In about a month, we’re kicking off our third iteration of our Teen Strength program! This is a program that is near and dear to my heart for a lot of reasons, but one thing stands out: it’s the program I wish I would have had when I was a teen!
The negative experiences I had in gym spaces as a teen hockey player set me back at least 10 years on my fitness journey.
In high school, I participated in a summer training program for hockey players that included some time in the weight room at the rink. I had never used any of the machines. I’d never touched a barbell or dumbbell before. I honestly didn’t even know the room existed until that first day. I wandered up the stairs into the makeshift weight room that they’d put together above the Zamboni room. There with about 25 other hockey players (almost all of whom were way bigger and stronger than me). Despite the familiar hockey rink smell of rubber and old socks, I felt like I walked off the moon lander onto another planet. It only got more uncomfortable from there.
The coaches didn’t have any structured program for us.
They didn’t show us how to use any of the machines or weights.
They just said “Getting stronger is important, do some work in here and be ready to skate in an hour.”
Uh…OK coach, I’ll get right on that…
I tried to mimic the movements I saw some of the other guys doing. But not matter what I did, I felt like I wasn’t doing it right. Worst of all, I felt like everyone else noticed how lost I was. Whether I was imagining it or not, it felt like everyone was staring and smirking. I wanted to melt into the floor.
I tried doing some lat pull-downs after watching some other guys do it. You just grab the handle and pull down, right? How hard could it be?
Halfway through my first set of 10 (ten seemed like a good place to start, why not) one of the other hockey bros took pity on me and came over to help. He said, “Don’t do it like that. You’re going to hurt yourself. Pull it like this instead. These are the muscles you want to use.”
It granted me a momentary reprieve from my embarrassment, but the fact remained that I still had about 55 minutes left to “work out.” I think I did some push ups and sit ups in the corner, and took lots of “rest time” between sets.
I just didn’t belong in that space with those guys, who clearly knew more than me and seemed to have it together. It was miserable. I decided then and there that I was not cut out for the gym. It would be close to 10 years before I really tried again.
It’s a frustrating and humiliating experience, going to a place with the intent to better yourself, only to feel even worse about yourself after. Some people can get over the initial hump, and learn to ignore the stares and anxiety. But a lot of us get really turned off to the whole traditional gym experience, especially if we’re coming in with a distinctly different body composition than many of the other patrons. Gyms are supposed to be a place for self improvement and progress, but too often the people who aren’t already super fit are made to feel “less than.”
Add in the extremely challenging dynamic of being a teenager and trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be, and it’s a recipe for some kids to swear off the gym for good.
All this is to say, we’re aiming to give the teens who come to Ripple Effect a wholly different type of experience. We teach them how to move well, how to use lots of different types of equipment, and most important teach them that YES, they belong in the gym!
I sometimes wonder what my hockey career and college years would have been like, had someone given me a positive experience in the weight room in those early high school years. I’d have 10 more years of strength training under my belt! Maybe I would have majored in exercise science in college. Who knows? Any way you slice it, I would have been better off with some positive guidance in the gym.
As you can see, Young Hockey Player Chris definitely could have benefitted from a bit of muscle! But the lesson I learned was…”Lifting is not for me.”
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Our Teen Strength program begins on January 6, 2025! You can find all the info here:
https://go.rippleeffectcf.com/teens2025
We’re working hard to secure as much financial aid funding as possible! If your family needs financial aid to make this program possible, you can apply here:
