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Weight Lifting and the High School Athlete, how to get started on the right track.
Varsityedge.com recently sat down with Dave Vasconcellos of Arlington Massachusetts. Dave is a freelance certified personal trainer who has an extensive list of clients. Dave is certified by the FRA (Fitness Resource Associates) and AFA (Aerobics & Fitness Association of America) in weight resistance training programs as well as Kinesiology which is the study of muscle movement and physical activity with muscles
How did you get started in the personal training business
I started lifting at age 16 and really enjoyed it and then I met a personal trainer at my gym and learned some of what he did and by age 19 I was certified to be a personal trainer and have been training people for the last 14 years.
How young is too young for beginning weight training activities?
There is no magic age because different kids have different body types and to tell one 15 year old he should not lift does not mean another 15 year old should not lift.
I would say anyone aged 14-16 should be very careful when it comes to weight training and should have strict guidance in any weight lifting activity they perform.
What types of injuries can younger people suffer from lifting weights too early and too heavy for their bodies?
Many types of injuries such as injuries to the growth plate. The growth plate, also known as the physis, is the area of developing tissue near the end of the long bones in children and adolescents. Each long bone has at least two growth plates, one at each end. The growth plate determines the future length and shape of the mature bone. When growth is complete -- sometime during adolescence -- the growth plates are replaced by solid bone
I have also seen a lot of joint and hip injuries in young people as well as tendonitis.
What are some common weight lifting mistakes made by young athletes, aside of maybe starting too early?
I would say there are 3 big mistakes young people make. One, they use too much weight. Two, they use poor form and technique which leads to injury and inefficient workouts and poor technique can also be attributed to too much weight and three, Overtraining. Many young athletes try to do too much lifting in one week and overtrain their muscles by trying to get 2 and 3 workouts in a week of the same muscle.
How important is a proper diet for someone on a weight-training program?
Very important but it also depends on what your goals are. I would say diet plays a 60% role in your results whether you are trying to gain weight or lose weight.
If someone cannot afford to work with a personal trainer every week or every month what would you recommend to them?
I would first recommend hiring a trainer for one or two sessions to set some goals and become familiar with the equipment and exercises you should be doing. This is a relatively inexpensive investment and if you are going to be serious about weight training you might as well learn the proper way. If you don't have the ability to work with a trainer I would suggest finding a workout partner that one, is knowledgeable and experienced in weight training techniques and two, has similar goals as you do.
How important is it to rest your muscles in between lifting sessions?
Extremely important. You are tearing your muscle cells every time you lift and your muscle fibers need time to recover and grow. I would say someone between the ages of 17-21 could work the same muscle group twice a week but as you get older once a week is sufficient because the body needs more time to recover as you get older.
What advice do you have for young athletes who would like to take sports supplements?
Don't believe everything you see or read. If supplements were so good the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) would have it under controlled supplements. A lot of supplements cause high blood pressure, dehydration, irregular heartbeats and anxiety attacks.
Creatine?
Creatine is a natural substance found in red meat and it causes the body and your muscles to retain water more easily. Many people think it has the same properties of protein in terms of its ability to feed muscles but in fact it does not. Creatine allows your muscles to retain more water and basically provides support for your muscles to lift more weight more often. In this case your are not really growing because of the creatine, you are growing because you are lifting more weight and breaking down your muscle cells more. One common myth among creatine users is that you should take more in the first few weeks often referred to as "front loading". This is not necessary and the people that say to do this are usually the people who sell it and if you use more you have to buy more. I myself am pretty neutral on Creatine and its effectiveness and feel a proper diet and good workout routine is more than enough.
Is there a safe alternative to sports supplements that young athletes can work into their diet to achieve similar results as over the counter products might offer?
Just eating better foods more often and balancing your diet. If you want to gain weight it is not only important to eat more, but eat more often and a lot of people make the mistake of just having 2 or 3 big meals instead of maybe 5 smaller meals.
Are there any exercises that a young athlete should avoid for any reason?
Not as long as you are using good form and proper weight.
How important is hydration when working out?
Very important. Drinking water keeps your body cool and you can avoid cramps. I recommend sipping water throughout your routine and you should be drinking a gallon of water a day as well. It is also important to keep up your electrolytes, potassium and sodium levels as well.
What types of foods should young people be eating before they begin a workout?
Since younger people have faster metabolism's, you need a good balance of carbs, protein and fat. I would say a 40/40 balance of carbs and protein and 20% fat.
Pasta's and whole wheat breads are good sources of carbohydrates. I would avoid white breads because of the high starch content.
Are there certain weight lifting exercises that should be avoided for certain types of sports?
Chest and bicep exercises are not that productive for basketball and baseball players as they often hinder flexibility.
Are there weight exercises that people should be doing prior to performing other more strenuous exercises?
I always encourage people to do leg extensions before doing heavier squats. Same with bench press, you should really be doing a very light set of slow and controlled bench presses before moving onto your regular sets.
Do you see a lot of people who simply do exercises because they saw someone else doing the same thing in the gym and they assume it is correct?
Yes there is a lot of imitation in the gym. Not everyone hires a personal trainer so usually people learn from watching other people, the problem is that they may be watching someone who may be big and/or strong doing an exercise incorrectly and then mimicking that exercise because they don't know better.
Do you think most high school coaches are qualified to make weight-training recommendations to players?
It is hard for me to speak about the majority of high school coaches, however, I have seen a few specific instances where coaches were giving very young players weight training exercises with too much weight and bad technique. I have also seen football coaches push kids too hard on the field that had undiagnosed injuries and genetic deficiencies such as hip degenerations that only became worse with more running and drills. It is sometimes hard for a young athlete to determine what is pain and what is an injury.
You were voted a Best of Boston Trainer in 1999?
Yes, I was nominated by a woman I was training that lost a significant amount of weight on my programs. Boston Magazine had 3 people secretly hire me to test me as a trainer and then submitted their recommendations and there was one winner from inside of Boston and one winner outside of Boston out of 125 potential candidates.
How should someone go about picking a personal trainer?
Well first you want to make sure they have some type of certification such as FRA or AFA but you cannot rely solely on that because there are a lot of people just offering tests now to would-be trainers and then giving them certificates. Next you want to make sure your trainer is not just book smart, but can convey that knowledge to you and others in the gym because there are a lot of very smart people who have trouble communicating what they know to the average person they train. Is the trainer upbeat, motivated and generally excited about their job and working with you and motivating you. Are they in good shape, do they take pride in working out themselves and pride in their own body. Do they have liability insurance in case you are injured while working with them, they should have at least 1 million dollars of insurance. Lastly, are they available when you want them to be available?
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