Something new in the gym

[LonArcvarden]

Hey all

I have recently inducted my 12 year old son to the gym. I want him to have fun and learn a few things. He has watched me teaching online classes and seen me work with individuals and groups. He knows I am not one for 'how much can you lift' etc. He knows I focus far more on 'how' we move and how we feel.

I told him that us going to the gym once or twice a week is about moving around, doing a little hard work and then just having some fun.

He plays badminton, so a lot of his sport is short burst work so I said that we would incorporate that too.

We are just starting the interval programme Michel Mosley featured in a documentary a while back. Not something I have chosen to do much of since my rugby days, so I thought that would make it a new experience for both of us.
I believe the programme is/was:
20 seconds of work
2 minutes of rest
X3-4 attempts

We have been using something like:
Ground based movement, loaded gait pattern.
Then one of ....
A). Rowing machine +
B). Hand bike +
C). Airdyne +
D). Ski erg +

The '+' refers to what we do afterwards which is an opportunity to teach a few movement skills and/or just have some fun eg the gym has a monkey bar rig (pullup bars etc), a big sled etc. So we just literally hang around, explore, play.

The '+' can also mean a couple of sets of something he fancies (arms, legs .. machines/KB'S etc).

We usually leave having put in some work, had fun/a laugh together .. and wanting to come back.

What more could I want.

[MichaelSavan]

That's great to read. If I was a member of the gym still I would give that a try, my kids are similar ages and curious about gyms.

[princemeraj]

My son and I do short bursts and mix in fun stuff like badminton drills. It’s more about moving and feeling good than lifting heavy. He actually gets excited trying new intervals, and having a place to go that’s easy to use makes it simple to keep it fun. Using la fitness has helped us find gyms nearby where the equipment and space make it easy to just focus on moving and enjoying ourselves.