The question of whether or not you can grow taller by working out is a long-debated one. While some say it is impossible, others would affirm that they were able to get a couple of inches thanks to some exercises.
Is it the truth or just a myth? Does working out make you taller? The answer is below. Read and find out now!
Before discussing whether exercise can make you taller, we want to mention how people grow.
We all know that the human growth hormone (HGH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are two important substances for your growth or epiphyseal plates. They help strengthen the elongation and ossification of the bones, which is how you get taller and taller.
And when the plate closes (something that occurs around the end of puberty), it is thought impossible for a person’s height to increase any further. But in some cases, it is probable for those who still experience growth spurts in adulthood. This might occur when their growth plates remain open.
In some cases, working out can affect your height because it promotes growth hormone levels. As children or teenagers, the growth plates are still open. Whenever their bodies release the growth hormone, this signals the bones to grow, and some of the plates transfer into bone.
When puberty is over, most people’s growth plates are fused. So, higher HGH levels cannot transform into increased height. But you can do some stretches and exercises to improve your posture, making you stand straight and appear taller.
The afternoon is known as an ideal time to exercise if you want to grow taller. That is because:
Importantly, if you have a day full of stress, exercise might help release these feelings and make you feel like a new person.
Working out for height increase should be performed from an early age when the bones are still growing. By performing proper exercises, the body will release height growth hormones necessary for height gain. Moreover, these exercises might help tone and strengthen the muscles.
When you get older and older, your bones might lose density, leading to breaks and a bad posture. The slow wearing down of the bones can make you lose height. So, keeping working out might prevent osteoporosis, make you look taller, and become healthy.
Practicing certain exercises might help tone and heighten your leg muscles. They also work well in releasing the growth hormone needed for height increase. Let’s check out the top 6 exercises below!
This is one of the easiest exercises you can do anytime and anywhere. Hanging your body from a bar helps extend your muscles, especially those surrounding the spine and lower back. Also, it helps improve your posture and reduce the effect of gravity on your height.
Like bar hanging, swimming is a simple and refreshing exercise that can stretch nearly all parts of the body and help increase your height. Swimming for at least 5 hours per week can do wonders in making you get taller. Also, it is one of the best cardio workouts to help you lose weight. Remember that overweight people often look shorter. So managing proper weight is necessary to gain height.
If you cannot visit the pool, you can opt for dry land swimming in your room. This exercise is similar to swimming, so it helps improve the flexibility of body muscles.
Whether these stretching exercises are the cobra stretch, side stretch, spine stretch, or cat stretch, these would add some gains to your height, as long as you do it the right way. Stretches are also easy to perform because they do not ask for any equipment.
Stretches consist of extending the muscles while maintaining a certain position. For instance, when you stretch in the morning, this helps decompress your intervertebral disc, allowing you to get taller a bit.
Working out by jumping is another way to make you taller in an effective manner. While jumping, the calf and spine muscles get through stretching due to the powerful lifting of the feet from the ground. Moreover, it helps enhance blood supply to the bones, improve bone density, and promote growth hormones.
Some of the best jumping exercises you can try are jumping ropes, vertical jumps, spot jumps, and squat jumps. Or you can try playing basketball because it includes jumping actions, which aid in muscle growth and enhances blood supply to different parts of the body.
If you want to emphasize how to grow your legs, why don’t you try cycling? It is highly recommended to start cycling at puberty to stretch the legs better. Also, you should raise the height of the saddle to extend the body effectively. If your teens love the freedom of a bike ride, encourage them to do it more often to attain optimal height soon.
It is easy to work out every day, but you need a plan to help you gain your fitness goal – increasing your height.
While working out does not directly affect your height, it does aid your body in reaching its potential. But even if you have already passed puberty, you should not stop working out because it definitely helps you to become the healthiest version of yourself.
