10 Best Fitness Goals For Teenagers
As we approach the new year, we look for new challenges and set ourselves goals to improve. This may be fitness-related for some, and if you’re looking for inspiration, we’ve got you covered!
These goals are specifically tailored towards teenagers. So, even if you have no equipment, fitness experience, or gym membership, there are still plenty of targets to pick.
Holding A Wall Sit
Goal 1: Be able to wall sit for 75 seconds.
To illustrate, perform a wall sit by placing your back against a wall and your feet shoulder-width apart. You should then squat until your knees bend 90 degrees and then hold.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers wanting to:
- Strengthen and improve muscular endurance in their quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals.
- Build up the resilience of lactic acid.
- Improve posture.
To point out, wall sits build your relative strength. So, no matter your age, the challenge is equally as hard – younger teenagers have less muscle but weigh less, while older teenagers have more muscle but weigh more.
Time Frame: A total beginner should be able to achieve this within 3-4 months, while an experienced individual could do it in 2 months.
Challenge
The longer you hold the wall sit for, the more difficult it becomes. To challenge yourself, try a 90-second wall sit!
Performing Push-Ups
Goal 2: Be able to perform 35 clean push-ups without rest.
Most of us know how to do a push-up, but what’s better than doing 1? Doing 35! We’ve chosen 35 seconds without rest because not many teenagers can do them, but every teenager is capable. So, while it may initially seem difficult, understand constant practice will eventually lead to you doing them.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers wanting to:
- Improve their relative upper body strength.
- See muscle development in the pectorals, tricep, and deltoid areas.
- Have a party trick to show their friends!
Remember, it’s a challenge and intended to be complicated. However, if you struggle to do one, start with assisted push-ups and gradually build on them.
Time Frame: This can take you anywhere from 4 months to a year, depending on your current strength levels
Challenge
The more push-ups you do, the more fatigue you’ll feel. For a bonus challenge, try doing 50 in a row!
Running A 100m Sprint
Goal 3: Be able to run 100 meters between 10-14 seconds.
There’s something about being the fastest runner in school that screams cool. What better way to work toward this than setting a goal for it?
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers who want to:
- Run faster.
- Compete in an athletic sport.
- Strengthen their core and legs.
- Improve their running technique.
Now, unlike the other targets we have recommended, this one is more age-dependent. That’s why we gave a range of 12-14 seconds. To find a goal SMART for you, time yourself at the beginning of the year and aim to shed some time off it.
To help compare, here are the average sprinting times for different teenagers.
| Age Groups (years) | Average time to run 100m |
|---|---|
| 13-14 | 12.0-14.0 seconds |
| 15-16 | 11.5-13.5 second |
| 17-18 | 11.0-13.0 seconds |
| 19 | 10.5-12.0 seconds |
Look at your age group’s average, and aim to run faster!
Time Frame: This can take up to 6 months of sprint training, depending on your age, fitness level, and how many seconds you trim off the average.
Challenge
The less time you give yourself to sprint 100m, the more difficult it is. For a challenge, shave off an extra 0.5 seconds than you intended to do.
Learning How To Handstand
Goal 4: Be able to handstand without assistance for 6 seconds.
A handstand incorporates both skill and fitness, which is why many of us find it fun to learn. While most teenagers can handstand against a wall or with someone holding their feet, few can keep it balanced, especially for 10 seconds.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers:
- Wanting to strengthen their shoulders and core, as well as improve balance and coordination.
- Experimenting with Gymnastics.
- Who enjoy learning new techniques and statics.
Shorter teenagers will find this easier than taller ones as their center of mass is closer to the ground. Nonetheless, it’s still possible and a great goal to set yourself.
Time Frame: Learning a handstand could be as quick as a month; however, holding it for 10 seconds will take up most of the time. An average teenager should be able to do it after 3 months of practice.
Challenge
Rather than upping the steaks by holding it for longer, try to perform a handstand push-up without assistance.
Upping Your Vertical Jump
Goal 5: Increase your vertical jump by 6-10 inches.
We always get told to reach for the star. Well, today, we set that as a goal!
Remember to record how high you can jump before working towards your goal to make tracking easier. You can do this using a jump board or sticking tape against a wall when you jump.
To summarize, this is ideal for teenagers who:
- Compete in athletics or explosive sports such as basketball, dancing, or soccer.
- Want to increase power in the legs.
- Are competitive amongst their friends and want to jump the highest.
The more experienced you are, the lower you’ll be able to increase your vertical. This is because you are closer to your body’s maximum potential than somebody less experienced.
Once again, we have attached this table to help compare your vertical jump to the norm of the average between different age groups.
| Age Group (years) | Average Vertical Jump Height |
|---|---|
| 13-14 | 14 – 19 inches |
| 15-16 | 17 – 20 inches |
| 17-18 | 20 – 24 inches |
| 19 | 23 – 27 inches |
Time Frame: Non-experienced athletes can take up to 6 months, depending on the scale they want to increase their jump. Whereas experienced athletes could take up to a year.
