Is it harder for taller people/longer limbs to gain muscle?

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  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited September 2018
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    As has been said, it isn't necessarily "harder" to gain muscle but you may need to gain more of it (compared to a shorter person) for it to be "noticeable."

    I'm 5'9" with about a 6' wingspan. I understand the frustration.
    My neck is over 16 1/4" with decent shoulders but my arms look small in comparison.

    My loving wife seems to prefer the term "weird" when referring to my neck thickness and how out-of-proportion it looks...

    Just keep training hard and lifting heavy.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    Basilin wrote: »
    Can I also add that squats just suck if you have long femurs? I thought I just couldn’t do squats very well, until I learned about modifications for long femured folk. 😭

    http://thestephaneandre.com/adapt-your-training-to-your-morphology-part-2/

    I agree, I have long legs (long femurs I assume too) and my squats never look as pretty as other peoples :(
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I follow @lankyprogresstv on Instagram. You can see what he has achieved with a long body.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited September 2018
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    Basilin wrote: »
    Can I also add that squats just suck if you have long femurs? I thought I just couldn’t do squats very well, until I learned about modifications for long femured folk. 😭

    http://thestephaneandre.com/adapt-your-training-to-your-morphology-part-2/

    I'm 6'6" with a 38" inseam and 37" sleeve length. I fold up like origami when I try to squat.
  • Grambo54
    Grambo54 Posts: 75 Member
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    Long legs, put a 2 inch or 4 inch piece of timber under your heels. More if you need it. Maybe dont squat to parallel, do a 3/4 squat. Depends on the person.
  • mreichard
    mreichard Posts: 235 Member
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    I’m 6’3” and struggle with squats. I’d like to blame it on being tall, but there are two guys over 6’6” at my gym who squat really well - like starting work sets at more than 315 and working up from there (compared to my one rep max of 285). I think both of them are pro athletes, though, so they probably have a bit of a leg up genetically.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    mreichard wrote: »
    I’m 6’3” and struggle with squats. I’d like to blame it on being tall, but there are two guys over 6’6” at my gym who squat really well - like starting work sets at more than 315 and working up from there (compared to my one rep max of 285). I think both of them are pro athletes, though, so they probably have a bit of a leg up genetically.
    There are a lot more things than just height and femur length that can influence whether or not one is good at squatting. Ankle/hip flexibility, pelvic bone structure, shoulder girdle mobility, etc.

    Sure, with enough work/practice, just about anybody can do some semblance of a squat. But it won’t be the most beneficial exercise (in terms of hypertrophy) for everybody, and not everybody will progress the same. The only people that squats are essential for are powerlifters.

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