Building Muscles for Tall Men vs Building Muscles for Short Men
September 23, 2009 by Shaun
Filed under The Fitness Bug
Since growing to my adult height of 6’1 at age 16, I decided that it was time to hit the gym as my late high school years were coming to an end. Yes, it is true that I may have kept growing up until the age of 21, but I was happy with my height, yet I simply was not a fan of the skinny man look as an adult.
That was some years back now and from my experience of building muscle, I can conclude that it is definitely harder to gain muscle mass on a tall persons frame than it is for a short person.
Now don’t get me wrong, overtime time I have realised that both body types will build muscle at the same rate, it’s just that tall peoples muscles are distributed over a larger area. This means that taller people will need to work harder to grow their muscles to point where they look ‘HUGE’. But when they do get to that stage, they will definitely adopt the’ stand out from the crowd’ look.
This is what the shorter guys won’t get!
Shorter guys can build muscle faster for sure, because their muscles are distributed over a smaller area, but they will only get the small powerful look and once they reach a certain size, there won’t be much room to grow any further either because of their smaller frame. So although taller guys have a hard time gaining weight, with hard work there will always be room to grow.
Tall persons frame
= Larger bones
= More distance between joint and insertion point of muscle
= Better leverage
= Stronger
Taller persons frame
= Larger ROM (Range of Motion)
= What some argue… weaker!
Taller persons frame
= Larger frame
= More potential for weight gain in workouts
But Shaun… people are neither ‘just tall’ nor ‘just short’, there are many variations of body types!
You are right,
- Long legs vs. short legs
- Long arms vs. short arms
- Long torso vs. short torso
And all kinds of combination’s
But you can discuss those variations of body types at the end of this post. For the purpose of this post lets just assume we are talking about,
Short - typical ectomorph
Tall - typical ectomporph
Lets now look at how both body types are affected with particular exercises to prove the fact that it is harder to build muscle mass when you are taller and that tall people are at a disadvantage.
Pull-ups
Pull-ups are one of the best strength gaining and muscle building exercises, and it gets even better when you add a dipping belt to the mix. Despite its greatness, the pull up is simply not a tall persons exercise and someone like myself has to work much harder to get those strength gains (Painful!).
The main issue is that a tall person would have a wider grip compared to a shorter person, and that is what makes it tough.
However, I did work hard, and I know for sure it took me a lot longer to get strength gains than my shorter framed friends. My only real personal advantage was that I didn’t weigh too much to begin with in those early days, so I was able to put out more reps than my heavier taller friends.
Bicep exercises (chin ups/ Curls)
If you are tall then it is very unlikely that you will have short arms, and I know from experience (again, painful!) that a tall person has a tough time building ‘stand out biceps’, even to the stage where they look developed. Taking them to the ‘HUGE’ level is a different matter altogether. (But it can be done). The key difference here is that a shorter person with naturally shorter arms can build big biceps in a fraction of the time that it will take for the tall person to get achieve the same results (damn these long limbs).
Bench Press
This is another short man exercise. For years I’ve met many people that were able to lift a lot more weight than I could on the bench press exercise and I just couldn’t figure out how that was so. I mean… I was and still am a pretty strong guy (In my view) and can lift some pretty serious weights. But every time it comes to bench press, it just takes more work.
Why?
- Longer arms!
- Wider grip!
- More Range of Motion to perform a full rep!
Without a doubt, there are advantages and disadvantages to both body types. It may seem like I’m bashing the short guys for having it all, but hey, that’s my experience. The bottom line is that in general, shorter guys can do less and gain muscle mass much quicker than us tall guys. Whichever body type you are, just be sure to replace those exercises that feel awkward to perform with something else, and if a shorter/ taller guy out-performs you at a particular exercise, just mind your own business! Because if you try to challenge them you will get egg on your face, then you WILL be embarrassed.
Which exercises do you have difficulty performing?
What is your body type? Is it a variation of the above?
See you in the comments.
