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How to Grow Taller and Increase Height


As a short person (relatively speaking), a question that always bugged my mind was how I could increase my height naturally. Being short has its benefits, but I would rather be 6 feet tall than be the object of people’s armpit stench. In fact, to all short people, 1 centimeter in the height market is worth more than a carat of gold.

In fact, that you are here, means that you want to know how to grow taller.

As such, I have outlined all scenarios to help you grow taller, no matter your age and size.

I will be going through some categories of people:

  1. Before puberty
  2. After puberty

Mechanism for growth

Contrary to popular belief, growth has nothing to do with genetics but has everything to do with the following.

  1. Amount of pressure on growth plates (Exercise)
  2. Nutrition
  3. Sleep (stress).

1. Amount of pressure on growth plates (Excercise)

There is a reason why training the body is called bodybuilding, and not body training.

This is because building the body can be likened to building a house or building.

Also, like the house, the body has a foundation (back), walls (side of the body), and roof (front of your body).

But in this particular case, we will be focusing on your internal bone structures of your body.

In fact, the amount of pressure on the growth plate is what causes some people to be short and fat, and others to be slim and tall.

Ideally, there are three body types.

  1. Endomorph
  2. Mesomorph
  3. Ectomorph

Now, these three body types have a defining factor between them:

  1. Sucking stomach in to look fit.
  2. Engaging the oblique muscles (side abdominal muscles)
  3. Engaging the entirety of the back, and breathing properly, with the diagram.

Endomorph

The endomorph is a stocky build. Most people who are short and fat, have this type of build.

This build is common among people who have been through stressful situations in life, and contrary to popular belief is caused by the following.

  1. Sucking in the stomach (not breathing properly):
    The Endomorph has gone to so much stress in life, and as a coping mechanism to the daily stress, they suck in their stomachs (brace for impact), to everything in life.
    Due to this bad habit of sucking in the stomachs, they build up stocky build over time as a body adaptation, to the daily stress.
    Endomorphs are likely to be short and fat.

Overall, the Endomorph is physically strong, but like cats, lack necessary stamina.

Mesomorph

The mesomorph is the ideal body type, as a perfect balance of muscles and slimness is on the body.

Mesomorphs

Ectomorph

The Ectomorph are people who grew up in the best condition and upbringing, with little or no stress, to cause them to suck in their stomachs (not breath properly).

As such, their body has become accustomed to being in a stressless state. Hence why Ectomorph’s find it hard to gain weight.

2. Nutrition

Nutrition entails the food you eat into your body.

All throughout elementary (primary) and high (secondary) school, we were taught about the six classes of food.

  1. Carbohydrates
  2. Proteins
  3. Fats & Oils
  4. Vitamins
  5. Minerals
  6. Water

We were also taught that Carbohydrates and Fats & Oils, were energy giving foods, proteins were bodybuilding foods, Vitamins, and Minerals were necessary to facilitate smooth function of the body, and water was a basic necessity of life.

In your quest to grow taller, you must maintain a

3. Sleep (Stress)

Without sleep, your body doesn’t have time to rest and recuperate.

Also, sleep is vital when trying to grow taller, since it is during sleep that the body adds height to itself, through biological processes.

Grow Taller Before Puberty

Increasing height to grow taller before puberty is the easiest thing a person can ever do since the growth plates are still open.

Systematic pressure has to be added to the growth plate from time to time to cause adaptation of the growth plate by healing (creating new bone tissues), which increases height.

In time, the individual increases in height, and reaches their full height potential.

The best way to increase height before puberty is by playing basketball, particularly by learning how to dunk.

The stress of the jump on the growth plates causes it to adapt and become stronger and bone is created rapidly.

Hence, why basketball players are so tall.

Also, if you are not good at basketball, you can start skating, since it is a tasking routine, and is known to increase height, although not as much as basketball.

Grow Taller After Puberty

After puberty. the growth plates have essentially fused. As such, the only natural way to increase height is by increasing spine length.

1. Increase Spine Length Through Stretching

To increase spine length, you have to engage in vigorous exercises that facilitate the stretching of your spinal column.

The best spine stretching exercises include swimming, yoga stretching, etc.

2. Increase Limb Length Through Surgery

If all fails, you can undergo a painful leg limb lengthening procedure called, cosmetic limb lengthening surgery.

This is an expensive procedure, which involves breaking your leg bones and allowing them to heal back while stretching them apart gradually, increasing height in the process.

Best Exercises to Increase Height

In your quest to know how to grow taller, you should engage in these exercises, to increase your height.

Basketball

Basketball is a competitive sport, that demands your all, and puts tremendous pressure on your grow plates, which are forced to adapt to the constant high jumps by increasing in length and becoming stronger.

As such, basketballers, experience some of the most outrageous growth spurts in existence, with some even growing 2 feet in the span of 2 years.

There is a reason all basketballers are tall (even if they have short parents).

Swimming

Swimming increases your height in a different manner than basketball, since it stretches your spine.

This is why most Olympic swimmers, have an unusually long torso (upper body).

This is more apparent in Micheal Phelps, who has the legs of a 6 ft man, but the upper body of a 6 ft 5 man.

Skating

Skating like basketball puts tremendous pressure on the growth plates, as the body has to constantly make micro-adjustments to keep the body balanced.

Due to this tension, the bones of the legs have no choice than to adapt, by creating stronger and more tougher bones, which make the person taller.

Short Sprints

Sprinting helps in developing your oblique muscles, which help in increasing the height of a person.

Asides being such a good cardiovascular activity that burns off fats, it simultaneously puts pressure on the growth plates and stretches the spine at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone.

Jogging

Jogging is a good sport for training your low twitch muscle fibers.

