Height
Increases For Athletes
With more and more kids and
young adults getting involved in serious sports these days, one
of the big concerns that is often raised is how this will affect
their growth and height development. Many times, the wrong
factors are being looked at though, which is sending a negative
message about what role exercise is going to play when it comes
to height increases.
Here are the two top issues that
commonly face athletes.
Weight Training
The biggest thing that is always
mentioned with regards to height is strength training. Will
strength training stunt growth? How many times have you heard
this before? Likely quite a few. Currently there is no
scientific evidence that states that proper weight training is
going to stunt growth, in fact, it may even help height
increases.
The reason for this is because
any time you perform a weight bearing exercise, you are placing
an increased stress on the bones. This causes them to begin to
break down and remodel themselves, growing back stronger so that
next time they can rise to the challenge you place upon them. If
you are providing your body with proper nutrition, when they
grow back stronger they will often grow back slightly wider or
taller as well, thus helping to increase
height and density. Having strong bones is important because
one factor that can affect height increases is stress
fractures. If you suffer from numerous episodes of these during
your young adulthood, the damage done to the bone may be
non-repairable and it may just leave you with a world of issues
such as osteoporosis and arthritis for years to come.
Keep in mind though that this is
all assuming you are performing weight training correctly.
Put a young child on an improper program and yes, there will
likely be negative consequences. Remember that at this young
age, form is what you really want to focus on rather than sheer
strength. By getting them in the habits of developing proper
technique they will carry this through to their adult years and
be more capable of lifting greater weights at that time.
Generally by the time they are 15 or 16 they can start adding
more weight to the bar. Up until that point, try using more body
weight type of exercises to build strength and also increase
their sense of body awareness.
Nutrition
This is a commonly forgotten
factor when talking about height increases and athletes. In a
normal person, they require so much energy to function on a
daily basis. When growing, they are going to require more. This
is why children and especially teenage boys tend to show
appetites that won't stop. They need this extra energy ON TOP of
what they require just to maintain themselves to support the
growth process.
Now through an athlete into the
mix. They require the normal amount of energy to maintain their
bodies just as a regular person would, however now they also
require additional energy to meet the demands of their high
level of physical activities. That is going to make for a much
higher total calorie intake, one in which many young people have
trouble consuming.
Then this doesn't account for
additional height increases yet. If you want to promote optimal
height increases in this athlete, you will need to add even MORE
energy to their already high calorie diet. This is probably the
biggest reason why an athlete may not reach their growth
potential. Lack of energy. It is of absolute importance that the
diets of athletes are taken care of to make sure they are
meeting their needs. Sadly, many girls who are in aesthetic
sports are encouraged to diet in order to be thin, which is the
exact opposite of what they should be doing to promote maximum
height. Have a good look at the gymnasts you see on TV next time
you watch an event. Ever notice how short they all are? This is
likely one big reason why.
So if you or someone else you
know is involved in high level sports and is mentioning the
effects that this may play in their height increases, make sure
you consider these two factors. By taking care of these you will
greatly reduce the chances that you see any negative impacts of
so much physical activity on the growth process.
Grow Taller Guide
http://www.GrowTallerGuide.com
