Help me out!

Hey everyone,
I’ve been playing handball and I'm 14 right now. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to level up my conditioning—specifically, how to sustain my sprinting for longer periods, since I play wing.
On top of that, I'm trying to figure out how to add about 20 cm to my vertical. My best jump measurement at school so far was 3.90m, but I really want to hit at least 4.10m 🙂 so if anyone has some tips, please let me know. 😁 😉
Thanks in advance.

Walter Miller45 said:I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on improving my conditioning. Specifically, how can I increase my sprinting endurance? Right now, I feel like I gas out way too fast.

You need to start incorporating actual sprint intervals into your training routine.

Walter Miller45 said:Along those lines, I'm also looking to improve my explosive power—I want to add about 20 cm to my jump. My best long jump at school was 3.90m, but I’d really love to hit at least 4.10m.🙂 If anyone has any advice, please let me know, I'd really appreciate the help.😁 😉

Try doing single-leg squats, deadlifts, and natural leg curls.

Paul Baker29 said:Get some sprint training into your routine.

Single-leg squats, deadlifts, and natural leg curls.

Recommending deadlifts to a 14-year-old? Real smart move there, genius.

Bryan Fowler4 said:recommending deadlifts to a 14-year-old? That's a pretty bright idea right there.

Honestly, every time I hear someone bring up deadlifting, it feels like a physical blow to the head. It seems like the entire country has lost its collective mind on this one.

@ Walter Miller45 - Look, you can focus on conditioning, swimming, rowing, running, cycling—pick whatever you want, or even combine them all if you have the capacity. Over time, your physique will naturally follow.
Fourteen is far too young for any kind of gym culture or similar nonsense.

Wait, what exactly do you mean by deadlifting?? 😲

Paul Baker29 said:You need to start incorporating sprint training into your routine.

What kind of exercises are we talking about when it comes to sprinting?? If you happen to have some kind of video, maybe send it over.

Walter Miller45 said:Hey everyone!
I play handball and I'm 14. I want to know how to improve my conditioning—specifically, how to sustain sprints longer since I play wing.
I'm also looking to increase my vertical by about 20 cm. Right now, my best jump at school was 3.90m, but I'd really like to hit 4.10m.🙂 If anyone can offer some advice, please help me out.😁 😉
Thanks in advance.

It is impossible to give meaningful advice over the internet.
First, you need to be properly tested before any training plan can even be drafted. Doesn't your club have a strength and conditioning coach?
As for the jumping, you can certainly improve that through plyometric training, but you still need a coach to guide you through it safely.

Bryan Fowler4 said:Recommending deadlifts for a 14-year-old is just incredibly naive.

Look, if a 6-year-old can pull off bowers movements (those 90-degree push-ups): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti_g3...layer_embedded, then I don't see why a 14-year-old shouldn't be able to handle deadlifts.

If you actually thought it was okay to let some six-year-old kid walk into a gym to start lifting weights, you shouldn't even be allowed near children—honestly, someone should just strip you of your rights right then and there

Thanks for the polite response.
This kid is enrolled in gymnastics.
In case you weren't aware, kids typically start gymnastics around age five. Honestly, the physical demand is often more intense than lifting weights, and you see that these kids are consistently healthy, well-developed, and don't suffer from any health issues.
Personally, I feel like we should just ban children and castrate anyone who tries to lecture others about things they clearly know nothing about—it’s infuriating how full of themselves people get with their supposed "expertise."

If anyone happens to have some home workout routines or equipment suggestions, I’m all ears, because hitting the local gym is just one way to go... 6.2 miles That’s 🙂 my two cents

Bryan Fowler4 said:recommending deadlifts to a 14-year-old—really bright idea there, genius

What am I missing here?

Plyometric jump training and various technical variations derived from Olympic weightlifting.
If I were in your shoes, I’d head somewhere where you could actually master the fundamentals of Olympic lifting—you know, the snatch, clean, and jerk. It’s like if someone from a small town in Ohio decided to train with US Steel. These are essential motor skills that just about any serious young athlete needs to have under their belt.

Charles Morales10 said:What’s missing here?

The problem is they’ll just watch some video on YouTube and assume it’s the absolute truth, even though doing it that way is fundamentally wrong.

Charles Morales10 said:For plyometric jump training and various techniques derived from Olympic weightlifting.
If I were in your shoes, I’d head somewhere to actually learn the fundamental Olympic lifts first—you know, the snatch, the clean and jerk. For instance, if you're living in Chicago but want to train with someone like US Steel's athletic program out in Zanesville. These are basic motor skills that any serious young athlete needs to master before moving on.

👍

You can't recommend those kinds of drills to a kid who hasn't even mastered basic barbell technique yet. What you're describing is stuff reserved for advanced athletes.

Walter Miller45 said:If you have gear at home, sure, you can work out there, but a gym is a whole different ballgame. 6.2 miles Here’s my take: 🙂

Look, kid, you absolutely need to find a trainer. No one on this forum knows a thing about your current fitness level or your physical starting point, and you're still incredibly young. Whatever you do, stay far away from deadlifts, heavy squats, or anything similar right now. You haven't done them before, and jumping straight in without mastering proper technique is a recipe for disaster—that’s exactly why you need a coach. If you’re actually serious about training, you need to be in a gym under professional supervision. A trainer needs to walk you through the basics, getting you comfortable with the machines and free weights first. Once you've nailed the fundamentals and built up enough core and back strength—regardless of what kind of shape you're in currently—then you can start tackling advanced movements like heavy squats and deadlifts. But I'm telling you again: do it under supervision.

Walter Miller45 said:Hey everyone!
I play handball and I'm 14—really looking for ways to level up my conditioning, specifically how to hold those sprints longer since I play wing.
Also, I'm trying to boost my vertical/jump by maybe 20cm... right now my best jump (measured at school) is about 3.90m, but I'd love to hit at least 4.10m.🙂 If anyone has some tips or advice, please help a guy out!😁 😉
Thanks in advance!

Wait, is this long jump?

Lawrence Phillips said:Is this some kind of joke?

Yeah,

slydriver52 said:You could work on strengthening your back muscles and maybe eventually your core—though I have no idea what kind of shape you're actually in. You might want to try advanced movements like squats or deadlifts, but again, I’m just saying you really ought to do that under a trainer's supervision.

My abs? They're in great shape. I used to hit them pretty hard, and while my routine has slipped lately, they're holding up alright enough.

As for my back... it's mediocre, I guess. I recently started incorporating some specific exercises for it.

I found all the routines I needed on YouTube.🙂

Walter Miller45 said:Abs: In great shape. I used to hit them hard, and while my core workouts have slowed down lately, they’re holding up well.

Back muscles: Average. I just recently started incorporating back exercises into my routine.

I found all my routines on YouTube.🙂

That’s what I thought. You absolutely have to strengthen your lower back! I’ve already laid out the rest of my advice, so you know best how to manage your own training options.