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  1. #1
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    Teenage protein suppliment ?

    My 13 yr old son, who's 5'3" and 96 lbs would like to put on some body mass.

    He's very active and genetically lean, but diet alone isn't working (greek yogurt, PBJ, eggs...).

    He lifts dumbbells at home, but won't start lifting weights (for the football program) until next year.

    His mother is bringing him to GNC for suggestions....but I thought you dentists would know more.

    Have any of you gone through something similar with your sons?

    thx

  2. #2
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    Food, lots and lots of good quality high calorie food and protein. Don't forget water intake as well. Don't do supplements, like creatine, nos, shit like that. Dumbbells will be plenty for him now. There are a ton of lifts he can do at home with dumbbells to put on some muscle.
    Most of all don't rush this, he is young and will hit a growth spurt and start packing on weight, unless being tiny runs in his genes.

  3. #3
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    Unless his diet is already deficient in protein, which it probably isn't, the only body mass you can gain without exercise is fat and water, which is usually not a good idea.

  4. #4
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    He a 7th grader, QB in a program that treats the QB as a RB and is the leading lacrosse midfielder....both his mom and I are tall, she's 5'9 and I graduated HS 6'2" 180 lbs.

    He's always had the athleticism to compete and protect himself.....but now he's noticing that he's getting pushed around physically.

    His hope is that he can build his mass over the next couple of years....starting now rather than starting when he's a 10th or 11th grader.

    My obvious concern is potential health issues.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by billyk View Post
    Unless his diet is already deficient in protein, which it probably isn't, the only body mass you can gain without exercise is fat and water, which is usually not a good idea.
    Can he gain mass with exercise and lifting?

  6. #6
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    Agreed^^^^ mostly.

    I wouldn't let kids start on the meathead supplements until they're juniors or seniors and potentially college sports bound.


    He's at the age where the Neanderthals have matured faster and are studs for a year or two, once they hit highschool half of them won't survive the targets on their backs by the older kids and by then the slow maturing kids have caught up and are now beating their asses too.

    So slow and steady wins the race. Nothing wrong with getting him lifting more than dumbells if you can, legs legs legs!

  7. #7
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    ^^^ He might not gain much weight until he is older. But if he wants to get stronger he needs someone to teach him how to lift properly, follow a schedule and eat a lot.

    And he should join the wrestling team.

  8. #8
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    He's only 13. A child. Don't buy shit from gnc
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by gatorboy View Post
    He a 7th grader, QB in a program that treats the QB as a RB and is the leading lacrosse midfielder....both his mom and I are tall, she's 5'9 and I graduated HS 6'2" 180 lbs.

    He's always had the athleticism to compete and protect himself.....but now he's noticing that he's getting pushed around physically.

    His hope is that he can build his mass over the next couple of years....starting now rather than starting when he's a 10th or 11th grader.

    My obvious concern is potential health issues.
    I would speak to his pediatrician. So much can go wrong when you start artificially enhancing growth and at his age there is a lot of developing going in body and brain. I had a friend who was always thin - had to eat and eat as a kid to keep weight on. He found Fig Newtons packed a big bang for weight gain.

    Are Fig Newtons Healthy?

  10. #10
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    Talking to a doctor about strength training is a sure way to get bad advice.

  11. #11
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    Fuck GNC. They will only succeed in making your wallet lighter. 13 is barely in puberty. He just needs time and food and heavy weights. You think he is eating enough but he isn't. Is he physically uncomfortable most of the day because he has eaten so much? That is what it takes to gain at his age. He needs raw calories. Have him squat heavy and deadlift 2-3 times a week and drink 1/2 gallon of whole milk every day to start. And lots of sleep. 8+ hours a night minimum.

    Edit also, talk to him that performance come at the expense of wellness. If he (and you) really want him to succeed on the football field, he is going to lose some wellness points along the way. Think long term.

  12. #12
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    Has puberty happened?

    Nothing wrong with having a lean build maybe not so good for football right now but 50 years later I see a lot of fat people who can't keep the weight off but me ...I'm still lean
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  13. #13
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    He might just be a skinny kid. I didn't really fill out until I was in my 20s. And it didn't matter how much food I ate.

    Oh, and I was pushed around by the the bigger, stronger, hockey jocks until we started wrestling in gym class. I started judo when I was 6, and the two are pretty similar. They got whooped, and left me alone in the hallways.
    Last edited by Caucasian Asian; 01-21-2017 at 03:11 PM.
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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by digitaldeath View Post
    He's only 13. A child. Don't buy shit from gnc
    Agreed. Supplements of this sort are for the truly retarded. Keep the kid on a healthful diet and keep him active. No serious lifting until he begins maturing physically.
    Daniel Ortega eats here.

