Getting started into teen bodybuilding at a young age is one of the best things you could possibly do. When done properly, teen bodybuilding is going to really help set you up for top development later on in your twenties and help maintain overall good health.

You do need to take caution in how you go about your program however to make sure that you aren't setting yourself up for harm, which is where the following tips come in. By making sure you follow them you can rest assured that you're putting your best foot forward when it comes to seeing lasting results you can be proud of.

1. Stick To Compound Exercises

The very first rule that you should be following is making sure that you do devote a good amount of time in your workouts to the compound exercises like bench press, squats, rows, deadlifts, and shoulder presses.

Right now as your body is really growing and getting ready for your prime muscle building years between 18-25 years of age, you want to build that solid foundation to work off of.

If you're too wrapped up with performing isolation lifts, you're not really working all that many muscles in the body, severely hindering the progress you could be making right now.

Isolation lifts can have their place in a workout program both for teens and more importantly later on when you're looking to refine the muscle you already have built, but for right now they should not be the focus.

Click To Enlarge.
Right Now As Your Body Is Really Growing And Getting Ready For
Your Prime Muscle Building Years Between 18-25 Years Of Age,
You Want To Build That Solid Foundation To Work Off Of.

2. Watch The Overall Volume Loading Week To Week

The second important tip to keep in mind is that you should be sure to watch how much volume you're doing on a week to week basis. One mistake some teens make is doing far too much volume with their workout program, making it very difficult to recover.

While younger individuals do typically have far superior recovery rates than those who are into their 40's and 50's, during the earlier teen years because so many other growth processes are happening, this can eat at the total muscle building recovery you have.

Additionally, since weight lifting is going to be a relatively new stressor on the body and you need time to adapt to handling this, that further indicates that you would benefit from a slightly lower overall volume with your workout program.

If you focus on keeping the total number of reps per exercise around 25 and keep it at 4-6 exercises per workout, you should be right around where you want to be. Obviously there is some variation from person to person here, but that's a good general guideline to start off with and then you can adjust the program based on how you're feeling.

Click To Enlarge.
One Mistake Some Teens Make Is Doing Far Too Much Volume With
Their Workout Program, Making It Very Difficult To Recover.

3. Be Mindful Of Nutrition

Third, never overlook the importance of nutrition when getting started with teen bodybuilding. What you put into your body on an everyday basis is going to play a very key role in the results you see, so if you're not being careful here, you could not only reduce your results, but also impact natural growth processes in a negative way.

You've likely heard someone say before that weight lifting can stunt growth and there is some truth to this fact, but it's very dependent on nutrition. Since calories are essential for normal growth processes during your teen years, if you have too high of a daily expenditure compared to what you consume due to the additional weight lifting activity in there, then that mismatch in energy intake is what could result in smaller growth taking place.

To help prevent this and ensure that you're not seeing any negative side effects come about because of your training, make sure that you're taking in plenty of calories. Most teens who are building muscle should be taking in between 18 and 20 calories per pound of body weight and in some cases, more than this.

4. Don't Neglect Cardio Workouts

One big mistake that some teens make is thinking that they can get away without doing any cardio training or believing that cardio training will only hinder them with building muscle.

There is some truth to the fact that too much cardio will certainly limit the amount of progress you make, however some cardio should always be included for health promotion. Many teens are already active in whatever sports they participate in so it never is a concern, but if you're a teen who does no outside exercise apart from your workout program, it will be a smart move to include 2-3, 20-30 minute moderate paced cardio sessions in there as well.

It can be as simple as a brisk walk or riding a bicycle; as long as it gets your heart rate up, that's the main thing that you must be concerned about. This will help not only keep your heart healthy but will also keep you in better physical shape and prevent development of a weight problem that plagues so many younger adults today.

5. Include Stretching In Your Program

Finally, the last bodybuilding workout tip that the vast majority of teens do not pay attention to but should is to include stretching at the end of your program. Far too many don't realize the benefits of stretching and since it doesn't do much to help with overall fat loss or muscle building, figure they can leave it out.

Be sure not to make this critical error. Right now when you're young it's the best time to improve flexibility because if you don't, it's only going to be that much harder to gain flexibility as you get older.

Additionally, stretching helps to ensure that you're fully capable of moving through the entire range of motion of all the exercises you complete, which is very important to receive full benefits.

Stretching will only take five to ten minutes a day, but when done regularly, will really add up to high long-term benefits in the long run.

So if you're a teen who's getting started into bodybuilding, be sure that you don't miss any of these important points. Neglecting to take them into account will result in less than optimal results and could actually pose some serious long-term consequences.

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