MUSCLES. Bowflex? Other?

December 8, 2021 6:42 AM

My 14 year old wants to build muscle. He plays rugby, and wants to be stronger by training season.

He's pushing hard for a personal trainer, and while a session or two might be fine, its not an expense I want.
Getting him to a gym everyday is going to be a pain in my butt so I'm looking for something in home.

A Bowflex home gym looks like a good compromise? Is it? Do you have one? Like it? Pros? Cons? Are there other systems similar that you might recommend?

I don't really want free weights (they'll be dropped and ruin floor, worried about teens lifting too much and getting hurt)

posted by Ftsqg to Health & Fitness (21 answers total)

Bowflex is OK if you know what you're doing, but the issue with any kind of training in-home is that there isn't anyone telling you what you're doing wrong. So as an alternative maybe you can find "small group" or "semi-personal" training gym in your area - that'd be cheaper than a personal trainer, though it doesn't get rid of the driving issue.

Another option that is maybe something in between is Tonal, thought it ain't cheap.
posted by pyro979 at 7:12 AM on December 8, 2021 [4 favorites]

A few small group sessions with a trainer would be very valuable to make sure he's using proper form to avoid injury, especially as he's at an age where he's still growing. If he's on a rugby team, maybe talk to his coach and see if they could facilitate a few such sessions for the team (splitting the costs), or ideally, a semi-regular group session to check in on form. It's so easy to creep into bad form and movement patterns.

Personally, I love the convenience of having a full set of free weights in my basement, but (pre-COVID, at least) I also went to small group class once a week for the camaraderie and to check in on form. It was so great having someone able to observe what I was doing.

Keep an eye on your local FB Marketplace, Craigslist, etc for used equipment. I got my full set 10+ years ago for dirt cheap.
posted by writermcwriterson at 7:20 AM on December 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

+1 for a full set of free weights. You want an Olympic bar, plates ranging from 5 to 45lbs, a bench, and a squat rack. You should be able to find all of the above for about $500 used.

Also lots of peanut butter!
posted by bbqturtle at 7:25 AM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

Please invest in a personal trainer for his knowledge and safety. I see too many younger people in the gym doing things that are outright unsafe or who are wasting their time because they have no idea what to do in the weight room. It doesn't have to be for every session, maybe once a week for a month to begin with so he can learn proper form and then have a program developed to meet his needs and then a "booster" session once every few weeks from that point forward to adapt as he makes gains.

Free weights will be your most affordable and adaptable option; with a proper covering on the floor you can minimize or eliminate the possibility of damage. There's a large market for used weights now that people are heading back to the gym in some areas.

As far as diet, peanut butter is a better source of fat than protein, his best bet is lean meats for the most bang per caloric buck if he's looking to add mass.
posted by Fuego at 7:27 AM on December 8, 2021 [11 favorites]

Going to join the chorus suggesting a few targeted sessions with a trainer for form, and to try free weights rather than an all-in-one machine. Carpet remnants for the weights area, and a rack with some anti-slip pads (like carpet padding) cut to size where the weights rest, can really help with noise.

I started lifting at that age and wish there'd been someone around who knew what they were doing. By my 20s I had injuries I could have avoided (lower back, rotator cuff) from a combination of athletics and weight training that were completely un-coached in any meaningful way ("it was a different time..."). I had to unlearn bad habits when I was in my late 20s. The upside is that in my 50s I'm still lifting and can go into any gym and have a plan, work out with any gallon jug of milk, and turn any couch into a bench for split squats.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:59 AM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

Does he play through the school? Surely he already has a strength training coach and plan via the team? When I played sports long ago, we certainly did. They even had plans they would write up and deliver for the summer and off-season.

So he should ask his coaches to make a strength-training plan and see what equipment he needs after that. It's possible that his coach will say no strength training yet, only cardio and stretching.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:23 AM on December 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

In theory I like the idea of a personal trainer, but as a competitive athlete and a teacher of kids who are ambitious about sports, I have found that far too often they don't know what they're talking about. It's too easy to set yourself up as a personal trainer. I've gone to a few. The people who open businesses that cater to scholastic athletes tend to be a tad better, but I'd still be cautious. All these people want parental money and are willing to charge for what you could find out on YouTube. The best trainers I ever encountered were the ones who worked at the school where I taught, because they knew what young bodies should be doing.
posted by Peach at 8:58 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Adding to the chorus of a few sessions with a trainer--I periodically lift and always ended up injuring myself by pulling muscles,* and finally bit the bullet and hired a trainer to show me how to do it. It's is SO MUCH BETTER--I've been able to keep to a routine for 3 months without injury.

