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Exercises

Strength training for teenagers: the lifts, the loads and three programs

Published October 29, 2026

Strength training for teenagers should start with dumbbell lifts that are easy to learn, the goblet squat, reverse lunge, dumbbell bench press and one-arm row, then add the barbell back squat, bench press and trap bar deadlift once those look the same on every rep. Lift two or three days a week, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps for beginners and 5 to 10 reps later, and end each set with 2 or 3 good reps left instead of testing a one-rep max. When all your sets hit the top of the rep range, go up by the smallest jump the gym has.

  1. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes
  2. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes
  3. Flat Dumbbell Press Chest
  4. One-Arm Dumbbell Row Lats, Upper Back
  5. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge Quads, Glutes
  6. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  7. Lat Pulldown Lats
  8. Dead Bug Abs

Squats and lunges: from one dumbbell to the barbell

The goblet squat is the first loaded squat to learn because the weight in front of you keeps your chest up. Once you can goblet squat with good depth and steady knees for 3 sets of 10, the barbell back squat lets you load your legs far more. The dumbbell reverse lunge trains each leg on its own, which matters for every sport that runs or jumps.

Quads and glutes, first loaded squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

One dumbbell held at the chest teaches squat depth, knee path and an upright torso with a load that is hard to get wrong. It is the lift every other leg exercise on this page builds on.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom.
  • Chest stays up behind the weight.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Quads and glutes, barbell squat

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

The back squat is where leg strength really grows, because the bar can be loaded in 5-pound steps for years. Learn it in a squat rack with the safety arms set just below the bottom position, ideally with a coach watching the first sessions.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar across your upper back below the neck, hands just outside your shoulders, and unrack it.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out a little.
  3. Breathe in, tighten your stomach as if bracing for a punch, and sit down between your heels.
  4. Stand back up keeping your chest and hips rising together.

Cues

  • Breathe and brace
  • Chest and hips rise together
  • Whole-foot pressure

Common mistakes

  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: lighten the bar and keep your chest rising with them.
  • Letting the stomach go soft between reps: re-brace at the top of each one.

Swap for: Front Squat, Box Squat

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Quads and glutes, single-leg

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back instead of forward keeps your front shin steadier and makes the lunge easier to control while you learn it. It also shows quickly if one leg is weaker than the other.

How to do it

  1. Start tall with a dumbbell hanging from each hand and your feet under your hips.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until your back knee is just above the floor and your front thigh is near parallel.
  3. Keep your front heel flat and your chest tall.
  4. Push through your front foot to bring the back foot forward to the start, then alternate or finish all reps on one side.

Cues

  • Front shin stays vertical
  • Back knee kisses the floor
  • Drive through the front heel

Common mistakes

  • Taking a short step so the front knee shoots forward and the heel lifts: step farther back.
  • Letting the torso twist or lean to the side as you tire; keep both dumbbells hanging straight down.

Swap for: Reverse Lunge, Dumbbell Split Squat, Step-Up

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Deadlifts, swings and jumps

Hinging at the hips builds the glutes and hamstrings that sprint and jump. The trap bar deadlift is the easiest barbell pull to learn, because the handles sit at your sides and your back stays more upright. The kettlebell swing and box jump train the same hips to move fast, with low reps and full rest.

Glutes, hamstrings and quads, hinge

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Standing inside the bar puts the weight in line with your body, so the lift is easier to learn than a straight-bar deadlift and lets your back stay more upright. It is the heavy pull every program here builds toward.

How to do it

  1. Step inside the trap bar with the handles beside your feet.
  2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and grip the handles.
  3. Flatten your back, take the slack out, and stand up by pushing the floor away.
  4. Lower under control. Each warm-up set adds weight toward your working sets.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Flat back
  • Slack out before you pull

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first.
  • Rounding the back as the weight climbs: hold the ramp until the setup is solid.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Glutes and hamstrings, explosive hinge

Kettlebell Swing

Glutes, Hamstrings

The swing turns the deadlift's hip hinge into a fast snap, the same hip drive used in sprinting and jumping. Sets of 10 to 15 with a moderate bell also build work capacity without running laps.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips, the bell set about a foot in front of you.
  2. Hinge down, grip the handle with both hands, and hike the bell back between your thighs.
  3. Snap your hips forward to stand tall, letting the bell float up to about shoulder height on straight arms.
  4. Let it fall back between your legs as you hinge again, and go straight into the next rep.

Cues

  • Hips snap, arms just hold on
  • Stand tall at the top
  • Bell passes high between the thighs

Common mistakes

  • Squatting the swing by bending the knees deeply: push your hips back and keep the shins nearly vertical.
  • Lifting the bell with your shoulders: if your arms are working, the hips are not driving it.

Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift, Superman

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Legs, jump and landing

Box Jump

Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings

Jumping onto a box trains power while cutting out the hard landing of a jump back to the floor. Pick a box you clear easily and step down between reps; the height of the box is not the point.

