| Youth is the next stage after Preadolescence. Youth is defined as the adolescent years. This age group is between 12 and 20 years of age. Just as we described in the Preadolescence child stage it is very important for Youth to also first build core strength with the basic exercises without using weights. Again these exercises are: BASIC CORE EXERCISES |
 | Sit ups Upper ABS - Keep their hands across their chests not behind their neck | |
| Leg lifts Lower ABS - Lay on back and raise their legs 6 inches off the ground | |
| Push Ups Have them stay on their knee’s and do push ups | |
| Squats Have the children squat down and stand up several times for leg strength | |
| Flexibility Keep your children flexible with stretching exercises | |
| RUN Have your children outside playing and running to build lung capacity | |
| Once your child can do 20 to 30 sit ups with their hands across their chests (keep the stress of their necks), when they can do 20 to 30 pushups without having to stay on their knees than they will have the basic core strength to start on a supervised weightlifting routine. When a Child between the ages of 12 and 20 starts a weightlifting routine they should practice and follow the following guidelines: |
| The child should see a doctor to get permission to start weight training | |
| Children should be supervised by a qualified certified Strength Professional | |
| Warm up and stretching should be done before all resistance training | |
| Exercise environment should be safe and free of hazards | |
| Begin with light loads | |
| Begin with dumbbells before moving up to barbells | |
| Stabilization muscles are important to train and grow at this early age | |
| Perform on average 10 repetitions of a given exercise | |
| Stress proper form on all lifts for safety | |
| Only attend 2 to 3 training sessions a week not to over train and risk injury | |
| Drink plenty of water while you are working out, before and after | |
| Your body is constantly growing at this early age. Keep in mind that the average peak age for strength is 26 years old. So start slow and build strong muscle with proper form. |