*Usually in my shoulder or neck, which leads to 3-day tension headaches and terrible sleep and then stopping my routine until it heals, which takes months.
posted by telophase at 9:00 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

You can do pretty well with resistance bands, too, though they’re not quite as good as free weights. It’s still important to use good form but harder to injure yourself.
posted by Comet Bug at 9:06 AM on December 8, 2021

Fitness sandbags can play a role in weight training. You can adjust the amount of sand or use different filler bags for different exercises. They are a lot less bulky and easier to store than free weights.

You can't do a lot of "pure" weightlifting moves with them, but there are good reasons to believe this is better for training not just the targeted muscles, but also the supplemental ones.
posted by meowzilla at 9:35 AM on December 8, 2021

Seconding that he really needs some coaching to develop proper form early. A few sessions should get him started. This is an important foundation for the body he’s stuck in for the rest of his life.
posted by sixswitch at 10:02 AM on December 8, 2021

Bowflex is OK if you know what you're doing, but the issue with any kind of training in-home is that there isn't anyone telling you what you're doing wrong.

Maybe you could find a personal trainer who would be willing to come to your house a few times and show him how to use the Bowflex properly.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 10:59 AM on December 8, 2021

Nthing personal trainer. An injury is worse than no gains. If cost is an issue, see if you can find a trainer that will create a workout plan your son can do on his own (trainer will guide him through the first time) but then will only meet up with him on a ~monthly basis to check progress and adjust the workout.

Also nthing that you really do not want an exercise machine for many reasons. Every trainer I have worked with also discouraged them or used specific machines for very specific purposes. Free weights and a pull up bar give a much better workout. Can you set it up in a garage or basement maybe? Or get padding for the floors and enforce severe consequences for dropping weights? (Dropping weights is bad form anyway, if you can't lower the weight back to the ground properly you are lifting too much and skipping half of the workout.)
posted by jessica fletcher did it at 12:41 PM on December 8, 2021

A personal trainer could also teach him bodyweight exercises that, unless he's already huge and muscular for his age, will get him a long way before he needs any special equipment. For example, working to progress from regular pushups to one-handed pushups, decline pushups, pike pushups, etc., will strengthen his upper body. There are similar progressions for lots of lower body exercises. A trainer he meets with even once a month to work on form and create a training plan will be much cheaper than any machine or equipment you can buy for your home.
posted by decathecting at 12:58 PM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

YMCA membership. Free weights are the best answer, and if you don't want them at home, so be it. That's what I was doing at 15.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 1:47 PM on December 8, 2021

Do you have a space where you can set up a TRX system? That's mostly body weight with additional difficulty of working against gravity, so more difficult to truly injure yourself (although nothing's foolproof, of course). Lots of videos online - also people really do amazing things with bodyweight workouts, so maybe that'd be a good thing to research in the meantime.
posted by carlypennylane at 1:53 PM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

Nthing everything above, but surprised nobody's said he shouldn't be going to the gym every day, or at least not to lift, or if he ends up doing that to only work same muscle groups on alternate days.
posted by kate4914 at 4:04 PM on December 8, 2021

Does his school have a weight room? High schools where I am (New York State) have weight rooms that are open to students for free before or after school. It depends on the school whether or not the weight room attendant knows anything about training. The high school I worked at had winter training with the track coaches, but anyone was welcome. As a coach, I always like to help students who are just learning to use the gym. I think he should explore the school avenue before you drop a lot of money on at-home equipment or private personal trainers.
posted by DEiBnL13 at 8:14 PM on December 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

I would go see the school PE teacher / sports team coach and see if he can recommend someone locally to do some short coaching for kids, to avoid mistakes.
posted by kschang at 1:05 AM on December 9, 2021

Rugby players of my acquaintance use free weights. Important to add bulk and strength. Absolutely critical to use proper form.

Sample training programs

http://louisville7s.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/6/0/28606167/cal_bears_workout.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Bird-3/publication/232141305_Preseason_Strength_Training_for_Rugby_Union_The_General_and_Specific_Preparatory_Phases/links/5d7d875ea6fdcc2f0f6fb825/Preseason-Strength-Training-for-Rugby-Union-The-General-and-Specific-Preparatory-Phases.pdf
posted by ohshenandoah at 8:27 AM on December 9, 2021

You can definitely get strong with machines, but I kind of feel about free weights the way some parents feel about alcohol—he's going to use them eventually, so you want to make sure he's using them well. I would get him some lessons with a trainer and then a gym membership, even if you end up just having a machine at home.
posted by Polycarp at 11:58 AM on December 9, 2021