This story is part of Fit at Any Age: New Frontiers—a next-level guide to the latest science and tips for a stronger, longer life.
A RADIATING VOICE commands attention as it echoes through the gym: “Load. Under bar. Step Out. Squat. Squat. Re-rack.”
A bellowing grunt is followed by a final clack of steel-on-steel as the barbell reconnects with the J-hook. Backs are slapped and hands are highfived. There’s a plate swap-out worthy of a Nascar pit crew, and the cycle repeats.
The sounds don’t quite align with the sights. Yes, there’s shiny barbells and lines of industrial power racks mimicking your local meathead hotspot. That bellowing grunt isn't administered by a jacked dude in a wife beater, though. It’s a 110-pound 14-year-old sporting pajama pants and a beanie.
On any given afternoon, you’ll find around 80 teenagers, ages 13 to 18, lined up four to a barbell rack. There are more boys than girls, but not by many. They look like average teens—some lanky, some stout, some ripped, some soft—all building more strength.
This isn't Gold’s Gym or WestSide Barbell, it’s Three Rivers High School.
In an America where childhood obesity is now at 22 percent among 12 to 19 year olds, there’s no denying the dire need for health and physical education. Yet, only 19 percent of high schoolers participate in daily physical education, according to the Department of Health and Human Services—and that number is declining.
What’s worse: kids not getting exercise outside of gym class, either. Less than a quarter of high school students get the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise. So, Three Rivers High School provided their students with another exercise option: powerlifting.
Three Rivers, Michigan, is an unassuming town about two and a half hours outside of anywhere—east of Chicago, and southwest of Detroit. The population of less than eight thousand work mostly in vehicle and machinery manufacturing plants in the area—exactly what you’d expect of a blue collar, rural Michigan town. A historic downtown that looks like a rundown version of an old Western film sits just across the junction of (shocker) three rivers from the only highway in and out of town. Make a right just past the small strip mall that lines the highway, and you’re headed right for Three Rivers High School. Make a left, and you’ll find a gray box-like warehouse that houses the Pit Fitness Ranch.
The Pit is Three Rivers’ fitness hub. A CrossFit gym by trade, it's home to the annual teen CrossFit games and the trainers are experts in youth training. It was on the sidewalk outside the Pit Fitness Ranch in 2013 where then high school freshmen Charles Ross and Deion Deans met Brock Yost. Yost, and his wife Autumn, are co-owners of the Pit, and the local fitness gurus. Yost is a jack-of-all-trades trainer. Throughout his fitness career, he’s collected CrossFit, USA Olympic Weightlifting, Power Athlete Strength and Conditioning, CF Mobility, USA Powerlifting, Strongman, and Prodigy Training Method certifications.
Ross and Deans and came to Yost with a concern.
Ross and Deans made up two-thirds of Three Rivers High School powerlifting mentorship program. A program, started by a former teacher, taught the teens the nuts and bolts of weight training, powerlifting, and general health and nutrition. That teacher, though, was moving on—and the school was dissolving the lowly attended program. But the boys were invested in their newfound sport, and needed somewhere to lift after the program was done. They approached Yost about coming to train at the Pit. Instead of talking the boys through membership opinions, though, Yost decided to head the program himself.
Year one, Ross and Deans remained as two of only three members. Year two, it jumped to 16. Year three, 74 kids packed the cramped high school weight room.
As the program outgrew its stomping ground, Yost opened the doors to the Pit. A school bus would drop dozens of students off at the gym a few times per week. In 2019, Yost chaired a committee that worked to develop a bond proposal that provided monetary support to the Three Rivers Community Schools. That proposal included a state-of-the-art weight room, which was built in 2022, and the program made its way back onto its home turf.