Challenge
The higher you set your goal, the longer it will take to jump that high. Our challenge for you is to increase your vertical by 8-12 inches.
Enroll To Practice A New Sport
Goal 6: Join a fitness club for an activity you have never done before.
This is more of a confidence goal than a fitness one. We aren’t saying you won’t be physically challenged, but it does take a lot of bravery to go into something you’ve never done before. If you are struggling with ideas, here are a few to help:
- Sports teams – such as football, basketball, tennis, or rounders.
- Individual activity clubs like long-distance field running.
- Combat Clubs – for example, wrestling or boxing.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers who:
- Are bored with their current sport.
- Are new to fitness and want to try new activities to get a better understanding.
- Want to fill their spare time with something productive.
Time Frame: You can do this as soon as your next school day. However, if you want to begin with everyone else, enrolling at the start of the academic year is best.
Challenge:
If possible, make it into the school team so you can compete at a higher level.
Improve Your Throw
Goal 7: Increase how far you can throw a ball by 10-35 feet.
To be clear, we are discussing throwing a tennis ball into a field.
Unlike other goals, you don’t achieve this when you do it once, but, instead, when you throw further consistently. If you can make 5 back-to-back throws travel 10 feet further than it previously did, it’s fair to say you’ve completed the goal.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers who:
- Increase arm explosiveness
- Improve throwing technique
- Compete in sports such as football, baseball, or athletics.
This is a goal that is achieved through technique rather than strength levels. So, lots of repetition is needed to perfect your motion. This goal is for you if you enjoy repeatedly doing the same movements.
Time Frame: This is dependent on your experience. If you have practiced before, you should know the technique well; therefore, you won’t be able to increase your throw as much as someone inexperienced. All-in-all, it ranges anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Challenge:
Increase your throw by 25-40 feet, but you must do it 7 times back-to-back before you say it’s completed.
Test Your Acrobatics Ability
Goal 8: Learn how to front-flip on the ground.
There aren’t many people who are cooler than the ones that can flip. So why not learn it yourself? Many teenagers can front flip on a trampoline, but not as many on the ground.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers who:
- Want a party trick to impress their friends.
- Are passionate about parkour, trampolining, or gymnastics.
- Want to become more explosive.
This is one of the few goals we recommend that need safety equipment. Items such as a soft-landing mattress, bed mattress, or pillows are great for preventing injuries and ensuring a safe learning zone.
Time Frame: A total beginner should be able to front flip in 6-8 weeks if they train appropriately.
Challenge:
Turn your front flip into a routine by incorporating a front-hand sprint, cartwheel, and spin jump.
Holding A Plank
Goal 9: Be able to maintain a plank position for 90 seconds.
To get in the plank position, lay your forearms on the floor with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Then, raise your legs so your toes and forearms are the only contact with the floor. Try to keep a neutral position throughout – a straight spine.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers who:
- Want a six-pack.
- Participate in core–heavy sports, such as bouldering or calisthenics.
- Have minimal equipment to work with.
Once again, it uses relative strength, so each age group finds it equally challenging. Sorry, younger teenagers, there’s no headstart on this one!
Putting goals aside, the plank is one of the best statics for teenagers to train. It builds a solid foundation of strength which is universal to all sports and activities. Even if you can’t do 90 seconds, practicing it daily is hugely b.
Time Frame: An average teenager should be able to hold a plank for 90 seconds after 8-10 weeks of training.
Challenge
To make it more difficult, hold the plank even longer – try 120 seconds!
Try Some Flexibility Challenges
Goal 10: Learn to do the splits and hold it for 5 seconds.
For the last challenge, why not try the splits – the ultimate display of flexibility! We recommend this goal for teenagers as it helps to build good habits of daily stretching and mobility exercises.
To summarize, this goal is ideal for teenagers who:
- Want to better their gymnastics ability.
- Want a new jaw-dropping party trick.
- Prefer low–intensity exercises.
If you can already do the splits, you can set a couple of other goals yourself. For example, a bridge pose or standing forward bend.
Time Frame: The splits can be learned in 6 weeks.
Challenge
The splits are complex as it is. The only way we could think to make it more difficult is by holding it for 10 seconds!
- Can You Film In The Gym – The Brutal Truth
I run a fitness blog and YouTube channel. And while writing is hassle-free, getting my camera, tripod and microphone out in the middle of the… - Can You Use The Holes In Bouldering
Have you ever seen the holes drilled into the bouldering/climbing wall? When I first went climbing I was confused as to what they are, who… - Does Climbing Increase Testosterone
Muscular, veiny, hairy, tall, and deep-voiced… All of which derive from high testosterone levels. Is it possible they derive from climbing too? Let’s find out……
