Does Lifting Weights Make You Shorter? Yes! Tips to Lift Weight Without Affecting Growth

Does lifting weights make you shorter? When you search the term, a lot of results appear, and the Feature Snippet (the answer box at the top of the SERP result) will simply say no.

But… if bodybuilding doesn’t make you short, why are most bodybuilders short? These same things appeared in our minds when we started hunting for the truth to provide our users with the exact info they are looking for.

 Look Broad always promotes correct and to-the-point dispense of information. So, here we’re with the detailed answer of does weight lifting affect height or makes you shorter or taller and all other related queries occurring in your mind.

Does Weight Lifting Affect Height?

As a direct fact, weight lifting doesn’t affect height, but looking at the subject closely, following unfair practices during weightlifting training or sessions can stunt your growth.

Moreover, it also depends upon at what age you start lifting weights, before puberty, after puberty, or once as an adult who has already reached their maximum height, and it doesn’t increase anymore.

So there are different factors that count to determine does lifting weights make you shorter.

1. Age
2. Weight lifting practice
3. Use of medicines

Let’s discuss everything in detail as below.

Does Lifting Weights Make You Shorter? Myths and Truths

Does lifting weights make you shorter? Well, it can both be a myth and a truth. You must be astonished at hearing how’s that even possible.

Let us explain:

• How Does Lifting Weights Make you Short?

If you start weight lifting at a young age, when your height is increasing, the weight you lift will immediately stop your size from growing. So you can get short than an expected height.

• How Does Lifting Weights Not Make you Short?

If you have reached the age of an adult and gained your maximum size, weight lifting will not decrease your size.

Many people claim that the spine gets shrunk when you lift heavy stuff; yes, it does. However, for some time, and when you sleep at night after the workout is done, it comes back to its normal position.

However, the discussion doesn’t end here. It is not the only thing you need to know about weightlifting and its effect on height. There is still more.

Why are Most Bodybuilders Short?

There are plenty of reasons that we find most bodybuilders of short height. 1 is their weight decreased due to wrong ways of exercise, and the other is they were meant to be short, and bodybuilding didn’t play a role.

Does lifting weights make you shorter? Let’s discuss in detail:

• Skeletal Injuries:

As beginners, most bodybuilders don’t know about the basics of exercise. For instance, they don’t know much about the selection of bars and weights.

Knowing the exact weight of the bar you are carrying is essential. Taking heavier weights than your capacity or stamina can result in skeletal injuries.

Moreover, wrong postures can also contribute to skeletal injury and stunted growth. Even after the injuries heal, the spine gets smaller, and you appear shorter.

• Overuse of Steroids:

Does lifting weights make you shorter? Yes, when you use steroids and impermissible drugs. Steroids and other certain medications can affect growth hormones.

Fusing growth plates or growth hormones can cause premature puberty and shorten your height. However, promoting the healthy use of supplements will not cause stunted death.

• Buffed Bodies:

Bodybuilders have a buff structure that appears shorter even if their height isn’t short. Basically, weightlifters look small or lacking in size because of the muscle mass they have gained.

Imagine carrying something in hand; if it is more in width, it will appear smaller than something with less width. The same is the case here.

• Stunted Horizontal Tissue Growth:

Does lifting weights make you shorter? No tissue growth is affected during bodybuilding; rather, it switches to horizontal growth.

What does that mean? When you start lifting weights, your growth plate starts to grow vertically. Therefore, instead of being heighted, you begin getting buffed.

However, as someone 20 plus, you shouldn’t be worried about all these factors because your height has already stopped growing.

However, you will have to learn the proper weightlifting practices and refrain from using drugs.

• Short Bodies Get Easily Buffed:

One more reason you see most bodybuilders or weightlifters in short height is that it is easy to make a short persona buffed.

Therefore, all those with short height, when competing, come out more buffed and filled compared to the heighted people.  

Large bodies take more time and effort to look filled. That’s why short people get more fame in bodybuilding than large ones.

Will Lifting Weights Not Make you Taller?

Does lifting weights make you shorter? Height is determined by various factors like genetics, and weightlifting isn’t a part of it. However, carrying a healthy weight and remaining active during adolescence can contribute to positive growth.

The growth isn’t just related to making you taller but to getting you fit, appear smart, and look vigorous.

What Exercise Makes you Shorter?

Remaining active and doing strenuous workouts or exercises are two different things. You will have to choose the exercises and how to perform exercises wisely.

Do not go with lifting heavy weights more than your capacity at a young age. It is not just about bodybuilding at the gym but also about following the rule in real life.

What Exercises Make you Taller?

Remaining active contributes to the healthy development of all cells, including your growth plates. Besides, it doesn’t require any hard or fast stuff to do when it comes to increasing height through exercises.

Some simple exercises that will contribute to your health are:

• Hanging is the top exercise to stimulate growth and even small kids can perform it.
• Rope Skipping is the perfect exercise to activate the growth hormones in your overall body.
• Cycling helps you get a toned, well-shaped, and heightened body.
• Running with or without treadmills is another best exercise for kids and teens looking forward to increasing their height

The best thing about these exercises is that they come with no side effects and are equally beneficial for people of all ages, kids, adults, and elders.

Does Going to the Gym Make you Taller?

Getting taller at the gym is possible, but only if you know which exercises to perform. It is also possible only when you are underage, or your growth cells are still able to develop.

Do not go with complex exercises like weight lifting when you’re below 18. Does lifting weights make you shorter?  Yes, if your growth cells are not developed completely.

However, going to the gym is not necessary because you can find plenty of exercises to do at home to increase your height. Such as,

• Hanging with a bar (you can use any door bar at your home for this).
• Sprinting (you can go with rope skipping by just getting a rope and jumping around it).
• Cycling (you don’t need a stationary cycle for this, the uncomplicated regular bicycle can do the chore).
• Running (there is no need to have a treadmill, you can run on the roads with greenery on the sides).

Nevertheless, if you are someone who cannot do regular stuff, you can go to a gym and do these things to increase your height.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here you go with some frequently asked questions and their answers that might be occurring in your mind regarding the discussion does lifting weights make you shorter.

Does weight lifting burn fat?

Yes! Weight lifting burns calories and fat stored in the inactive muscles. This exercise is for a healthy body. If you are thin, your muscles will become buffed, and if you are fat, your muscles will burn them.

Bodybuilding helps to keep you in good shape.

Does weight lifting improve your posture?

‘Yes! Exercises like weightlifting do improve posture.

Remaining idle or sitting at the office and at home will tremendously affect your body and posture. Gaming addicts can also develop lousy posture by keeping sitting and playing video games.

Weight training helps you get rid of it.

Does weightlifting give you healthy bones?

A sound body has a sound mind, which we have often heard in our childhood.

So, the same is the case here. Weightlifting and other vigorous activities can help make the bones more robust and prevent bone issues in the long run.

Does weight lifting Improve sleep?

Yes, workouts contribute a lot to the quality of your sleep. It lifts your mood and helps you get rid of depressive late-night thoughts. You feel less moody and sleep quickly before bothering about non-issues.

Bottom Line

Does lifting weights make you shorter? We found out there is plenty of associated stuff with weightlifting that can make you shorter such as the use of steroids or skeletal injuries.

In the end, before leaving this page, please let us know by commenting below. Besides, check our Fitness Editorial at Look Broad for more information.