The student’s training program matches the pro specs of their equipment. Most days look similar: The room splits in two—girls on one side and boys on the other. The girls start with a banded warm up, working through partnered stretches and activation exercises. The boys begin with 50 air squats, 25 push ups, 50 jumping jacks, 25 V-ups, 50 shoulder taps, and 15 burpees—all of which are counted out loud, together. A “shared suffering”, they call it. The groups swap. Then comes the main lift, where sets, reps, and intensity vary based on the time of the season. In the early weeks, form is meticulously taught—only a PVC pipe is touched. As the students progress through several tradition exercises like back squats, deadlifts, and power cleans, they hit the barbell and safely increase their loads. A you-go-I-go circuit of various exercises closes out practice—some days it’s core, some days it’s conditioning.
They practice and compete against the other high school powerlifting teams in Michigan, but the program goes beyond that of a normal high school sport—which is why they dub it a mentorship program, too. Students learn the ins and outs of effective weight training and powering lifting from the basics up. They learn proper form, how to set achievable goals, and how to safely progress their lifts. Nutrition seminars take place of practice several times a season. Their teachings reinforce the known importance of exercise and balanced nutrition, and act on the more recently accepted notion that weightlifting is actually good for children—as it helps improve their bone density, muscular development, and cardiovascular health.
Yost knows exercise is about way more than building muscle and bettering your health, and has taught the program leaders to emphasize development and betterment of the mind just as much as the body. The coaches and student leaders collectively strive to instill confidence in all of the students—reminding them daily that they can do hard things. On the back of their shirts, in bright purple block letters, is their motto: ‘Leave No Doubt’. It’s not just on their shirts, either: students and alumni of the program take #LND to their Instagram and TikTok bios.
The saying stemmed out of a friendly competition that took place at a practice in the early days of the program. Students were given a certain weight to squat, and were told to do as many reps as they could. They went one at a time—the first student to go got 12 reps. The next student got to 15. The final person to go got 16. The first student claimed that had he gone last, he would have gotten 16 reps, too. Yost told him, no matter when you or what you're working towards, “leave no doubt” that you’ve done everything in your power, every time.
“When you're done, whether you want to admit it out loud or not, it gives you something in here,” Yost says as he pounds his chest. He’s seen the way exercise has sparked joy in certain students who lack positive influences elsewhere.
A community culture of teamwork and inclusion brings the students back year after year, which is evident in the diversity of the group. It gives many a place to belong, in a phase of life when belonging is so important. The sport-less kids are lined up right next to the band kids, who are lined up right next to the track stars. The lines of socioeconomics, race, and cliques are blurred in their weight room—because, at the end of the day, none of those things give you an advantage in deadlifting a heavy barbell.
It's a breath of fresh air in the clannishness of the high school world. If a student wants to be a part of it, they have to maintain one criteria: support others.
“We call it the gas station—we’re always gasing each other up,” Yost says.
ANTHEM: "Catfish Billy" by Yellawolf
GAINS: What separates the successful coaches from the unsuccessful is the “relationships you build—with the other coaches, the community, and the culture that you're building around the kids,” he says.
TIP: “There’s not one fitness plan that fits everyone. Choose a fitness, nutrition, or health plan that lasts. Begin moderately, focusing on quality movement, and enjoy the process. A sustainable path is the right one."
FAVORITE EXERCISE: “Anything legs.”
GAINS: Tompkins loves taking his body to its max capacity—he says that brings him peace and clarity. For one hour after school, four times a week, he gets a chance to “space out of life, because I’ve been going through hard times.” His favorite thing about the program, though, is his teammates. His bond with them has grown stronger each year, because “we’ve seen that we can help each other grow.”
TIP: Tompkins knows lifts like squats and deadlifts are about the whole body, not just the legs. He focuses on maintaining tension through his shoulder blades and back muscles to maintain a flat back during these lifts. It helps him maintain control of every rep, which has helped maximize his strength.
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Back squat.
GAINS: Even at 14 years old, Martin is no beginner with a barbell. She’s been lifting since she was 11 years old, when she took children’s Crossfit classes at the Pit. When she aged out, she aged into the powerlifting mentorship program. Through it all, she’s gained confidence and knows now that lifting “isn’t just for people who are super fit.”
