CELL PHONES AND CAR KEYS – Training With Older Kids And Teenagers

Putting tools like a cell phone or car keys in your teen’s hands helps him or her to communicate and get to where he or she is going. Now give your teen the tools to be active, spiritually fulfilled and confident in you as a COURAGEOUS man. My favorite youth ministry mentor once said, “Youth ministers are only as cool as their last death-defying stunt.” You might feel the same way as a parent to a teenager. In order to get a teen’s approval on any activity it has to be super-cool and super-crazy.

OVERCOME OBSTACLES – The next big thing in the fitness industry is obstacle course racing. I highly recommend that you sign-up for an event near you and start training with your teenager. Here is everything you need to know to accomplish this amazing task.

First, here is a listing of some of the races you might find around you:
Spartan Race – I had a group of 8 in my local area tackle the Super Spartan this summer and it was an amazing event.
Warrior Dash – They also have a race called the Metro Dash.
Rugged Maniac – There are others but these companies offer a 5K option and seem to be the most established. A simple Google search could turn up others in your area.

Now, if you have watched any of the videos on their sites and thought, “There is no way I can do that!” I want to ease your concern. We had a couple of stay-at-home moms in their 30’s say the same thing before the Spartan Race. After training properly for the next 3-4 months, they all finished and loved the experience.

Here is how you tackle an obstacle-course race: Start going for “adventure runs” in your neighborhood or local parks. This Power Devo explains more about how to use EVERYDAY OBJECTS FOR FITNESS.

At your park, map out an area that is an appropriate run challenge for you. Plan it so that you have to run by the monkey bars or any other obstacle like a flight of stairs, big rocks to climb over, or a nature trail. You can also jump over and under picnic tables, bleachers, and the other playground equipment.

Here’s an outline of a workout I did with our group to prepare for the Spartan Race. The distances are adaptable to your fitness level:

Honestly, I would never have become a runner. It is very boring to me, but adventure running makes it a blast! You are just trying to survive the run until your next obstacle so it keeps your attention.

BACKYARD SUICIDES – You may remember this from gym class or if you played a sport. Suicides are a running challenge that gets progressively longer. I would call them something different like “Smith Relays” (use your last name). Lay out 4 cones or makers that are 8 to 10 yards apart in a line. If your backyard is not big enough, you can make it slightly smaller, but finding another space might work better. I have set up suicides in cul-de-sacs, driveways, and parking lots.

Start at the first cone and sprint to the next cone. Drop and hit your best 10 push-ups (or whatever is right for you, more or less). Sprint back to the first cone and “high five” your child who will “feed into” the course. You immediately sprint to the second cone and hit 10 squats, while they are sprinting to the push-up cone. After your squats, sprint back to the start cone and then sprint to the last location for a core challenge. Hit some “dollies” – lay flat on your back and raise your legs 3-4 inches off the ground keeping your legs straight, and do the “splits” (legs split open as wide as possible). Try for 20 reps, then pop up and sprint back to start.

You just finished the suicide…uh, sorry…relay! Your child should be following you through the course after the “high-five” also completing the challenges. Rest 1-2 minutes and repeat. The example above had an upper body, lower body, and core challenge at each cone. You can pick any exercise and even have some weight equipment waiting for you at each cone, but I would stay with this format. Here are some other examples of successful suicides:

You can also adapt how you are moving from cone to cone. Try sliding, jumping, giant skips, bear crawls, single-leg hops, etc. This program is unlimited and can offer challenges forever.

Your initial goal is to survive 3 or 4 suicides. Once this is accomplished, you can progress these by doing more reps or harder reps at each stop or simply doing more total suicides. If you have adequate space, you can also play around with increasing the distance between the cones.

FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE INTO AND BUILD A PROGRAM AROUND IT – This is the same idea behind the Toy Hide and Seek and Board Game Fitness suggestions for the younger kids. If your child is really into Xbox and other games, challenge them to a contest. The winner gets to pick one from the list below and do it. The loser has to do all of them:

1. 25 push-ups
2. 10 Burpees
3. 25 squats
4. 25 dollies

They will probably win (which they will love), but you will have had some quality time with them, and you will at least share some workout time together. Make sure the game doesn’t take forever, so you might set a timer for a winner to be determined at every 5 or 10 minute interval.

What if your daughter is really into hanging out with her friends at the mall? No, I am not suggesting you become a “mall walker”…she will be embarrassed for life. I am suggesting you say this to her, “For every half-hour you spend at the mall, I want you to workout with me for 15 minutes at the park (or other location). You can invite your friends if you want.” You never know unless you ask.

As a father to a teen you may be coming face-to-face with the reality that your little one isn’t too little anymore. It is time to take some time and get face-to-face with your teen. He or she will enjoy it more than you realize and you’ll have the chance to take a good long look at a soon-to-be young adult that in fact looks up to you quite a bit. The bottom line in this guide is to just start moving and doing things with your teen. Through movement and facing challenges together, your relationships will be bonded in ways unimaginable.

SHARE YOUR FITNESS IDEAS FOR TEENS: Click on the ADD NEW COMMENT link below to post your own COURAGOUS Men’s Fitness tips.