have regarding training, nutrition, supplements, etc. You can direct your questions to myself or to some of the other ON/ABB athletes that might chime in.

No question is considered stupid here but if you think it's been discussed before, take a quick search first.

I'll get the ball rolling by referencing people to my most recent blog. Most of you have probably seen it but it was regarding the college lifestyle and training.

The College Lifestyle

If this takes off, hopefully we can sticky it. Let's see some questions!

Here is a quick bio. of myself-

Daniel Stevens
21 years old
Full time college student with a major in Economics and a minor in Business Administration
Pre-law intent

Certified Personal Trainer (2 certifications) and owner of personal training studio
ON/ABB Athlete and NPC competitive bodybuilder

Past elite level cyclist (road, cyclo-cross & track cycling)
7 time IL state champion and nationally ranked
Was coached by Carmichael Training Systems (the same coaching system of Lance Armstrong)
Sponsored by Trek bicycles, Oakley Sunglasses, Nike Cycling and more

Eddie- First off, be patient. You are young and this stuff takes time. As for eating for mass, your best bet is going to be to eat big and often. It would not be crazy to shoot for 6-7 meals a day including shakes. This doesn't mean you have to sit down and pig out at each meal but hearty items like potatoes, chicken, steak, etc. are all encouraged. On my non training days, my meals don't change too much except for not having my post-workout 2:1:1 shake. Your other option is to lower your carbs down a little on your non training days as you're not needing the fuel for the gym.

Just remember that at 18, you have a sky high metabolism. You can most likely get away with eating more than most people and not have to worry about gaining excess fat. Just stick to the hearty, clean items and eat often. But, don't be afraid to have a cheat here and there!

Good post Loyalt. What are your plans for college?

Thanks Motley Jew!

Sounds like a great plan Loyalt. My dad is a doctor so I truly appreciate their dedication and hard work. Good luck bro!

Absolutely Allan. It's not for the faint of heart and you have to truly want to do it. People complain that doctors make too much money but no other job has you working 20 hour days and saving people's lives. Also, who can forget the 20 years of schooling!

onlettinggo- Thanks for the kind words. It sounds like you're on the right track for sure. As for working with ON, I'm sure once you get your degree something might be available. Keep up the good work!

Hillc11- You've been a great support and I truly appreciate it! To answer your question, I also advise college students to pack their food and carry it with them. Make your food in advance, put in a tupperware container and carry it in a bag or backpack. Most people get a 15 minute break or so between classes and if your classes are close to one another, it's a great time to get your meals in.

Then that works out well. Perfect for getting your meals in. You start to run into issues when you have them back to back. On Mon and Wed, I start at Noon and go until 4:45 with 10 minutes in between. Not the most ideal.

Below you will find an article I put together entitled "Enough's enough." I posted it up on here about a year ago and I wanted to bring it back. I think it's very appropriate for this section.

We’ve all heard it from people as our bodies develop and change. “You’re getting too big,” “You have no neck now,” “You eat too much protein." It gets to a point that we hear it, but just don’t care. For some people, it becomes part of the drive to push their bodies even further in the weight room. We all like being noticed. But, when does enough become enough?

Bodybuilding is a sport routed with determination, sacrifice, pride and love. Most people introduce themselves to the sport because they desire to push themselves to the max and see how far they can transform their bodies. It’s pretty amazing when you sit back and think about it, it’s a sport based on awesome physiques developed through years of pain and sweat. As bodybuilding teens, our road has just begun. We have a long way to go to get to the Jay Cutler’s and Ronnie Coleman’s. A question for teens that is consistently brought up is how much is too much on our roads to bodybuilding greatness?

As teens, our bodies are constantly changing. As teen bodybuilders, our bodies are changing even more drastically. The problem with most adolescents involved in the sport is that they begin to fail outside of the weight room when it comes to recovering. Rest is equally important as pumping iron if not more. Time off is what gives our bodies the phase needed to rest and heal from the constant breakdown in the gym.

Overtraining is USUALLY fairly easy to recognize and for the most part, can be avoided. The age-old saying explains it best when it comes to overtraining, “sometimes your head says go but your body says no.” We as teens want to constantly push and push thinking that every time we do, we develop stronger and better. Here are some signs of overtraining-

-Consistent poor workouts. A bad day here and there is ok but a few days of terrible workouts should cause concern.
-Severe mood swings or general moodiness. You’d be surprised what overtraiing will do for your mood. If you find yourself agitated and down in the dumps, your training might be to blame.
-NOT being able to sleep. You’d think that if you were overtrained, you’d be tired constantly. Sometimes, this is true but for some people, not being able to fall asleep at night can be a symptom. If you’re usually a solid sleeper and all of sudden you have trouble, overtraining might be the culprit.
-General lethargy. You might feel like you have the flu but in actuality, it could be your workouts.
-A weak immune system. If you find yourself developing colds and sicknesses, it might be a sign of overtraining.

A single muscle group usually takes 48-72 hours to fully heal from intense strain in the gym. This means that if you go through a chest workout on Monday, that you shouldn’t touch that muscle again until the very soonest, Wednesday, but most likely Thursday. You go into the gym to tear your muscles down. The recovery process is where they grow and develop into the horseshoe triceps and winged lat’s we all desire.

Overtraining can also be avoided. Here are a few ways how-

-Get a good night sleep every night, at least 8 hours.
-Don’t slouch when it comes to your diet. Get your six small meals in throughout the day, your body will thank you.
-Drink plenty of water. You should be urinating fairly constantly. Fill up a milk jug gallon every day and make sure you go through that throughout the day. If you do that, you’ll have no problem meeting and exceeding what you need a day.
-Plan 1-2 complete off days during the week. Don’t do cardio, don’t do abs, take it completely off. Not only will this aid in the developing of you body, it’ll give your mind a needed break.
-Listen to your body, you’ll know if a break is needed.

The most important part of training is rest and recovery. We as teens have a
long way to go to the top so it would be a shame to become burnt out now. There’s no need to push ourselves so hard that we develop hatred towards bodybuilding. Rest, rest, rest, and rest some more! Simply listen to your body and you will enjoy many years of progress to come!