evanescence, my littlest brother (5'9" 215, bench:210 squat:295 deadlift:295 cleans:140) lifts and he's turning 14 in a month. his gains some months have been as much as 30 pounds on his max bench and 40 pounds on his max squat, for 2 months straight. so i think lifting at 13-14 is probably the best time to start.

as for i like cakes question. he should go to his grocery store and pick up some kind of whey portein powder there. muscle milk is wicked overpriced and you can get just as good gains from any kind of protein. get the most bang for your buck with something else.

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age: 18
height: 5'9"
weight: 198bs
bench 1RM: 275
parallel squat 1RM: 385
deadlift 1RM: N/A
hang clean 1RM: N/A

i wish i could live on crack and protien shakes...