PHYSICAL EXERCISES TO INCREASE HEIGHT

For people of short stature who desire to increase their height, there are some simple physical exercises they can perform. As people age, the body naturally loses height, and poor posture contributes to a decreased, physical height. Breathing, stretching and specific postural exercises will all help to reach the maximum height potential.

Breathing to Increase Height

Believe it or not, but improper expansion of the diaphragm, the breathing muscle, can cause the chest and rib cage to shorten. IntegrativeFascialRelease.com states that shallow breathing, poor fitness and a rounded posture can also contribute to improper expansion of the diaphragm. 

Deep-breathing exercises, like yoga, pilates and tai chi, are ways to integrate proper-breathing patterns into your daily life, and they are also posture-correction exercises.

Stretching to Increase Height

As muscles get tight, they shorten. A short, tight muscle is essentially in a contracted position at all times. Anyone attempting to gain height through exercise must first elongate her muscles to a normal resting length. When the muscles are in a normal resting length or not tight and restricted, the body is able to reach its maximum height potential.

You should stretch your hamstrings, latissimus dorsi, calves, hip flexors, chest and neck daily.

Short and tight muscles need time to elongate and return to a normal postilion. It is recommended to hold all stretches for 60 seconds per stretch, giving the muscle time to elongate, notes Stuart McGill in the book, "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance."

Exercising to Increase Height

Gaining height through exercise needs to focus on movements that enhance posture. No one in a slumped or rounded posture will ever achieve full height. 

Rowing exercises allow you to strengthen your middle back and shoulders, which, in turn, help to keep an upright posture. Try standing cable rows and standing resistance band rows to maximize the results.

Another way to increase postural height is performing prone bench flyes. Lie face down on an incline bench or an exercise ball, with a pair of light dumbbells. Choose a weight that you are able to hold for 12 to 15 repetitions. With the elbows locked, raise your arms out to your sides, in a fly motion. Squeeze the shoulder blades for two seconds, and return to the start position.