First, there are so many stresses that a teen's mind and body goes through they need to consider all of those stresses when trying to weight train or for bodybuilding because external stress factors can play a big part in how your body reacts as well as your mind.



I will start with the basics though. When we are born we need 3 things:

1.) Nutrition

2.) Sleep

3.) Nurturing

NUTRITION:

One of the first big mistakes a teen makes is poor nutrition or diet. If you have your mind set on making bodybuilding or weight training a part of your everyday life, you also have to make a commitment to eat the proper foods.

I suggest instead of just reading nutrition articles you might try to talk to your parents or even a coach at your school about getting you to a professional nutritionist for a consultation and also maybe even check into getting in touch with a personal trainer who is also in contact with a nutritionist on a regular basis. This way you will all be on the same page for you and your regimen. Once you have decided to do this, you are making a commitment to yourself so take it seriously.

SLEEP:

It is true when you are younger that your body recovers faster but if you will indulge me for a moment I want to make a comparison and hopefully you will be able to better understand why sleep is so important no matter what age you are.

The comparison is this: Think of your body having an internal battery. As you well know, all batteries need to be charged. Let's take a phone battery for example, most manufacturers recommend that you completely charge the phones battery for a full 24-hours for the optimal performance for the life of the battery. The reason being is that the battery will only be as good as its charge.

So let's say you are impatient or do not have time to wait the full 24-hours to charge the battery and you only charge it for 18 hours. What will happen from that point on is that the life of the battery from there will only be good for 18 hours at a time instead of the potential of a full 24 hours. Your body is no different than that of the life of a battery. If you get a full 8 hours of sleep allowing your body and mind to rest and recuperate then you will have allowed it to fully regenerate and you will be able to perform at full potential. Lack of a full nights rest can result in many issues and one of the main ones is being early fatigue. So try to always get the optimal amount of sleep as you can.

TRAINING STRUCTURE:

Too often teens do not like structure and when making a commitment to your self such as this, structure is key. Getting with a trainer and having them help you develop a good regimen, with a structured workout will help you get and maintain the structure that is going to work best for you and your lifestyle.

BEING A VICTIM:

It is hard to ignore all of the ads you see online and in magazines that tell you that if you take this supplement or that supplement you will be just as big as the model pictured in the add. Don't be a victim to clever advertising gimmicks.

No supplement will work if you are not combining them with proper nutrition and workout regimen. Feel free to get some additional nutrition from these supplements but don't fall victim to the fact that they will make you "buff" over night or alone. More importantly, listen to your trainer.

ASKING FOR HELP:

Too often the ego driven teen is afraid to ask for help especially on matters that have to do with their own well being. Asking for help in no way means you are weak or weak minded. Actually, it says quite the opposite. Asking for help shows that you are smart enough to know your limitations and know when you have reached them and being able to distinguish between being weak and knowing when to get assistance.

I hope this helps any teen planning on setting this personal goal for yourself and gets you to thinking about some simple planning before making a commitment such as this.

I know that earlier I said that you are making a commitment to yourself so take it seriously but also, do not forget to have fun. After all, if we cannot find fun in the things we do, what is the point right?