Taller girls look less muscular

BinaryPulsar

Hmmm, interesting conversation.

There are pluses and minuses to be found or created by all different heights and body types (each person is going to have a different opinion on what those are). And height is not the only factor. There are other aspects that go into a body type (as others have said) and there are other types of actual, real physical challenges. So, enjoy the good, work hard at the "challenging", and appreciate your abilities.

onedayatatime12

I feel you! I'm not trying to gain muscle at this point- just to get back to my normal weight for now, but I look like a weirdly shaped tree regardless.

crandos

Same goes for shorter guys can look like they lift alot quicker than taller guys.

bumblebums

I am 5'9" and I am built like Xena. Lucy Lawless is 5'9" too, by the way. Gina Carano is 5'8".

Go here and pay attention to the heights of most hurdlers and jumpers:

http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios.aspx/

They are not short. And they are muscular looking.

I think something that happens to tall girls is that they fall for the supermodel dream, regardless of what their body type actually is. If you are tall already, the only way to deal with your insecurities if you want to occupy less space is by dieting down to a hopefully slender look. But tall girls can be naturally muscular, and they can have a relatively easy time putting muscle on (and a hard time keeping it off, making the aspiring models especially miserable).

neplainjanepas

Clean and straight to the point! thank you for your comment

RAFValentina

And if you're unlucky enough to be disporportionate and tall too like me... then the exercises get harder! My arms are longer proportionally than average... so need to produce more torque in joints because of the leverage when doing things like pushups... doenst stop me, but it is physically harder mathematically/physically!

Blitz_40

And if you're unlucky enough to be disporportionate and tall too like me... then the exercises get harder! My arms are longer proportionally than average... so need to produce more torque in joints because of the leverage when doing things like pushups... doenst stop me, but it is physically harder mathematically/physically!

Yep....I'm the same, disproportionate. I'm tall with freakishly long arms & legs, but broad, cut shoulders. My shoulders and forearms are always defined and they don't match the rest of my body which is NOT defined. As an older lady, it looks weird to have cut pecs & delts and then just skinny long arms & legs. Anything with upper body leverage, I feel it in my elbows and wrists after.

Cp731

yea but us shorties get fat quicker

Mouse_Potato

There are health issues associated with having a shorter frame as well. Yes, I gain muscle quickly, but what happens if I let myself go a bit? I'm short (5'4") and I'm a banana shape, so when I put on a few pounds my waistline zoomed right in to the heart disease danger zone. And I wasn't even technically overweight!

Fithealthyforlife

There are health issues associated with having a shorter frame as well. Yes, I gain muscle quickly, but what happens if I let myself go a bit? I'm short (5'4") and I'm a banana shape, so when I put on a few pounds my waistline zoomed right in to the heart disease danger zone. And I wasn't even technically overweight!

Someone found a gene that's common in shorter people and people who live a long time.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/03/05/good-things-and-small-packages.html

MrGonzo05

Luckily, men do not have this problem. LOL

neandermagnon

There are health issues associated with having a shorter frame as well. Yes, I gain muscle quickly, but what happens if I let myself go a bit? I'm short (5'4") and I'm a banana shape, so when I put on a few pounds my waistline zoomed right in to the heart disease danger zone. And I wasn't even technically overweight!

if you're short, large framed and have a relatively thick waist (which you would have as a banana shape), and you're using the "waist should be less than half your height" thing, then it's possible that this is more a problem with that particular test than you actually carrying enough fat to put you at greater risk of heart disease. The NHS (UK health service) has switched from that to having the same maximum waist size for everyone, regardless of height, because frame size does not correlate with height, very often shorter people have the same size torsos as taller people, they just have shorter legs. The absolute values used by the NHS are more reliable than the less than half your height rule.

The values used by the NHS are as follows:

somewhat increased risk of disease: men - over 37 inches; women - over 31.5 inches

greater risk of disease: men - over 40 inches; women - over 34.5 inches

- measure your waist midway between the bottom of your rib cage and the top of your pelvis, and breathe out first.

I still think that this will give false positives in large framed people and false negatives in small framed people, however it eliminates some error by not assuming that all short people are small framed and all tall people are large framed, which is not the case.

hopefaithlove24

Though when you are tall, you can weigh more and look a lot thinner. When you are short, that fat doesn't have anywhere to go but sitck out

^^^^This

sarahertzberger

woo hoo something to look forward to!!!!

DebbieLyn63

There are health issues associated with having a shorter frame as well. Yes, I gain muscle quickly, but what happens if I let myself go a bit? I'm short (5'4") and I'm a banana shape, so when I put on a few pounds my waistline zoomed right in to the heart disease danger zone. And I wasn't even technically overweight!

if you're short, large framed and have a relatively thick waist (which you would have as a banana shape), and you're using the "waist should be less than half your height" thing, then it's possible that this is more a problem with that particular test than you actually carrying enough fat to put you at greater risk of heart disease. The NHS (UK health service) has switched from that to having the same maximum waist size for everyone, regardless of height, because frame size does not correlate with height, very often shorter people have the same size torsos as taller people, they just have shorter legs. The absolute values used by the NHS are more reliable than the less than half your height rule.

The values used by the NHS are as follows:

somewhat increased risk of disease: men - over 37 inches; women - over 31.5 inches

greater risk of disease: men - over 40 inches; women - over 34.5 inches

- measure your waist midway between the bottom of your rib cage and the top of your pelvis, and breathe out first.

