New to this board, have a few questions

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Hey guys, I am 14 and have been working out for two years now (4 months seriously) and i have a couple questions.

  1. What is the best routine for strength and power?

  2. How can i tell if i am genetically “gifted”.?

Thanks.

2

I think it’s too early to say if you’re genetically gifted…you’ll need to allow your body’s peak hormonal stage to hit and watch what kind of gains you get from strength training. Basically, you’ll know if you’re genetically gifted if muscle gains and strength come quickly and you’re growing faster than your buddies are (even though you may be training the same). It depends also on your ancestry…look at your family and see if you find skinny relatives or strong muscular relatives. Also, some people can be muscular but not that strong (like me…I put on muscle mass easily, but am not that strong).

There is no “best” routine for strength and power, only what is best for you. You’ll need to search the “previous issues” of T-mag and do some reading, there’s plenty of training information there to keep you busy! Check out Ian King and Charles Poliquin articles.

3

If your main concern is strength and power there is no better way to train than HIT. You should focus on the core lifts and eat everything in sight. I’d stay away from doing Poliquin’s workouts. Unless you are a genetic freak you will become severely overtrained. Read everything you can by Ian King, Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones. Every couple of months switch to programs designed by each of these different men until you feel comfortable designing your own programs.

4

Almost any program will get you strong at your age. Try the 1-6 program at T-mag and eat, eat, eat. Genetically blessed people tend to be strong even if they don’t train and have natually big calves and forearms. Also remember that being “blessed” may also have something to do with being able to recover faster. It’s not always a visual thing.

5

Don’t worry about if you are genetically gifted. You are definetly gifted to get as strong and powerful as YOU can get. Maybe not as strong as Paul Andersen was, but who knows maybe you can. The point is, you can definetly increase your strength and power. Pick up the following books: Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik, Super Squats by Randall Strossen, Keys to Progress-John McCallum compiled by Randall Strossen. Also get Brooks Kubik video series: Beginner Strength Training, Olympic Lifts and Dumbbell Training. Start with these 3 books and these 3 videos, these will give you all the information you need to build huge powerful muscles that will be totally functionally strength. At your age, start right with the basics and you wont have to worry if your genetically gifted.