Unlike running, which puts stress on the growth plates, jogging, helps in giving the body a mean lean, fighting physic, which gives off the appearance of being taller, than usual.

Barbell Squats

Barbell squats improve the overall health of the back, which improves posture and appearance in the long run.

Bench Leg raise

Bench leg raises, are notorious for training and toning down abdominal muscles.

Also, it should be noted, that a big stomach gives off a bloated appearance, which makes you look shorter.

The best remedy for this is to engage in bench leg raises, which tones and slims down your midsection.

Summary

In summary, these are the steps you need to take when trying to grow taller.

  1. Eat good food.
  2. Sleep well
  3. Engage in swimming or skating
  4. If all these fails, pay almost $200,000 to an orthopedic surgeon to increase your height.
  5. Oppress people around you, who were once taller than you.

10 Best Ways to Increase Height Naturally

1. Increase Back and Upper-Body Strength

A common theme among short people is that they lack back and upper body strength. The importance of upper body strength is more apparent in ballet dancers. Since the time they are born, they are taught proper body posture. Also, they are even given dance routines that exercise their back and upper body strength. As such, in time, they eventually possess some of the most sculpted upper body physic.

2. Stretching the back regularly

I found an article online on A-grow-Bic ( by Dailymail), a woman actually grew by 3 solid inches after engaging in two months A-grow-Bics height gain program. The program consisted of rigorous exercises with more focus on stretching. After just two months into the program, the woman gained 3 inches.

3. Stop Sucking in Your Stomach to Look Fit

I discovered that stretching to gain some extra inches works better on people with shorter torsos. A common theme, I discovered among shorter people (myself included), is that I always sucked in my belly when tense. Although, sucking in my belly, made me more athletic, it failed to make me reach my final height in life. Back when I was younger, I was the youngest kid among my friends, yet I was the tallest. But things have changed, and I am now among the shortest.

Going on, I found an article that specified the need for pressure on the growth plate to cause growth in children. Hence why some children with slightly knocked knees, become very tall, later on in life.

4. Practice Yoga

Yoga positions are known to make use of gravity to increase body strength. Engaging in yoga, regularly, improves the body’s shape and posture. As such, a person automatically begins to look taller.

5. Avoid Stressful Environment

Some people are just the worst. They are just too toxic for you, and there is no way you come to an agreement with them. This is life (even Jesus couldn’t accept the acts of the Pharisees). These people are your enemies in life. You need to strife as much as possible, to avoid these type of people, since stress is known to induce health-related issues, including spine compression.

6. Exercise

Exercise is a must for a healthy lifestyle. We now live in a world heavily reliant on harmful chemicals called processed foods. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be going any time soon, since, there is too much corporate greed in the world. Your health is your responsibility and it is your duty to safeguard it.  Daily exercise is the right step to take in expelling these harmful processed foods from your system.

7. Wear Shoe Insoles

A single centimeter in the height market is the difference between bragging rights and insult rights. Some people are just mean, and like wolves, they always attack the weak (short people). If you don’t want to be severely roasted alive by these people, then you should consider wearing shoe insoles. They are cheap and always give you an immediate confidence boost.

8. Climb to the top of Mount Everest

Mount Everest is the highest point on earth, so technically, if you were at the summit – you would be the tallest person on earth. If you don’t want to be that tall, you can decide to climb the tallest mountain in Africa or any other mountain.

9. Train Neck and Spine

Common mistake trainers make is to neglect training the neck, when they engage in physical activities. But just to remind you, the neck is part of the spine and thus, should be treated as such. Back stretches should also, incorporate stretching of the neck. After all, a long neck is beautiful.

10. Swimming

All swimmers have tremendous upper bodies. Asides (sucking in the belly to look fit), all guidelines in this post can be ignored if only people are more willing to engage in swimming.

In conclusion, below are the 10 best ways to increase height naturally:

  1. Increase back and upper body strength.
  2. Stretching the back regularly
  3. Stop sucking in the stomach to look fit
  4. Practice yoga
  5. Avoid stressful environment
  6. Exercise
  7. Wear shoe insoles
  8. Climb to the top of Mount Everest
  9. Train neck and spine
  10. Swimming

Bonus Tip: Go to Space

Who would have thought that going to space could increase a person’s height? Well, an astronaut, after staying for 6 months in space, gained 3 inches to his height. If you are desperate for that extra couple of inches and have a deep pocket. Then book a ride to the international space station.

FAQ’s

How can I get taller quickly

You can get taller quickly by engaging in sports like basketball, which puts pressure on your growth plates and causes them to expand (if you are still young) or by increasing the length of your spinal column through stretching if your growth plates have fused shut.

Can you grow taller by stretching

Yes, stretching can increase your height by a few centimeters, most especially, if you are an endomorph.
The best way, to go about this is to engage in swimming, which gradually stretches your spine, and at the same time, doesn’t cause injury to your body.

What age does a girl stop growing in height?

Girls stop growing before boys. Most girls cease to grow after they have reached the age of 16 – 18 years.

What age does a boy stop growing in height?

Boys can keep on growing until they are 25 years old. But normally, most boys stop growing after they have reached 21 years.

Is it really possible to grow taller after 18?

Growing taller after 18 is possible, most especially if you are a boy, but you will have to engage in ruthless physical activity, like skating or basketball, which puts pressure on your growth plates and forces them to produce new bone growth.

What age do you stop growing?

The body is a survivalist and will do its best to ensure an individual survives, instead of increasing the height of the person.
Many factors come into place, to determine the age you will stop growing, such as nutrition, exercise, sleep, etc.
The most important thing is to avoid stressful situations and eat your fill in healthy foods.
Also, you should avoid junk foods, and only eat them, after you have reached your ultimate height.

See Also: How to Increase height