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Hello Shaun
Love your article , I am a shot person myself -I tell ya short people have no reason to live -Remember that song from Randy Newman, LOL hilarious
Any way I definitely agree with all the pro and cons with being a tall or short person in regards to muscle development . Muscles look a lot more thicker on a short person vs a tall person. although it is true that a well defined and muscular tall guy would win over a well defined short guy such as myself . Look at Arnold vs Franco in the old Olympias
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Shaun Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 am
Thanks Kirk
This one was quite passionate to me, as i have long limbs. The arms are hard to work, but they are do-able to build up. For most tall guys they feel like their legs are 75% of their body. Sometimes it looks that way too. But once the ‘HUGE’ muscle has been build all over, then the look is generally better than being short. But those of your body type do still have it easier
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This is very unique and innovative content. I have not seen anywhere an argument such as this. great job!
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Shaun Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Thanks Paramjit. As a tall guy this issue was heart felt in the early days of training. What exercises do you struggle with?
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Ah, the plight of the tall man. Im 6’1 and top heavy. Short legs, long torso and arms. Push-ups are tough for me. Been doing them once a week for 3 years and 30 reps are still a struggle. I swear guys with short arms have, like a 6 inch range of motion on push-ups, while I’m here pushing my self up 30 inches. However, I do relish in the fact that my long body will make all my hard work look that much better in the long-run.
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Shaun Reply:
October 7th, 2009 at 2:10 am
You feel my pain. However, I have longer legs and short torso. But do not worry, your hard work will definitely show off. What else do you struggle with?
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yoo.. good post.
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yes.. nice style
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yeah… amazing thoughts ))
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Hey all,
I get what you guys are saying, but it’s a lot harder for short guys to get the sheer size you taller guys get. And power to build ratio-wise taller ppl just get a higher ratio. At least I think so, what do you guys think??
I would rather be more powerful than I look, than look powerful but actually be weak. And because taller ppl generally weigh more, I think the extra body weight to some extent does help with the lifts too.
I think the overall advantage when it comes to power and size goes to taller ppl. Just look at the world record lifts.
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Shaun Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Hi Eugene
Well, you are right that being stronger than you look is better than looking strong but actually weak. In fact that is one of the things that I instruct people NOT to aim for! It’s such a common thing to see the biggest guy in the gym not being able to master pull ups.
Maybe Taller guys like myself (6’2″) can build more mass. But we still have to work that much harder to get results.
Overall, the advantage will go to the taller guys as you have stated. History has proven that.
How tall are you? Ecto, Endo or Mesomorph body type?
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Could not agree more with this article. I am 6’6″ @ 206lbs. I started working out 4 years ago at 180lbs. I workout 5 days a week. Now, i do see a lot of change since then. have not had much problem getting lats and legs to pop out, but Bi, Tris, and Traps seem to be the hardest to bulk up for me. Of course chest also, but i anticipated that taking a long time, and my body fat is probably somewhere around 20% so, no definition there. The funny thing is the short guys measure arms at the gym at around 17-18inchs and they look huge. Mine measure exactly the same and look not so huge.
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Shaun Reply:
March 11th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Hi SCinFairhope
I’m glad you agree. You are tall like myself so you understand. I would have thought the hardest may have been legs too. But tri’s and bi’s can be a challenge for sure. You hit the nail on the head with this statement.
‘The funny thing is the short guys measure arms at the gym at around 17-18inchs and they look huge. Mine measure exactly the same and look not so huge.’
They probably worked half as hard as you did to get the same result too.
