CLASS IN SESSION

START OUT ON THE RIGHT FOOT WITH THIS PRIMER  FOR GYM NEWBIES

We spoke with Ben Bruno, a strength coach who works with young athletes, to get tips on how to make sure your formative years in the gym are

FORM OVER  FUNCTION DARRIN KLIMEK/GETTY IMAGES G N I D L I U B Y D B & S S E N T I F Learn proper form. It’ll make you stronger in the long run and prevent bad lifting habits that can get you hurt. “If you round-back deadlift, you’ll be able to do more than if you keep your hips down—but only to a point,” Bruno says. FOLLOW THE LEADER “Experienced guys do drop sets and things like that, but that’s not how they built their base,”  Bruno says. Ask  the strongest guys  in the gym how they started out and  what mistakes they made that you should avoid. COMPETE AGAINST YOURSELF “Focus on progress,” Bruno says. If you increase your 185-pound bench press to 205, and your friend only jumps from 225 to 235, focus  on how fast you’re catching up to him, not how far ahead  he is. WEIDERMAILORDER.COM ACCESSORIES BODYHELIXTM Compression support that works ThighHelix™ The  Benchmarks These are the numbers to strive for when you’re training as a teen. BENCH PRESS You should be able to press your own body weight for  3–5 reps. DEADLIFT Aim for pulling about one-anda-half times  your own  body weight. CHIN-UP Get at least five reps with a full range of motion. Nutrition Bruno advises his athletes to try to gain one pound per week. If you don’t yet prepare a lot of your own meals, keep it simple and clean. It doesn’t take any real skill to roast veggies or grill a chicken breast.