Do exercises work to increase height?
Miscellaneous / / November 16, 2023
There is a way to appear taller, but it won't suit everyone.
What does a person's height depend on?
Usually a person reaches maximum height by 18–20 years. And how high it will be is 80% due to genetics and 20% - external circumstances that influenced him during development.
Poor nutrition and maternal smoking during pregnancy, childhood nutritional deficiencies, infections and stress can prevent the child from achieving the parameters determined by genes. But it is hardly possible to exceed them.
Of course, children can be taller than their parents. There are two reasons for this:
- When your parents were growing up, they ate less well, had no access to health care, experienced more stress, and therefore did not achieve their maximum parameters.
- Genes, which determine high growth, were “silent” for them, but for you they work.
However, once you reach genetically and environmentally determined height, you won't be able to increase it. It is true that in some cases you can influence how tall you look, but to do this you need to choose the right exercises. First, let's talk about what definitely won't help you in this matter.
What exercises are useless for increasing height?
To grow, it is often advised to hang on a horizontal bar. However, this can only lengthen the back by increasing the space between the vertebrae.
Research specifically devoted to hanging on the horizontal bar, were not carried out. But there is one experiment, in which the increase in intervertebral space really helped to become a little taller. In the study, people lay down for 10 minutes with a pillow under their lower back and grew an average of 5 mm. True, the progress disappeared as soon as they sat for a few minutes.
Thus, the effect of stretching the back is not only invisible to the naked eye, but also quickly disappears.
Also will not affect actual growth jumping. They can increase bone mineral density, but will not make them grow. In childhood and adolescence, long bones lengthen due to growth plates at the ends, and at about 20 years of age this process stops. Bones continue to renew throughout life, but length no longer increases.
Stretching exercises are also useless for increasing height. You stretch the muscles and increase the range of motion in the joints, but you have no effect on the length of the bones.
The only case in which stretching really able to help with the issue of growth is when a person slouches and thus “steals” centimeters from himself.
What exercises will help you look taller?
Excessive curvature in the thoracic region (hyperkyphosis) and a protruding neck can visually reduce a person’s height by several centimeters. And exercises to strengthen and stretch muscles really effective to combat this condition.
If you want to correct your posture, it is best to find a physical therapy instructor and practice under his guidance. This is especially important for those who experience back and neck pain or have any pathological conditions.
You can also sign up for yoga. This Eastern practice promotes maintaining good posture and can decrease stooping already in the first six months of classes.
If you prefer to exercise at home, we will list some good exercises for developing thoracic spine mobility and back muscle strength. Do them every day.
Cat - cow
Get on all fours, inhale, tilt your pelvis back and arch your back like an angry cat. Then exhale and bend over, paying special attention to the thoracic spine. Try to use it, and not the more mobile one. lower back.
Set a timer and alternate positions for a minute.
Bird - dog
Get on all fours and simultaneously raise your right arm and left leg, extending them parallel to the floor. Check that your lower back is in a neutral position and does not sag, and tighten your stomach.
Do this for 2-3 seconds, return to the starting position and repeat the same, but changing your leg and arm. Alternate them every time. Do 10–12 repetitions from each side.
Plank
Stand in a prone position. Make sure your hands are under your shoulders, your abs are tense, and your lower back is not sagging. Hold the position for 30 seconds, then rest and repeat two more times. Gradually increase the time to one minute.
Turning the body while lying on your back
Lie on your left side, straighten your left leg, bend your right knee and place it on a massage roller, hard pillow or rolled blanket to the left of your body. Stretch your arms in front of you and clasp your palms together.
Raise your straight right arm and, having described a semicircle above you, move it to the right. Aim to place both shoulders on the floor, but do not change position hips and pelvis. Return to starting position and repeat.
Perform 10 times on each side.
Raising your arms up the wall
Stand with your back to the wall, spread your arms to the sides and raise them to shoulder level. Then bend your elbows at a right angle. Tilt your pelvis back to remove excessive arching in your lower back. Press your arms and shoulders to the surface, bring your shoulder blades together.
Smoothly raise your arms up until they begin to come off the wall. If you can, until the shoulders and elbows are completely straightened joints. Then return to the starting position and repeat. Do three sets of 15 reps.
Deflection on the roller
Lie on the floor, place a massage roller under your back below your shoulder blades. Bend your knees and place your feet close to your pelvis. You can cross your arms over your chest or behind your head, with your elbows out to the sides.
With an inhalation, bend your back and smoothly return back. You can linger in the arched position a little, stretching your back, but only as long as you feel comfortable. Complete 10 reps.
Raising your arms to the sides while lying on your stomach
You can perform the exercise on a couch, as shown in the video, or on a bench or floor.
Lie on your stomach and spread your arms out to the sides so that your body resembles the letter T. Raise your arms with your thumbs facing up. Squeeze your shoulder blades and make sure your shoulders do not rise towards your ears. Hold for 10 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat.
Do it 10 times. If it's easy for you, try to pick it up dumbbells 0.5–1 kg or bottles of water.
Raising your arms up while lying on your stomach
Stay on your stomach and move your arms up so that your body resembles the letter Y. Turn your hands with your thumbs up. Raise your arms so that your shoulders are at ear level, hold for 10 seconds and lower back to the floor. Complete 10 reps. As in the previous exercise, if it’s easy for you, do it with weights.
Raising the body while lying on your stomach
Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms along your body with the back side facing the floor. This is the starting position. Lift your shoulders off the floor, squeeze your shoulder blades together and turn your arms with your palms facing out. Hold this position for 10 seconds, return to the starting position and repeat. Do it 10 times.
Raising arms with an expander
The exercise can be done sitting or standing. Bend your elbows at right angles, turn them with your palms facing each other. Place on your hands expander. Retract your chin, squeeze your shoulder blades together and spread your forearms to the sides, overcoming the resistance of the projectile. Fix this position, and then raise your shoulders up, pulling them towards your ears, lower them back and relax.
It is important to keep your chin tucked in, your shoulder blades pulled together and your arms spread to the sides while lifting your shoulders.
Repeat the exercise 5-10 times. First, take the weakest rubber band. As you get used to it, change it to a thicker one and increase the number of approaches to two or three.
Take care of your posture👇
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