How to do it

  1. Stand a short step from a sturdy box.
  2. Dip into a quarter squat and swing the arms back.
  3. Spring onto the box and absorb the landing quietly.
  4. Straighten up on top, then step back down.

Cues

  • Quick dip
  • Soft landing
  • Step down

Common mistakes

  • Using a box so tall you land in a deep squat: lower the box.
  • Jumping tired: keep sets short.

Swap for: Jump Squat, Lateral Box Jump, Single-Leg Box Jump

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Presses: dumbbell bench, barbell bench and landmine

Start pressing with dumbbells, which let each arm find its own path and need no spotter to bail out. The barbell bench press comes next, always with a spotter or safety pins. The landmine press is the overhead option that suits young shoulders still getting used to pressing above the head.

Chest and triceps, dumbbell press

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

Dumbbells let you press heavy with no one standing over you, because you can set them down at your sides when a set ends. They also show any left-right strength difference that a barbell would hide.

How to do it

  1. Lying on a flat bench, hold two dumbbells above your chest.
  2. Lower the bells to the sides of your chest with elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Press them back up over your shoulders.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinched.
  • Control the lowering.

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out.

Swap for: Push-Up, Barbell Bench Press

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Chest and triceps, barbell press

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

It is the press most teens want to learn, and it does build the chest and arms well. Use it once dumbbell pressing is solid, always with a spotter or safety pins, and keep 2 reps in reserve instead of grinding out a last rep.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar, feet planted, and squeeze your shoulder blades back and down into the pad.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width, unrack it, and hold it over your shoulders with locked elbows.
  3. Lower the bar to your lower chest, around nipple height, with your elbows angled roughly 45 to 70 degrees from your sides.
  4. Touch your chest without bouncing, then press the bar up and slightly back until it is over your shoulders again.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades stay pinned
  • Bar to the nipple line
  • Drive your feet into the floor

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides: let them sit a bit closer to your ribs so your shoulders stay comfortable.
  • Lifting your hips off the bench to finish a rep: keep your glutes down and count that rep as your last.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Smith Machine Bench Press, Machine Chest Press

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Shoulders and chest, angled overhead press

Landmine Press

Shoulders

The bar moves up and forward in an arc rather than straight overhead, a path most shoulders handle well while you learn to press. With both hands on the end of the bar and your feet planted, your trunk has to stay tall so you press with your arms instead of leaning back.

How to do it

  1. Wedge one end of an empty barbell into a landmine or a corner, and load the free end with plates.
  2. Stand facing the loaded end, feet about shoulder width, and lift the end of the bar to your upper chest.
  3. Wrap both hands around the sleeve end, elbows under the bar and close to your ribs.
  4. Squeeze your glutes and keep your ribs down, then press the bar up and forward along its arc until your arms are straight.
  5. Let your shoulder blades reach forward at the top, then lower under control until the bar is back at your chest.

Cues

  • Both hands on the sleeve
  • Press where the bar wants to go
  • Ribs down, glutes tight

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to finish the rep: if your chest tips back as the set goes on, take a plate off and keep your ribs stacked over your hips.
  • Pushing straight up against the arc: the bar is fixed at the floor, so aim up and forward and let it travel its own path.
  • Elbows flaring out wide: keep them under the bar so the press stays in line with your shoulders.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Kettlebell Overhead Press

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Rows, pulldowns and the trunk

Teens who lift tend to press far more than they pull, and their shoulders round forward over time. Match every set of pressing with a set of rows or pulldowns. The dead bug finishes the session by training your abs to hold your lower back still while your arms and legs move.

Upper back and lats, dumbbell row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

Bracing on a bench lets you row a heavy dumbbell with your back supported, and it works for anyone with one dumbbell and a bench or chair. It is the pull that balances all the pressing.

How to do it

  1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
  3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow to your hip
  • Back flat as a table
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.

Swap for: Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row

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Lats, vertical pull

Lat Pulldown

Lats

Most teens cannot do many strict pull-ups yet. The pulldown trains the same lats with a weight you can choose, and the pin lets you progress until pull-ups become possible.

How to do it

  1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
  2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • Bar to the top of the chest
  • Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
  • Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown, Band-Assisted Pull-Up, Chin-Up

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Abs, trunk control

Dead Bug

Abs

Lying on your back and reaching opposite arm and leg teaches you to keep your lower back still while your limbs move, the same bracing that keeps you solid under a squat bar.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up, arms pointing up and knees bent at right angles over your hips.
  2. Press your lower back into the floor.
  3. Reach one arm overhead and the opposite leg out long, both hovering above the floor.
  4. Bring them back and repeat with the other pair.

Cues

  • Back glued down
  • Breathe out as you reach
  • Opposite arm and leg

Common mistakes

  • Letting the back arch when the leg goes long: reach less far.
  • Going fast: each rep should take about three seconds.

