Squats make you shorter

[Munkey]

Does anyone know if doing heavy squats make you shorter? by all the pressure on the legs over years of doing squats.

[SugarJunkie]

I dont think they make you shorter.

[Fetus Soccer]

yes. i know a guy who has been squatting for 19 years. he used to be 6'5'' now he's 4'3'' but he is a TANK so it was worth it.

[The Kurgan]

yes. i know a guy who has been squatting for 19 years. he used to be 6'5'' now he's 4'3'' but he is a TANK so it was worth it.

Talk about mentally abusing the new kid!

[maxiw]

yes. i know a guy who has been squatting for 19 years. he used to be 6'5'' now he's 4'3'' but he is a TANK so it was worth it.

Only because his legs got amputated.

[Saviour]

yup, every rep makes you 0.0000236mm shorter, do the math

[Zensuji]

no it doesnt make you shorter, i've been squatting for years. here's a pic of me reading

[maxiw]

no it doesnt make you shorter, i've been squatting for years. here's a pic of me reading

You're barely half way through the book.

[Buckeye(OH)]

while over time it wont make you shorter, you are likely to be shorter right after you do squat than you were when you first woke up.

This would be due to the compression of the spine. But this also happens everyday. You are slightly (maybe not statistically significantly) shorter when you go to bed, then when you wake up.

[G_Train]

I've experienced this too, however once I straightened my legs I re-acquired the height that I had before I started.

[soserious]

the poor guy asks a simple question...

ok, so as was mentioned having a heavy bar/weight on your upper back can compress the spaces between the vertebrae (temporarily). however- the muscles of the back and spine must be properly stretched after each and every gym session because left to gradually shorten through lack of suppleness the muscles around the spinal column can pull on the spine and make it shorter gradually over the years.

advice:
stretch properly after training (properly- not like most lazy people-such as myself lol)
and after squats you can hang from a chinning bar for like 10 seconds or whatever.
but overall squats shouldnt technically make you shorter no, though if not finished with stretches the muscles can tighten and stiffen your spine therefor leading to maybe 1/2-1" height loss.

good luck.
ss

[mighty_mike]

Squats won't make you noticiably shorter, but it is true that your spine compresses and decompresses daily. Some non active elderly people do lose some height due to compression of the back bone (and calcium being leached from the bones- but that's a different topic). Recently I've been doing squats and weighted dips, chins and pullups in the same workout to get that back stretch. Works well for me.

On the same note, could one get taller by hanging 90+ lbs on a dip belt and hang on a pullup bar for several seconds a day??? Most likely not in the short term. But if you look at contortionists, they actually to get an inch or two taller because they've achived so much flexibility in their backbone- stretching the vertebrae to unnatural lengths. But they do lose the height if they stop practicing their trade. So yeah, streching the back is definitely a good thing if you do heavy squats.

[trace]

A funny thing that's somewhat related is that fighter pilots who eject out of their aircraft (a process that puts you under about 13 g's for a very short time) all swear that they lose a little bit of height from it.

[maxiw]

But if you look at contortionists, they actually to get an inch or two taller because they've achived so much flexibility in their backbone- stretching the vertebrae to unnatural lengths. But they do lose the height if they stop practicing their trade. So yeah, streching the back is definitely a good thing if you do heavy squats.

Interesting how you bring that up because since I started deadlifting, which is effectively like squating, I've notice an increase in my average height. It could be better posture but I think it's from the involuntary stretching you do when you first wake up in the morning in bed, as a natural reflex, like what cats do. And, you tend to do more stretching when you lift weights.

[mighty_mike]

Interesting how you bring that up because since I started deadlifting, which is effectively like squating, I've notice an increase in my average height. It could be better posture but I think it's from the involuntary stretching you do when you first wake up in the morning in bed, as a natural reflex, like what cats do. And, you tend to do more stretching when you lift weights.

It's most likely that the deadlifts are improving your posture. Notice that some elderly people get hunched over? This is from bad posture and it obviously reduces height. Look at guys like Jack Lalane the still work out regularly. What is he, 90 now?? Still standing up straight (though I'm not sure if his height has changed.) I'm not an expert in this field, but I read somewhere that the vertebrae start to curve from not enough sleep in a horizontal position to allow the spine to decompress. Think falling asleep in front of the TV sitting in a chair. Hmm... sound like someone you know?? ;-)Enough of this will eventually lead to spinal fusion. Another reason to get 8 hours of sleep. So what the hell am I doing posting this at 1am?? yeah, yeah... practice what you preach, right? ;-) HAHA... Sleep makes you taller!!

[Saviour]

yes correct posture and a large ribcage will make you 1-2 inch taller, that's why everyone thinks Arnie is 6'2, when in fact he's 5'11 top.

[CaseySurf19]

arnold was 6'2, not 5'11 lol.

[jtsisyoda]

I've experienced this too, however once I straightened my legs I re-acquired the height that I had before I started.

LMAO! Thanks for that.

[FiEnDsTeR]

What if you do squats with dumbbells instead of barbells? Isn't that better since theres nothing on your neck putting pressure on your body?

[MrLJizzle]

What if you do squats with dumbbells instead of barbells? Isn't that better since theres nothing on your neck putting pressure on your body?

then ur dick gets smaller.