TIP: The importance of balance, she says—both in the gym and the kitchen. It’s helped her be more conscious of her body’s reaction to certain diets, and she’s valuing rest more. “Learning to know when my body needs a break was a huge milestone for me.”
ANTHEM: "Crush A Lot" by Lil Baby
GAINS: Even through the echoing of teen voices counting together during practice warmup, you can hear Lonnie’s rise above the rest. He’s one of the program’s team leaders and is hoping to win a state title in powerlifting: He back-squats 455 pounds, chest-presses 315, and deadlifts just north of 500. The lesson that’s helped him put on muscle: Eat more protein, he says. He loadsup on meat when possible—preferably heavily seasoned chicken and steak.
TIP: The key to Lonnie’s strong deadlifts? Harnessing all his energy into the pull by “being angry” at the bar, he says. “It’s a war every time you deadlift.”
GOAL: Hit a 500-pound deadlift by the end of his senior season.
GAINS: At practice, you can catch Ben Bryant-McDaniels making his teammates laugh and providing congratulatory slaps on the back when deserved. He works hard, too—he hit a 350-pound squat at the end of his first season in the program. For Ben, though, being a part of this organization is not about the exercise. The powerlifting program provides him an escape from the realities of life, “emotionally and mentally.”
TIP: Bryant-McDaniels built up the strength of his squat so quickly by establishing an efficient stance, and focusing on “engaging the hips and the core.”
ANTHEM: "Space Cadet" Metro Boomin
GAINS: “I struggled a lot with the way I looked,” says Bell. “I was always the super small, skinny girl. And I was always made fun of. Like, ‘Oh, you'll never do good in sports, because of how small you are’.” Since she began competing in the eighth grade, she’s been proving them wrong. Bell has made it to both regional and state championships every year since. Even coming off a stress fracture in her femur, she aims to do the same this season.
TIP: Bell has learned to love cardio. “Always make sure you’re eating. I used to worry a lot about certain foods and it having to be weighed out and portioned but I’ve learned that food is fuel regardless.”
ANTHEM: “Anything Drake”
GAINS: At the last rack in the row, a barbell is loaded up with nearly 200 pounds. Along comes Mia, who effortlessly flows through her squats. She’s been in the program for only a year and has already qualified for the state championship.
GOAL: To place top 3 at states.
TIP: “I used to not be able to do pushups. Now I can do 32!” The way she got there? She learned how to do negative pushups (start in a high plank position and lower your body to the floor as slowly as you can) and practiced them every day to achieve her first full rep.
GOAL: Place top three overall in state competition.
GAINS: Team leader Lucas was only 13 when he began weightlifting. He’s self-taught. He took it up “just to stay in shape” and is now one of the program’s top performers—he can deadlift 500 pounds.
TIP: “Don’t compare yourself to others. Stay positive about yourself, and about your accomplishments.”
ANTHEM: "Til I Return" by Sam Barber
GAINS: “Boxing used to be just my only thing, just punching stuff and whatever. But this has pushed me to put my anger towards lifting not into just hurting other people,” says Boring. He inherited anger issues from his father, who passed away when he was young. He had to teach himself how to control it. The program not only helped him to control his emotions, but also maintain his weight and learn the importance of proper nutrition.
TIP: “Aways encourage others to keep pushing themselves, and never give up on yourself.
Dr. Attia's Longevity Tips for Your Teens
BODY • You’re near your physiological prime in terms of your body’s capacity to train. This the decade to prioritize training. Lean in to volume and work out as much as possible to build a reservoir of muscle and fitness.
MIND • There’s often a disconnect between mistakes you make, which probably are minor, and the way you talk to yourself about them, which can be brutal. One of the most powerful exercises I learned was to listen to my self-talk. I’d record voice memos to myself—pretending I was speaking to a dear friend—on my phone after I did anything that could produce self-judgment. Over time, my self-critical voice became fainter and fainter.
A version of this article originally appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of Men's Health.
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