Swap for: Plank, Alternating Leg Raise

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

13 or 14, a first program with dumbbells and a bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You are new to lifting, you have a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a bench at home or in the school gym, and you want to learn the main lifts properly before going heavy.

Five exercises for two sets is 10 working sets, about 30 minutes, covering squat, lunge, press, row and trunk twice a week. Higher reps and 3 reps in reserve keep the weights light enough to learn good technique while still getting stronger.

Full body
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set first 2 × 10–15 3 90 s
Flat Dumbbell Press 2 × 10–15 3 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 2 × 10–15 3 1 min
Dumbbell Reverse LungePer leg. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Dead BugPer side. 2 × 8–12 3 1 min
How to run it
Train on two days that are at least two days apart, such as Tuesday and Friday, and avoid the day before a game. Warm up with five minutes of easy movement and one light set of each lift.
How to progress
Once both sets reach the top of the rep range with 3 reps still in reserve, add the smallest weight jump you have, usually 2.5 to 5 pounds per dumbbell. After six weeks of steady technique, add a third set to the squat, press and row.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

15 to 17, gym access, learning the barbell lifts

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets33 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Lat Pulldown, Trap Bar +2

You have a few months of dumbbell training behind you, a gym or school weight room with racks, and someone who can coach or spot you on the barbell lifts.

Alternating two sessions over three days gives each muscle about 7 to 10 sets a week, plenty for someone in their first year of barbell work. The barbell lifts come first in each session, in the 5 to 10 rep range at 2 reps in reserve, so you build strength without ever testing a max.

Day A: Squat and bench
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat2 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Barbell Bench Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dead BugPer side. 2 × 8–12 2 1 min

Open Day A: Squat and bench in the session builder

Day B: Deadlift and press
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
Landmine Press 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Reverse LungePer leg. 2 × 8–10 2 90 s

Open Day B: Deadlift and press in the session builder

How to run it
Lift Monday, Wednesday and Friday, alternating A and B, so one week is A-B-A and the next is B-A-B. Rest a full day between sessions, and put the warm-up sets on the barbell lifts.
How to progress
Add 5 pounds to the squat, deadlift and bench whenever all sets reach the top of the rep range with 2 reps in reserve. When a lift stalls for two weeks, drop the weight by 10 percent and work back up.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Off-season athlete adding muscle and power

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets40 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentPlyo Box, Barbells, Dumbbells, Kettlebells +4

Your season is over, you have 8 to 12 weeks before preseason, you already know the barbell lifts, and you want to come back bigger, stronger and faster.

Three sessions split into lower, upper and full body give each muscle about 10 to 20 sets a week, legs highest, more than in season because there are no games to recover for. Jumps and swings come first while you are fresh, so the power work is never done tired.

Day 1: Lower
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Box JumpStep down between reps. 3 × 3–5 3 90 s
Barbell Back Squat2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Dumbbell Reverse LungePer leg. 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
Kettlebell Swing 3 × 10–15 3 90 s

Open Day 1: Lower in the session builder

Day 2: Upper
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Bench Press2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Lat Pulldown 4 × 8–12 2 90 s
Landmine Press 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s

Open Day 2: Upper in the session builder

Day 3: Full body
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 4 × 4–6 2 3 min
Flat Dumbbell Press 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Goblet Squat 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Dead BugPer side. 3 × 8–12 2 1 min

Open Day 3: Full body in the session builder

How to run it
Lift three days a week with a day off after each, and keep conditioning on the off days. Stop this program and switch to two shorter sessions when preseason practices start.
How to progress
Add weight to the barbell lifts when all sets reach the top of the range with 2 reps in reserve. Keep box jumps at the same height and focus on landing quietly; add a set rather than height. Every fourth week, drop one set from each exercise to recover.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Should a 14 year old do strength training?

Yes, with the right setup: two or three sessions a week, lifts learned with light weights first, 8 to 15 reps per set and every set ended with a few reps left. The first program on this page is built for that age.

When should a teenager start lifting weights?

As soon as they can follow coaching and repeat a movement the same way, which for most kids is well before the teen years. Start with body weight and light dumbbells, add load gradually, and leave one-rep max tests until you have a coach who can run them.

What strength exercises are appropriate for a 12-year-old?

Bodyweight squats, push-ups, planks, lunges and light goblet squats and dumbbell rows. At 12 the goal is learning to move well under a light load, in sets of 10 to 15 with plenty left in the tank, under an adult who knows the lifts.

How can a teenager gain muscle?

Lift three days a week with enough sets per muscle, about 10 to 15 a week, add weight whenever you hit the top of your rep range, and eat enough to gain weight slowly. Muscle gain speeds up after puberty, so older teens usually see faster results.

What is the 3-3-3 rule for strength training?

It is usually given as three exercises, three sets, three days a week. For teens it is a reasonable first structure; the barbell program here uses four exercises per session so each day can cover legs, push, pull and trunk.