Throughout your search for ways to grow taller, you must have encountered multiple lists of growing taller exercises. Cycling, if you pay close attention to it, never fails to make an entry on those lists. Cycling is not only an eco-friendly means of transportation but it is also a great way of keeping yourself fit and healthy. As a type of vigorous activity, cycling burns calories really fast. Notwithstanding usually overlooked by people seeking ways to get taller, cycling is in fact an effective way to increase height if you are still in your growing years, i.e. from childhood to puberty. Yet, it is not regular cycling that we are talking about; you will need to make a few changes to the normal way that you cycle into a method specialized in lengthening your legs and ultimately increasing your height.
The science behind cycling and growing taller
The discovery of how cycling can make you grow taller started when it was revealed that due to the different riding positions between the Dutch and the German when it came down to their bikes, the former ended up being taller than the latter.
Before you think this is a total joke, research has depicted that a slight increase in your bicycle saddle height can stretch your knee, hip, and ankle joints. This alone would contribute to lengthening your legs in one way or another.
In addition, one of the fascinating things about living organisms is their ability to develop traits to face challenges and adapt to different living conditions they are exposed to as they continuously grow and develop. In the same way, when your legs have to stretch out to reach for the pedals after you raise your bicycle seat, the body will receive a message that it is a matter of survival that your legs reach the pedals. Since your legs have to adapt to the environmental alteration over time, this would help lengthen them considerably, and eventually result in your height gain.
But do not be too happy just yet. Since adaptation is a process, the initial increment in your leg length will not happen until from one to four months as your body will take some time to adapt. This adaptation is also dependent on many other factors such as nutrition, growth hormone production, sleep, and living conditions. Therefore, if you wish to grow taller by riding a bicycle after one or two weeks, you may get disappointed pretty quickly.
Cycling with a raised seat also lengthens your leg muscles by stretching the plantaris, popliteus, and calf muscles. Thanks to this, the shin bone is given enough room to grow freely when stress on the legs is well applied. When your muscles stretch and contract, they pull the bones they are attached to, thereby making your legs longer.
How to do cycling to grow taller
An indoor or outdoor bicycle is needed for cycling exercise to lengthen your legs during your growing years. Among other factors, your success in using this method will depend on the type of bike you use. Unlike an ordinary indoor bike, outdoor bicycles will be effective as it offers a certain level of resistance while pedaling. The next thing to do after securing your bicycle is to raise the seat by approximately a quarter of or half an inch higher than the level where you can cycle comfortably.
Most indoor bicycles come with short stems, which makes it hard, if not impossible, to adjust the seat to the desired height for cycling exercise. Fortunately, an adjustable bike seat post will help you solve this problem. Just make sure your bicycle is the right size for you.
The bike will have to be stationary for the leg-lengthening effect. If you are facing budget constraints and cannot afford a stationary bicycle, there is no need to hit the gym as long as you have an outdoor bike. By purchasing a bike stand, you can customize your outdoor bike to make it stationary. Be mindful of compatibility issues and make sure the bicycle stand fits your bike.
Now let’s begin your cycling experience!
Neither is cycling for height growth difficult, nor it is as easy as it appears. The underlying challenge is getting used to riding while seated on a raised saddle, but you will get used to it with time and practice.
When you start out, you might want to raise the seat by a quarter of an inch. But after you gain the same amount in height, you may take it to half an inch. It should take you roughly four months to grow taller by one inch as bones tend to take two to four months on average to fully remodel.
Pay attention to how your legs stretch. You can attempt to cycle or pedal with the insteps of your feet to make sure your legs fully stretch.
Do not do this exercise in a rush or sprint cycle but in a casual manner. Although it may seem boring at first, you can listen to an interesting podcast or play some music while subconsciously concentrate on how your legs stretch. A different routine might just as well yield the same results.
Throughout the course of this exercise, you may feel pinches of slight pain once in a while around the knee cap and in the shin bones, especially during the day. Do not panic as it is a sign that your bones are growing.
The first gain in height by a quarter of an inch may be negligible to some people. While some of your friends will raise an eyebrow when you tell them about this result, it is an achievement for you and before you know it, all your hard work will pay off with an increase by inches in height.
How much height can I gain by cycling?
That must be the question lingering in your head ever since you stumbled upon this article. Well, the result may vary from individual to individual. Besides, it also depends on many factors like genes, nutrition, or how much time you spend cycling. On average, cycling can make your shin bones longer by 1-3 inches.
Other benefits of cycling
It is apparent that cycling tones and builds leg muscles. During the cycling process, your legs have to work against resistance. The repetitive movements create an increase in muscle protein synthesis, thereby building and making your leg muscles stronger and more toned. If you wish to have sexy, athletic, and lean legs, regular cycling is the way to go.
Moreover, cycling also improves cognitive acuity and brain functions. The heart pumps faster during cycling, which increases the flow of blood to your brain. This enables increases in volume and cell regeneration in regions of the brain that are vital for effective cognitive functioning.
Last but not least, cycling can strengthen your immune system. People who cycle routinely are found to have stronger immune system than those who do not. Besides, as cycling is associated with enhanced heart fitness, cycling decreases the risk of heart diseases.
Now that you understand how cycling can make you grow taller, you can set up a stationary bicycle to boost your growth process and reach your desired height. Remember that it is never too late to start exercising. Even if you have gone through puberty already and cannot increase your height naturally anymore, cycling still has other health benefits for your general well-being.