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hello this is a great article, i am 6ft 3 and im 14 years old it is very hard for me to do extreame exercise such as bench press’ pull ups, i am a brown belt in ju-jitzu and i kept on getting beaten in tourniments by minute people, will thnigs every get easier for taller people
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Shaun Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:04 am
Hi Dylan
It seems that the masses agree with the conclusion here, yourself included, that taller guys have more disadvantage than advantage when it comes to putting on muscle mass. Your personal situation gives truth to the points mentioned in this article regarding the exercises that you struggle with. However, with some hard work, you will prevail
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Shaun, this is a great post. I really appreciated reading it. I’m a tall guy 6’6.5″ tall and a definite ECTOMORPH but my body fat % has always been above 20%. I recently completed the p90x 90 days workout and followed everything to the letter…the diet, the workout, etc. Much of it is pushups and pullups and they were/are extremely hard. I’m very discouraged that I don’t have the results that most of the before/after people get after 90 days….I definitely have results, but it’s not as dramatic as the infomercials or youtube videos show…and it is because I’m tall…freakishly tall. I’m continuing on with doing p90x for another round and I’ll continue to do it as a lifestyle choice because I do see and feel it is working. I could only do 1 pullup on day 1 and by day 90 I could do 8. Is there more I can do with my height and body type to help build my muscles quicker and faster. I’m eating protein like mad and not skimping on calories at all. Any help you could offer would be great… Being called tall and skinny for 37 years has really annoyed me…I want/need muscle! Thanks,
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Shaun Reply:
April 9th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Thanks Vaughn
The secret for success for people like yourself, and myself, is to quite simply eat more, and keep shocking your muscles. The shocking muscles part is one of they key things that I focus on with the site. That is the foundation of muscle growth, especially for the hard gainer. Every week I post at least one article that focuses solely on that. (Similar to muscle confusion since you are familiar with P90X)
Food
I know you said you eat a lot. But do you take any supplementation at all? The reason I ask, is because even though I’m ‘pro’ natural food, it’s not very likely that you will keep up with 4 large meals/ 3 small meals a day, especially in this day and age. So if you aren’t supplementing correctly, that could be a reason why you are not growing. We can’t blame it on our height completely either. Yes, the short guys have it better than us, but many of the greatest bodybuilders that have graced the earth have been 6ft plus, in height. Check killer foods for fitness http://www.stayfitbug.com/the-fitness-bug/stay-fit-bug-killer-foods-for-fitness-part-1/
Being called skinny for so long is a downer, and that won’t change with time either, unless metabolism levels drop with age. (Which it hasn’t in your case by the sounds of it).
Overall
1) Motivation level 10 every time
2) The only way to train is to train insane! ( Read the recent posts)
3) Supplementation
Follow this post too. It might provide some insight to what you might have already tried in your plan
http://www.dieselcrew.com/how-much-weight-training-and-cardio/
Do let me know what else you have already tried. Then I can structure something around that as a starting solution!
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Pretty good article but you missed an important point I think. Being a tall guy as well (6’4) the most important reason why short people can more easily lift the same amount of weight as a tall person is LEVERAGE. The longer your limbs, the more of a bending moment your joints will feel. To output the same force as someone with half the length of your arm you would have to supply twice the bending moment as BM is linearly related to distance. This is simplified logic using the laws of physics but it is applicable. The other important point that came to mind is that because taller people have longer limbs the range of motion is usually larger for an individual rep, therefore more ‘work’ (displacement of force perpendicular to gravity) is required to complete one rep.
Conclusion: Shorter people will be able to lift the same weight for more reps than a tall person. They will also generally be able to lift more weight than a taller person (where bending moment is the main factor i.e. barbell press etc).
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Shaun Reply:
April 13th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Well, that point was covered, but not so much in a full statement as you’ve put it (such as in the exercises mentioned). But what you speak of here is the exact reason why the argument is in favour of us 6 footer+ guys. the conclusion says it all.
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The tall OP need to review his physics.
Lank Man = Worse Leverage = Weaker
Lank and stocky man have the same distance lever between tendon and joint where your muscle’s force generates your torque, but lankier men have a longer limb where the external weight’s force is generating its torque. Hence, lankier men have more torque applied to their joints for the same lifted weight and would be able to lift less weight for the same amount of muscle.
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Shaun Reply:
June 14th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Exactly right Kenneth. Which is why tall guys struggle and short guys bulk with ease.
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Hey there! I surfed to your blog while I was searching for several health and wellness related terms in Bing earlier today. Hung around a bit to check things out and browse some of your posts… first rate stuff. I’ll be sure that I get around once again some time in the next few weeks. Go Brazil!! World Cup 2010!
