My 14 y.o. daughter is a very strong, athletic girl. She's a soccer and lacrosse player
(playing varsity level as an 8th grader
)…lacrosse is her primary love.
To give you an idea of her natural strength, since about age 7 she has been able to pick me up and carry me around without much effort - and I'm 225 lbs. She has short, thick muscles in both her arms and legs. She also is carrying a little extra weight.
On a few occasions she's expressed to me her desire to have "longer" leaner muscles, and to get rid of the belly fat she's got. Her older sister - who doesn't have the same strength or natural athleticism - is 5'8" and has just more naturally longer leaner muscles. My 14 y.o. is about 5'5".
So I'd like some advice on what kind
(s
) of workouts she could be doing to help her lose the belly fat, lengthen and strengthen her muscles
(especially upper arms and calves - she has had cramping issues with her calf muscles after long lacrosse sessions where she played multiple games in a row
), and gain speed and quickness for her sports.
BTW, I'm not pushing this…she wants to do this, all I'm trying to do is give her some advice and direction. She's been running, and riding the bike on the trainer, and doing some core exercises.
It's important to her that her muscles do NOT get bigger. She's a 14 y.o.girl after all
I'd appreciate any specific exercises, or workout routines that would help her. It's best if they're fun, simple, and things we could do together. Of course the less they look like "exercise" and the more they resemble a game or a challenge the better - she's super competitive.
We don't have a lot of exercise equipment at home - bike trainer, a few dumbbells - but I'm not against getting some. We also have memberships at a local Boys & Girls Club with a full size pool and a very nice fitness room
(machines, free weights, exercise bands and balls, treadmills, bikes, etc
).
Please feel free to recommend nutrition advice as well. She is a pretty typical teen when it comes to nutrition…definitely working to cut down on the amount of carbs she eats by focusing on positive changes like fresh fruits and veggies as the first snacks to reach for.
Thanks.