Can Training With Weights Prevent Me From Growing Taller?
Perhaps an odd question, but this is rather commonly cited when talking about overdoing weight lifting. So is there any merit to this? Well after looking at it from several angles, there is indeed.
A main factor restricting our height is the force of gravity, which works to compress the discs and vertebrae in our backs, among other things, making us shorter than we could otherwise be. This is immediately apparent when looking at astronauts who head up to the star ocean above, as their time in that no gravity atmosphere results in them gaining two or more inches of height.
So if height is keeping us down, you can probably imagine that adding additional weight to your body, in the form of constant weight training day in and day in and day out may not be the wisest choice in regards to trying to gain height.
The other aspect of this is that the very fact that you’re making yourself bigger in a horizontal manner, by increasing muscle mass and density, also gives off the illusion that you’re shorter. This is why muscular men always appear to be squatter and more compact than skinny people, who tend to appear taller, whether this is in fact true or not. So you can see that weight lifting can indeed be a real double threat to your actual and perceived height.
Of course this doesn’t mean weight training itself is bad, only so far as how gravity affects it. In fact weight training is one of the best methods that can be used to increase your bodys production of growth hormone, promoting height and muscle growth.
By weight training without that blasted force of gravity weighing upon you, you can begin to experience the best of both worlds. Do this either sitting or lying down, preferably with a spotter standing by if you’re working on large weights while lying down on a bench.
In a final twist, there are ankle weights which can be strapped to your ankles, and these are also considered a form of weight training, though of course not targeting the area most weight lifters go after, that being their biceps. These ankle weights are great for training your legs, which can speed up the process of stretching your legs out through kicking or other leg related exercise routines.
So while some forms of weight lifting can indeed have a bad effect on any attempts to gain height, it by no means implies that you need to avoid weight lifting at all costs. Get yourself a good weight lifting bench and you can lift to your heart’s content, without gravity butting its head in on your parade.
