Being short vs being tall

Options
Lostinblac
Lostinblac Posts: 81 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Was wondering if you think either have any advantages on a certain lift then others

I'm 5ft5 weight 85kg and can incline flat and squat alot of weight but when it comes to deadlift I'm terrible I no there's some logic in short leavers but how.much does it affect someone's lift.? Any short people.or tall people have an opion

Replies

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Options
    I have long legs and am tall and it definitely effects my lifts, especially squats
  • Lostinblac
    Lostinblac Posts: 81 Member
    Options
    Do you find squats easy I find it easy but deadlift I can't move any decent weight and normally end up.injuring myself.during
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Options
    Squats are harder with long femurs
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    Options
    gaz1058 wrote: »
    Do you find squats easy I find it easy but deadlift I can't move any decent weight and normally end up.injuring myself.during

    You might want to revisit your form if you're getting injured.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEy_czb3RKA&index=2&list=LLPy1xKPNpywLq1dKd7lzI4A

  • Lostinblac
    Lostinblac Posts: 81 Member
    Options
    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    gaz1058 wrote: »
    Do you find squats easy I find it easy but deadlift I can't move any decent weight and normally end up.injuring myself.during

    You might want to revisit your form if you're getting injured.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEy_czb3RKA&index=2&list=LLPy1xKPNpywLq1dKd7lzI4A

    Yeah I proberly need to I've always had a weak lower back
  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
    Options
    I think being taller makes just about EVERY major lift more difficult. Longer limbs = longer "moment arms" = more torque = harder to lift.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Options
    Besides overall height and limb length, relative limb length(long/short femurs vs long/short lower leg or torso vs leg length) and muscle attachment points can significantly impact strength.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    Options
    It's not necessarily height that effects lifts as much as your proportions (except being short on squat...that's probably universally easier). I'm 5'3 and squats are no problem for me. My husband is 6'3 with long femurs...squats are terrible for him.

    Bench has been tricky for me (although I'm short), b/c my arms are fairly long for height and my chest is pretty small (increased ROM). My husband has long arms, but a large chest (decreased ROM).
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    Options
    You can get strong have long limbs, everything is a longer rep. My arms are 6'6" from finger tip to finger tip, makes benching a long rep and joint issues. Maybe I'm just old,lol. Squats I had to use a wider stance.
  • Lostinblac
    Lostinblac Posts: 81 Member
    Options
    I think both have advantages I'd rather be taller lol but fill.out very quick being short
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Options
    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    gaz1058 wrote: »
    Do you find squats easy I find it easy but deadlift I can't move any decent weight and normally end up.injuring myself.during

    You might want to revisit your form if you're getting injured.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEy_czb3RKA&index=2&list=LLPy1xKPNpywLq1dKd7lzI4A

    Really helpful video! Thx.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Options
    There's a reason why the vast majority of world record holders are short. The greatest powerlifter of all time, Ed Coan, is only 5'3". It is EXTREMELY rare for a record holder to be tall (recent exception of note, Kirill Sarychev). Bodybuilding is the same way, being short means you look a lot more muscular with a smaller body structure.

    But for everything else in life, being tall is pretty awesome, not gonna lie. :D
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    Options
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    I have long legs and am tall and it definitely effects my lifts, especially squats

    This. My legs are as long as my 6'2" son, but I am only 5'7". It really affects my squat form and there is nothing I can do to fix it.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Options
    DopeItUp wrote: »
    There's a reason why the vast majority of world record holders are short. The greatest powerlifter of all time, Ed Coan, is only 5'3". It is EXTREMELY rare for a record holder to be tall (recent exception of note, Kirill Sarychev). Bodybuilding is the same way, being short means you look a lot more muscular with a smaller body structure.

    But for everything else in life, being tall is pretty awesome, not gonna lie. :D

    Having said that, for regular joes there are plenty of tall people who will complain that they suck as squatting/deadlifting/benching/etc because of their height or long limbs. Several of them in this thread already! There are techniques for dealing with all sorts of body shapes and sizes. If Brian Shaw can deadlift 1000lbs+ with his 6'8" frame and crazy technique then almost any average person can do the basic movements with a little bit of technique and/or mobility work.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Options
    DopeItUp wrote: »
    DopeItUp wrote: »
    There's a reason why the vast majority of world record holders are short. The greatest powerlifter of all time, Ed Coan, is only 5'3". It is EXTREMELY rare for a record holder to be tall (recent exception of note, Kirill Sarychev). Bodybuilding is the same way, being short means you look a lot more muscular with a smaller body structure.

    But for everything else in life, being tall is pretty awesome, not gonna lie. :D

    Having said that, for regular joes there are plenty of tall people who will complain that they suck as squatting/deadlifting/benching/etc because of their height or long limbs. Several of them in this thread already! There are techniques for dealing with all sorts of body shapes and sizes. If Brian Shaw can deadlift 1000lbs+ with his 6'8" frame and crazy technique then almost any average person can do the basic movements with a little bit of technique and/or mobility work.

    I don't suck at squatting, just I have had to tweak my form a lot. My squat looks a lot different than shorter people's squats. It's just annoying when I get unsolicited comments about my stance being wider than theirs and that I'm just hitting below parallel instead of *kitten* to grass.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    Options
    I find it's a matter of maximizing your form for your levers. Yes, the best powerlifters in any weight class tend to be the shortest.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    Options
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    I have long legs and am tall and it definitely effects my lifts, especially squats

    This. My legs are as long as my 6'2" son, but I am only 5'7". It really affects my squat form and there is nothing I can do to fix it.

    Hahaha, sounds like me.... I'm 2 inches shorter than my husband and my inseam is 5 inches longer. It's a battle for seat position in the car whenever we switch drivers, lol.

Categories