Weightlifting makes you shorter

Question

There is a big argument that weightlifting will make you shorter over time. However, bad posture and muscle imbalances while doing workouts such as squatting, is the reason for appearing shorter.

Comments

Also, it’s interesting that you mention the challenge of setting up an experiment to test this.

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Hmmm that's a good question. I think high school sports especially, encourages weight lifting for their athletes, even providing students and student athletes with weight lifting classes to educate them about different muscles you can work on and how to correctly do so. Personally, I think because of that, younger generations aren't so quick to think that weight lifting affects their height. In my opinion, I think it may be the older generations who sees the "danger" and the intimidating intensity of weight lifting. There may be a lot of sources where this myth could come from as well.

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I think it's interesting as well. I took statistics in high school and they talked a lot about how difficult it is to conduct an experiment without being biased, using mixed up samples such as using a healthy AND a sick person on the same experiment, etc.

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This statement is not true, weightlifting is for improving strength but as said may lead to injury if not done with proper form. Also the website/blog it came from is very unreliable with ads and promotions on the site. Making it harder to trust the information but when it comes to this claim it's totally not true but was interesting to read about.

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I don't agree with this statement. People all over the world participate in weight training and not once has been research with the claim being proven. With many websites and articles advising to avoid lifting pre-puberty due to injury precautions, there could be other reasons that trigger this argument.

Answer 1

No linear evidence shows that weightlifting causes human beings to be shorter. The author says "No" to the question "Does weightlifting make you shorter" Throughout the blog the author explains how poor technique could lead to bad posture which causes lifters to appear shorter.

Comments

Where did you find your information?

Answer 2

This is a complete myth, as stated at the beginning of the article. The belief stems from concerned parents or guardians wondering if weightlifting damages their children's growth plates. Yet, the only scientifically proven facts for weightlifting are beneficial, as it increases strength and bone support index (BSI,) decreases fracture risk and other major sports-related injuries, promotes interest in fitness, and grows self-esteem.

Answer 3

This claim is false and misleading. Weightlifting with proper form and caution will not result in becoming shorter according to Alejandro Perez of the University of Texas Medical Myths Blog. The reason why some people may believe this myth is because if a bone is injured via blunt trauma during weightlifting could result in appearing shorter. However the same could be said for any cause of blunt trauma to a bone, so weight lifting is not the culprit of this at all. Weightlifting instead has many benefits like strengthening bones and tendons and other mental benefits. So to put it simply no it is an exaggerated claim that weightlifting would make one shorter. Instead injuring that could happen during weight lifting has the potential to make one appear shorter. Here is a link to my source: https://sites.utexas.edu/think-twice/2022/03/09/does-weight-training-stunt-growth/

Answer 4

There are no studies that prove that weightlifting makes you shorter, but using incorrect form or too much weight can result in injuries that may affect your posture and spine. This could affect your height, which is why it’s essential to lift with proper technique to limit risks. “ Experimental training protocols with weights and resistance machines and with supervision and low instructor/participant ratios are relatively safe and do not negatively impact growth and maturation of pre- and early-pubertal youth” (NIH). 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17119361/

Answer 5

This claim is false. In the article itself it says that it's false. However not properly doing weightlifting activities can ruin you posture which leads to you getting shorter. As long as you have proper form while you workout, you should not get any shorter in height.

Comments

What's your source? Strong fact-checks always have solid sources, whether from research/academic reports or reliable news outlets.

Answer 6

There is no evidence that lifting weights makes you shorter or stunts your growth, this goes for all ages. According to Nike weightlifting actually has numerous benefits to young athletes.

https://www.nike.com/a/can-weight-lifting-stunt-growth#:~:text=%22There's%20no%20evidence%20that%20weight,may%20offer%20more%20injury%20prevention.

Answer 7

Weightlifting does not make you shorter.  According to Robert M. Malina, from Pub Med, wrote a peer-reviewed paper on whether or not weight training affects in growth, particular in youth.  His conclusions were that weightlifting does not negatively impact growth and rather depends more on posture, sleep, and diet.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17119361/

Answer 8

This article also states how weightlifting does not make you short.

 "The short answer: no. But there are some caveats to keep in mind for teens looking to begin weight training, according to Carol Mack, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., strength coach and doctor of physical therapy."

"There's no evidence that weight lifting stunts growth," she said. "In fact, resistance training can help build coordination and strength in young athletes, and there's a strong push right now for young female athletes to lift weights in the hope that it may offer more injury prevention. That being said, there should be a focus on building proper form for this population before adding weight or resistance to their movements."(nike.com)

https://www.nike.com/a/can-weight-lifting-stunt-growth#:~:text=%22There's%20no%20evidence%20that%20weight,may%20offer%20more%20injury%20prevention. 

Answer 9

This claim is proven to be false. I read an article by University Health that said weight lifting does NOT stunt growth, however, if done wrong, there is more risk for injury and bad posture. https://www.uhhospitals.org/rainbow/services/pediatric-sports-medicine/patient-resources/fact-sheets/weight-training-fact-sheet#:~:text=Strength%20training%20does%20not%20stunt,be%20discouraged%20until%20after%20puberty.

Answer 10

This claim is false. There is no evidence to support the idea that weightlifting makes you shorter or stunts kids growth. Weightlifting does have several benefits in terms of coordination and strength.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17119361/

https://www.nike.com/a/can-weight-lifting-stunt-growth