Building muscle can be a challenging and enjoyable experience that requires dedication, perseverance and a certain tolerance for pain. As a teenager, you can weight lift to build your muscles, but you need to be particularly careful because your bones are still growing. Avoid power-lifting and body-building, both of which involve "maxing out," which is lifting the most weight you possibly can for one or two repetitions. Lifting too much weight as a teenager age can damage your bones' ability to grow to their full length, making you shorter as an adult. Power-lifting and body-building are fine, but wait until you are 19 or 20 years old to train that way.
Step 1
Warm your muscles before lifting weights. Cold muscles are more easily injured. A good warm-up might involve five minutes on an exercise machine, such as a stationary bike or elliptical.
Step 2
Use proper technique. You can injure yourself using incorrect techniques. Whichever exercises you decide to do--curls for biceps, bench presses for chest, lat pulls for back--have a knowledgeable friend, trainer, coach or fitness expert show you the correct way to do them. You will find proper form to be safer and more effective at building muscle.
Step 3
Start with light weights. To work your muscles, do at least three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of each exercise. When you first start working a new set of muscles, use an amount of weight that makes it challenging but not painful to complete your repetitions and sets.
Step 4
Work different muscle groups on different days. As a beginner, allow your whole body to rest a day between workouts. For instance, on Monday, work your arms and chest; on Tuesday rest; Wednesday work your legs and back; on Thursday rest, on Friday, work your shoulders and abdomen; and then rest for the weekend before starting the cycle over.
Step 5
Breathe properly while lifting. Exhale as you exert yourself during a lift, and inhale while letting the weight down. Holding your breath the whole time can cause dangerous spikes in blood pressure.
Tips and Warnings
- Always work out with spotter when using free weights. A spotter is someone who can help you put the weights back into their resting position if your muscles fail in the middle of a repetition.
- Check with your doctor before lifting weights to ensure that you are healthy enough for it. If you experience any abnormal pain or hear any loud pops while lifting, discontinue the activity immediately, and do not resume until you have seen your doctor.
Things You'll Need
- Free weights
- Weight machines
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