I still think that this will give false positives in large framed people and false negatives in small framed people, however it eliminates some error by not assuming that all short people are small framed and all tall people are large framed, which is not the case.

My body is built so strange. I am 5'6", with a short upper body and tall lower body. 34" inseam, yet there is barely one inch between my hip bone and lower rib. My waist and hips are the same size (39"), my legs are long and lean, but very muscular (20" thighs, 15" calves, all muscle)
I have very strong core muscles, but you certainly cannot see them under the bubble wrap that is called my waist!
My arms are longer and I have wide shoulders. Never had a problem with muscles responding to lifting tho, even my long muscles.
The only problem I have is getting the short parts of my body to lean out.

neandermagnon

I am 5'9" and I am built like Xena. Lucy Lawless is 5'9" too, by the way. Gina Carano is 5'8".

Go here and pay attention to the heights of most hurdlers and jumpers:

http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios.aspx/

They are not short. And they are muscular looking.

I think something that happens to tall girls is that they fall for the supermodel dream, regardless of what their body type actually is. If you are tall already, the only way to deal with your insecurities if you want to occupy less space is by dieting down to a hopefully slender look. But tall girls can be naturally muscular, and they can have a relatively easy time putting muscle on (and a hard time keeping it off, making the aspiring models especially miserable).

I think that applies for large framed women of any height. If you're short, you're supposed to be built like a pixie with a tiny little frame and weigh about 100lb. If you're tall, you're supposed to be built like a supermodel, with long, slim legs and a tiny little frame and you're allowed to weigh a bit more for being taller, but not that much more.... in other words, society expects women to have a tiny frame and be slender and not take up much space, and also to be delicate, weak, etc. ... whether you're tall or short, if you have a large frame, you're not built like how many people in our culture think women should be... my reaction to it is more like: what the heck's wrong with women having a large frame and being muscular?... and for that matter, what the heck kind of culture doesn't want women to be strong (whatever their body type)? But some women deal with it by trying to diet down to be an entirely different body type, which is doomed to failure because you can't shrink your ribs, shoulders or pelvis.

I've also noticed magazines airbrush the torsos of medium-large framed celebrities in such a way that they're effectively making their shoulders, rib cage and pelvis narrower, so they look smaller framed... that's not the same as airbrushing out rolls of fat or airbrushing someone to look like they would at a smaller body fat percentage.... they're airbrushing them from one body type that's seen as undesirable to another that's seen as desirable, and totally reinforced the idea that women are not supposed to be large framed. And when women say things like "if I gain muscle I look stocky " or "if I gain muscle I look like an amazon " then that's because society made them hate their body type. Which is really sad.

bumblebums

I think that applies for large framed women of any height. If you're short, you're supposed to be built like a pixie with a tiny little frame and weigh about 100lb. If you're tall, you're supposed to be built like a supermodel, with long, slim legs and a tiny little frame and you're allowed to weigh a bit more for being taller, but not that much more.... in other words, society expects women to have a tiny frame and be slender and not take up much space, and also to be delicate, weak, etc. ... whether you're tall or short, if you have a large frame, you're not built like how many people in our culture think women should be... my reaction to it is more like: what the heck's wrong with women having a large frame and being muscular?... and for that matter, what the heck kind of culture doesn't want women to be strong (whatever their body type)? But some women deal with it by trying to diet down to be an entirely different body type, which is doomed to failure because you can't shrink your ribs, shoulders or pelvis.

I've also noticed magazines airbrush the torsos of medium-large framed celebrities in such a way that they're effectively making their shoulders, rib cage and pelvis narrower, so they look smaller framed... that's not the same as airbrushing out rolls of fat or airbrushing someone to look like they would at a smaller body fat percentage.... they're airbrushing them from one body type that's seen as undesirable to another that's seen as desirable, and totally reinforced the idea that women are not supposed to be large framed. And when women say things like "if I gain muscle I look stocky " or "if I gain muscle I look like an amazon " then that's because society made them hate their body type. Which is really sad.

I look like an amazon and I love it--always have Well, almost always. I wasn't too happy about it when I was 14, but then I wasn't too happy about anything at that age.

Accepting your body type--not just height, but also build--seems to be a pretty important prerequisite for a woman's happiness. There are things you cannot change, and why would you want to? I have Northern ancestors who needed to be big in order to deal with the harsh conditions. I don't *need* to be big now, but it helped me succeed in many sports and I don't have to ask anyone to get things from shelves.

Also, can we have a cheer for Dot Jones?

paprad

All tall people who feel their height is a disadvantage can take comfort in the sad fact that we are all going to shrink and lose height as we grow older, between 1-3". Being a shortie, that inch or so (hopefully not more if I preserve my bone health) will be a bitter loss for me.

PitBullMom_Liz

At 5'9", I LOVE being a taller woman. Like Bumble, it makes me feel like an Amazon. Now that I'm lifting heavy things regularly, I'm feeling even stronger and more Amazon-ish. I also hope that because I'm lifting and making my bones stronger, I WON'T lose too many inches of height as I age. ;-)

SkinnyMsFitness

Shorter girls have it made. When bulking... and simply in general during training look alot more muscular. Being taller.. I have to put on what feels like twice as much....
What gives?

Shorter girls esp have it made that they look fatter than taller ppl when both ppl put on the same amt of weight. AND, guys' heights have these issues too.

I'm sorry...just having some fun with ya!! lol