Bodybuilding and height growth

[MartinGallagher]

A lot of my mates believe that bodybuilding stunts your growth if your still growing, they don't do exercises like squats or over-head presses because they believe this "compresses your spine" therefore stunting growth.

Arnold started lifting at 14 and ended up scaling up to 6'3'' this is my example when I have a discussion about it.

So does bodybuilding stunt your growth?

[Assassinator]

NO !

Starting at the age of 10 and squatting 400 lbs b ythe time you are 13 will inmo.

If you start BB and lifting heavy after the age of 14-15 then its fine. Squatting and doing deadlifts with dreadful form wont do any good for your spine also.

So my conclusionis , I think that no one should start lifitng serioulsy before the age of 14, and good form on squats is very important.

And people that tell you , "I CAN LIFT HEAVIER, BUT I DONT WANT TO STUNT MY GROWTH", the truth about themis , they really cant lift heavier

Its been proven that Squats increase test and hormone levels in the body , these 2 things enourage growth, in all manner, in size,weight and HEIGHT.

SO TELL YOUR UNEDUCATED MATES THAT YOU WILL GROW JUST AS TALL AS THEY WILL AND THAT YOU WILL ALSO BE BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN THEM.

[error]

then how come if you go through a list of bodybuilders.. all most all of them are like 5'3-5'7 and like 1 in 20 is over 6 ft. ??

[jay81]

Lots of short people are attracted to bodybuilding, whether because they're physically suited to it ( less mass to get big, short limbs ) or just because they don't like being short so if they can't get taller they want to get bigger.

[jay81]

Originally posted by MartinGallagher
A lot of my mates believe that bodybuilding stunts your growth if your still growing, they don't do exercises like squats or over-head presses because they believe this "compresses your spine" therefore stunting growth.

Arnold started lifting at 14 and ended up scaling up to 6'3'' this is my example when I have a discussion about it.

So does bodybuilding stunt your growth?

Arnold is actually only 6'1 1/2''.

[Jcfreak_02]

Originally posted by error
then how come if you go through a list of bodybuilders.. all most all of them are like 5'3-5'7 and like 1 in 20 is over 6 ft. ??

cause when your short it is easier to look wider. there is less space for the mucsle to spread out on.

[tragic]

The short answer NO! Growth plates are what make you grow, these are small splices in all of your bones that are made up of cartilage(what your upper ear is made of) and expand as you grow . When these plates have dense muscle tissue built up on both sides of them it seems logical that they cannot expand very well or at all. But this is not true what so ever. The only way that muscle would stop these plates from expanding is if you had your muscle flexed 24 hours per day. This is also the reason that it is very hard for people who are still growing to build muscle, their muscle keeps stretching.
-Jack

[Travis Stenersn]

Originally posted by tragic
The only way that muscle would stop these plates from expanding is if you had your muscle flexed 24 hours per day.
-Jack

That isn't true. The only way that your long bones are going to stop growing is if there is a fracture in the 'caps' of the bones that tragic is speaking of. If you break a bone beyond the epiphyseal line(which seperates the bone matrix and the cartilage), then the bone can suffer deformities in growth. Note that this won't make you shorter, but could cause some chronic joint problems. A difference in radius and ulna lengths can cause wrist problems for many young individuals, for instance. McBain(a poster here) had this problem himself and needed an operation on it - if my memory serves me correctly.

Lifting weights WILL NOT stunt your growth, unless you break a bone doing it. This could be a risk if you are performing complex exercises without a spotter or without proper supervision. For instance, don't attempt to do power cleans when you are young (or any age!!) unless you have an olympic lifting coach supervising you, or at least someone with some experience with them.

My point: You are not going to stunt your growth by lifting weights.
If you want further reassurance, I can send you an ADobe Acrobat file containing the NSCA's Statement on Youth Training. They do a literature review and discuss safety issues. They consider it safe for children to use resistance training.