Lifting weights will make you short?

There is a common belief that adolescents must not lift weights because it will have a negative effect on their physical development. Rumors say that you will end up shorter than your maximum potential height and you should only start lifting weights only when your puberty has ended. But is this true?

I suppose that most of us have also heard that if you want to become taller you should play basketball and avoid football for example. This is completely false claim as your genes along with your diet are mostly responsible for your height. Most of the times, taller people play basketball and shorter people play football, but this doesn't mean that the sport you choose will determine your height. It is just that some sports are most suitable for certain body-types.

Tall vs Short people lifting weights

It is much more common to spot a shorter guy that is really muscular than a taller one. This is because shorter people have a smaller frame and they need to develop less muscle in order to appear fuller, compared to taller people who need to develop more muscle in order to look big and muscular. So it is easier for shorter guys to look jacked. This is the reason why you rarely see taller people as muscular as shorter guys and of course not because weight lifting makes you shorter.

Should adolescents lift weights?

The answer is yes, but they need to avoid certain exercises that put pressure on to the spine such as squats, deadlifts, over-head press, shrugs and similar exercises. Instead, there are exercises that can increase height adding up to 5-10 cm. Those are the exercises that decompress the spine such as pull ups and chin ups. Furthermore, weight lifting increases testosterone and growth hormone levels, thus it is more beneficial for physical development until 21-23 years old. It also helps strengthening the bones and improves bone density.

Advice

The secret to getting taller is to decrease estrogen and increase testosterone and growth hormone levels. So, with proper diet and correct exercises (focus on pull ups and chin ups) you can increase your potential height naturally! Make sure the exercises are performed with the proper technique in order to avoid injuries and drawbacks.