  15. #15
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    X20 keep him away from those supplement stores. Grown adults generally shouldn't walk into those places either unless they know exactly what they want and why, with scientific scrutiny. They push useless or harmful shit. Sales job, nothing more.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds! View Post
    Talking to a doctor about strength training is a sure way to get bad advice.
    <roll eyes>

    If this is directed towards my comment I was thinking perhaps he could speak to his doctor about where is son is in the development spectrum, what to expect for a child of his age and genetics and specifically if there was need for a change in his diet to help facilitate growth or if perhaps he just needs to allow nature to take its course.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by KQ View Post
    <roll eyes>

    If this is directed towards my comment I was thinking perhaps he could speak to his doctor about where is son is in the development spectrum, what to expect for a child of his age and genetics and specifically if there was need for a change in his diet to help facilitate growth or if perhaps he just needs to allow nature to take its course.
    You think doctors receive training about this? Some doctors may choose to educate themselves, but in general they receive very little training about diet and exercise and should not be treated as experts on the matter.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds! View Post
    You think doctors receive training about this? Some doctors may choose to educate themselves, but in general they receive very little training about diet and exercise and should not be treated as experts on the matter.

    You could probably go a little research and find a health care professional that could help here and uses a science based approach. Maybe not your family Dr, but maybe a physical therapist? Nutritionist?

    That's the trouble.. there is a ton of quackery involved with nutrition and exercise... and growing joints are easy to do life long damage to.

  19. #19
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    Eat healthy; do farm chores

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds! View Post
    You think doctors receive training about this? Some doctors may choose to educate themselves, but in general they receive very little training about diet and exercise and should not be treated as experts on the matter.
    Do you practice at it or are you always this obtuse?

    So you don't think a pediarician has a clue about where a 13yo boy should be re: growth and development or how to meet a child's nutritional needs? Wow. What do you think pediatricians do, just stick kids with needles and hand out suckers? I read the OP post to be about where his boy is development wise and should he do more to get him further. Seems to me an obvious starting point is to establish a baseline for what is considered normal parameters for a child his age and then determine what would be a healthy path to follow to meet desired goals for one so young.

    Maybe the doc would say: "according to medical standards your boy is right on target for his age. Nothing to worry about, just give him time" or "how about a refer you to a child nutritionist?"

    And perhaps hearing from a doc that he is where he should be could be helpful for the boy so he doesn't develop a poor body image.

  21. #21
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    Agree with all of the above about doctors not getting this kind of training, and stay away from GNC. JUST fyi, if you go on to a bodybuilding website, they can give you a pretty thorough idea of what you could do for now. Just look at the differences with cutting vs bulking. Look at the differences in diet and workout. Instead of running 40 miles a week, maybe he should do speed workouts and squat. Instead of lean chicken breasts, maybe he's eating thighs. I'm obviously not suggesting the illegal OR legal supplement side, but these websites will give you some ideas on pairing workout with diet for gains.

  22. #22
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    The gym I go to, Mike Boyles Strength and Conditioning, trains a lot of young athletes. Its run by a S&C coach who has run several pro sports teams programs and has extensive experience with kids.

    They do not recommend any supplements for young kids. They do recommend having skinny kids eat lots of healthy high calorie meals per day while working out / playing sports regularly. They have kids coming in to train as young as middle school, but their training looks very different than older kids or adults. Less weight based and more about about movement patterns and body weight exercises.

    A shake made with almonds, chia seeds, fruit, oats, whole milk, etc is more effective than a weight gainer / protein shake.

    Also, most supplements have not been extensively tested on adults but even those the have been (like creatine) haven't been tested on kids.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by gatorboy View Post
    I graduated HS 6'2" 180 lbs.
    Quote Originally Posted by gatorboy View Post
    My 13 yr old son, who's 5'3" and 96 lbs
    Your son has another 5 years and 10" before he starts bulking up.

    You probably won't hurt him by feeding him supplements, but it won't work, he will just poop them out.
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  24. #24
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    i can't comprehend giving early teens supplements, for health and psychological reasons. where does it end?

    then again, i guess if they're going to smash their brains in and break their bones for mostly unattained and worthless glory we taught them to please ourselves, why not?

  25. #25
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    Why not supplement some whey protein? It's not like it's crazy synthetic shit. As long as it's in addition to (not in substitution of) a healthy diet then what's the risk? I'm not advocating heavy lifting at 13 but neither is the OP. Just saying that a little extra protein might not be a bad thing for a growing teenager.
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