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Larger people are proportionately less strong than smaller people, although they may be stronger in an absolute sense. This is due to the Square-Cube Law. Mechanically strength increases with the square of size due to being approximated by the cross-sectional area of muscle, but mass increases with the cube of size, so it becomes harder for an animal to move its own weight as it becomes larger. This is the reason mice have proportionately weak limbs while elephants have proportionately strong limbs, yet mice can move their body weight around easily while elephants struggle. This law affects body-weight “calisthenic” exercises like push ups, dips, and pull ups, allowing smaller people to do more of them compared to larger people of the same build.
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Shaun Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
All correct, yet even further analysis of the above argument. It appears that you have quite a passion on the subject Kenneth?
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i am wondering i workout 3-4 days a week chest/bi back/tri shoulder/legs and do about 12-15 sets for big groups and 6-9 for small muscle groups.
i eat pretty good smalll meals throught like rice almonds salmon and protein shakes, i did take creatine and nitrix oxide bsn but caused spots so i quit. now i will just stick to protein. but how much protein to i need and for tall people is this type of training okay i also do full body workout weeks for a change and when im at a golf tourament. i cycle twice a week aswell but thats all cardio i do. i am anoyed i dont seem to be making gains althou i do lift a lot i do 6-8 reps normally but sometimes switch technique and do like 12 or 20 or walking lunges for 5 minutes and so on. 3-4 times a week and i train my abs probulary 3 times a week. am i in the right lines or am i just confused. thanks
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Shaun Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Hi Ian
You are a tall guy like myself, and you want the gains. Good, because that is why you are here. To build real muscle and as you can see, building muscle and keeping it can be a challenge for tall guys. Looking at your regime, I would make some changes in order to get gains
1) Your protein shakes are just fine. Almonds are a great food for your abs and salmon is arguably the best fish to eat
As you might know, the reason for eating fish is because of the oil inside of it. By eating fish, it will lower your heart rate and you will consume less oxygen during intense training or exercise. The fatty acids in fish oil need to become incorporated into muscle and heart cells to have an effect, and that takes weeks of consumption. So either,
- Take fish oil pills
- Or eat Salmon rolls in Nori
2) I recently posted the best way to structure your meal plans throughout the day as a hardgainer here,
http://www.stayfitbug.com/the-fitness-bug/the-done-for-you-hardgainers-workout-routine-plan-meal-plan/
How much protein you ask?
Well, you are a tall guy and will be lifting heavy no doubt. Structure your intake like so,
High carb intake days = 330g protein, 412g carbs, 121g fat
Moderate carb intake days = 330g protein, 330g carbs, 121g fat
Low carb days = 33g protein, 247g carbs, 121g fat
You structure it like this in order to keep your abs from gaining too much fat, especially in your lower ab area.
3) Cardio
As a tall guy, you might want to lay off the cardio a little. Depending on your current mass and how high your metabolism is. You state you are having trouble gaining, so keep your cardio at low intensity. Cycling 2-3 times a week is considered medium intensity, running up hills once or twice a week is considered high intensity. What you need to do is low intensity (jogging, slow cycling maybe) say twice a week for a few weeks, or at least until you see changes in your gains. Too much cardio will hamper your gains for sure, especially with your current set up of cardio training.
The change back to cardio will come once you build mature muscle. That is muscle that tends to stay on your frame, regardless if you train insane or not.
4) Your routine
Focus more on compound exercises. Isolation may not need to be the focus at this stage. And try this intermediate routine for gains.
http://www.stayfitbug.com/the-fitness-bug/3-day-split-workout-routine/
See how it fairs out.
Another reason why gains maybe low might be due to your lifting technique.
Lift like this if not already…
1) Start with lightweights – This will allow you to understand how to lift the weights properly regardless of the exercise.
2) Do the exercise properly – Once you have mastered how to do it, focus on control and execution.
3) Lift at moderate speed – Explosive yes! But not fast and not slow.
4) Increase the weight – Do the above 3, but always aim to increase the weight.
I think I’ve covered all there. If you have any questions, do ask, as we need you to be gaining!!!!!
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Awesome article! Keep them coming!
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