Getting Your Teen Athlete Ready for Pre-Season: A Parent's Guide to Summer Strength Training
If you've got a teenager heading back into club or school sport this September, July is exactly the right time to be thinking about this — not because there's a countdown clock, but because a few weeks of sensible strength work now genuinely changes how the season goes for them. Fewer niggles, better resilience when training ramps up, and a body that's actually prepared for what's coming rather than playing catch-up in week two of pre-season.
Here's what's worth knowing before you sign your teen up for anything.
Why now matters
Most injuries in young athletes happen not because they're unfit, but because their bodies go from relatively low activity (school holidays, exams finished, less structured movement) straight into full-intensity pre-season training with no ramp-up. Strength training over the summer isn't about building bigger or faster athletes overnight — it's about giving their joints, tendons and movement patterns a few weeks' head start before that jump happens.
What it should NOT look like
Let's clear up the two biggest myths, because they stop a lot of parents from looking into this at all:
"Lifting weights will stunt my child's growth." This isn't supported by current evidence. Properly coached, age-appropriate strength training is safe for young athletes and doesn't affect growth plates negatively — in fact it tends to reduce injury risk once they're back in full contact or competitive training.
"It needs to be intense to work." It really doesn't, and this is where a lot of teen programmes go wrong. Good youth strength training is about coaching movement quality — squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, landing — under sensible loads, with a coach who actually knows what they're looking at. It's not about maxing out or chasing a personal best every session.
What a sensible summer programme actually looks like
For most teen athletes, 2–3 sessions a week over 6–8 weeks is plenty to make a real difference before pre-season. A good session focuses on:
Fundamental movement patterns done well, not lots of exercises done badly
Loads that challenge them without turning every session into a grind
Building in recovery — teenagers are still growing, and rest is part of the programme, not a gap in it
A coach who's watching technique, not just counting reps
A parent's experience
One of the families we work with came to us after their son picked up a couple of minor injuries early in previous seasons — the kind that aren't serious, but keep costing him weeks on the sideline just as he's finding form. Rather than adding more sport-specific training, we started him on a simple twice-weekly strength programme over the summer break. Nothing dramatic — just consistent, well-coached basics. His parents' main feedback wasn't about performance stats, it was that he went into pre-season feeling noticeably more robust, and stayed available for selection rather than sitting out with the usual niggles.
Signs your teenager is ready (and signs to hold off)
Good signs: they're keen, not just going along with it because you signed them up; they can already do bodyweight basics (squat, push-up, hang from a bar) reasonably well; they've got at least a term or two of general activity behind them.
Worth a conversation with a coach first: existing pain that hasn't been checked out, recent growth spurts causing coordination changes, or if they're already training multiple sports most days with no rest — in that case, the priority might be recovery, not more training.
FAQ
Is strength training safe for teenagers? Yes, when it's coached properly and age-appropriate. Major sports medicine and paediatric bodies support youth resistance training as safe and beneficial for reducing injury risk, provided it's supervised and progressed sensibly.
What age can my child start strength training? There's no strict minimum age — readiness matters more than age. Most kids who can follow coaching instructions and control their own bodyweight in basic movements (roughly age 8 upwards, though it varies a lot child to child) can start with simple, well-supervised sessions.
How many times a week should a teen train before pre-season? For most young athletes, 2–3 strength sessions a week over the summer break is enough to build a useful base without adding excess fatigue, especially if they're also training or playing their sport.
Will strength training stunt my child's growth? No — this is a persistent myth. Properly coached strength training does not negatively affect growth plates and is associated with lower injury rates in youth sport.
Pre-season starts soon, and the summer gap won't last forever. If you want your young athlete going in stronger, more resilient, and ready to compete from week one — not still finding their feet in week three — get in touch and let's talk about what a summer strength programme could look like for them. [Book a free call] with the coaching team.