By Louise Malone, Manager, Fitness Engagement, Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA 

September has a unique feel and rhythm. 

School starts again, schedules fill up, activities resume, and it’s back to reality. Being here at the Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA, Montreal’s Jewish Community Centre, September also brings another New Year with it. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time of reflection and renewal, which feels especially fitting at a time when so many are resetting our routines and thinking about the year ahead. 

For teenagers it can be a big adjustment. Between school, homework, extracurricular activities, friends and more time spent in front of screens, exercise can easily get pushed down the list. 

But this time of year is also a great opportunity to start fresh and build new habits. When it comes to teenagers and fitness, the word habit is much more important than the word workout. 

Some of the questions I hear from parents are: Is strength training safe for my teen? Can it stunt their growth? 

Canadian exercise guidelines recommend that youth ages 12 to 17 get an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day, including activities that strengthen muscles and bones at least three days per week. For teens interested in strength training, the initial focus should be on learning good movement patterns and technique prior to loading with heavier weights.  Concerns about effects on height are largely unfounded; growth plate injuries typically occur in high-contact activities like football, rugby, or in repetitive movements such as pitching in baseball.    

The IYCA (International Youth Conditioning Association) recommends younger teens (aged 12 to 14) keep the range of repetitions in compound exercises to 5 reps or more; this ensures that the teen can handle a given weight without compromising technique.  Compound exercises include the traditional weight-lifting moves such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, bent over rows and pulldowns. As teens mature, they can add lower rep ranges to their existing strength and conditioning – provided their technique is optimal.  

All teens are encouraged to round out their physical fitness with activities like running, biking, swimming, basketball, sports, fitness classes, and being active with friends. Physical activity can also support concentration, self-esteem, mental health and stress management, all things that become especially important when teens head back to school. 

Speaking of friends… 

Another benefit of physical activity that is often overlooked is that fitness can be social. 

Young people aren’t necessarily motivated by the same things as adults. Research consistently points to enjoyment and social connection as important reasons young people choose to be active. 

A teenager might come because their friend is going to basketball. They might try a fitness program because they want to learn how to use the equipment. They might discover that they love the team aspects and camaraderie swimming, strength training or a group class. 

That’s how movement starts becoming something they want to do rather than something they’re told they should do. 

Give Them the Chance to Find Their Thing 

One teen might love basketball. Another might prefer swimming. Someone else may feel most comfortable putting on headphones and doing their own workout.  As parents, coaches and fitness professionals, one of the best things we can do is expose young people to different ways of moving and give them space to discover what they enjoy. At the Y, we’re fortunate to have an environment where teens can explore fitness in different ways, whether that’s through sports, aquatics, structured fitness programming or learning how to exercise independently.  

Ask your teen what they would enjoy doing. Let them try something new. Help them find a time in their week when being active feels realistic rather than like another obligation. 

A sense of exploration is particularly meaningful at this time of year; both the return to school and Rosh Hashanah invite us, in different ways, to think about what we want the year ahead to look like. For teens, that doesn’t need to mean making a big resolution. Sometimes it’s simply finding one healthy habit they enjoy enough to keep coming back to. The goal is to help young people develop enough confidence and knowledge that being active becomes a normal part of their lives.