Do Squats Make You Shorter?

Squats are the king of exercise because of their effectiveness in weight loss and muscle buildup. Plus, they don’t call for any complicated postures.

However, some myths about squats discourage people from trying them. Height restriction is among the most common opinions about squat’s side effects.

So do squats make you shorter? Before sticking to a consistent schedule, let’s see how these exercises work for you!

Do Squats Make You Shorter?

No. The spine does temporarily shrink as a result of squats. The shrinking is similar to regular daily activities, but your spine returns to normal then.

While squatting, you work on your muscles and spine. These tissues compress, shortening your height.

Yet, some simple activities and solutions will relax your muscles, giving them time to recover.

Myths and truths

People have evidence to assume that squats make them (feel) shorter. Let’s discover myths and truths about this belief.

• Myths

In Japan in the 1960s, scientists found that young children who frequently performed intense labor had short physiques. They thought that lifting large weights was to blame for the phenomenon.

Growth plates are tiny, cartilage-filled disks. The bone may become twisted or shorter due to the damage to this zone.

It makes sense if we repeatedly bear a heavy burden that drags us down and against which we must fight to stand up straight and raise it. The intense pressure will compress spinal discs.

The most amount of height you may lose while performing this type of exercise is about 3 to 4 mm. We are afraid of losing even a few millimeters.

• Truths

So do squats stunt growth? In fact, this effect is common, but it doesn’t last forever. Your spinal discs are flexible and soon return to their original shape after the compression.

Relax, lie down, or even take a short nap. You’ll regain your normal height, then. So, there is no need for concern about squats making you shorter.

Some exceptions

There are always exceptions to the rule. Although squats don’t affect your height in general, there will be cases where you may get shorter after practicing these exercises.

• Spine disorders

Your spine may curve more due to the pressure of handling big loads if you have curvature disorders, such as lordosis and kyphosis, and weak hamstring and abdominal muscles. It’s how you get shorter.

Some exercises that squeeze your spine are squats, clean and jerk, and overhead presses. You need to balance your workout sessions to avoid this problem.

• Olympic lifters

Olympic lifters undergo tremendous physical strain and put in a lot of time pushing thousands of pounds every week.

Years of very intensive squatting may cause a person to get shorter. Also, this change, though, will be minor.

After ten years of rigorous training, athletes still potentially lose about two centimeters in their height.

Benefits Of Squats

Even when squats affect your height in some ways, the short-term effect won’t bother you much.

You may still want to stick to these exercises once you read all of their benefits to your physical and mental health.

Muscle mass

Squats are beneficial for building muscle. Perform these workouts at least twice a week, which will help your muscles become more resilient.

Weight loss

If you train for strength, you’ve probably felt the after-burn impact, or we often call it EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption).

Your body requires more oxygen to recover after a workout. Even when resting, your body consumes more calories throughout EPOC than normal.

After exercising, this impact can persist for approximately 21 hours. That increased energy expenditure builds up over time, improving your ability to lose fat mass.

Body transformation

You can strengthen your heart and drop some pounds if you just do cardio exercises, but your physique won’t visibly change much.

However, if you include strength training, like squats, in your program, your body can improve for the better since it will become healthier and stronger. There will be more chances to shape your muscles perfectly.

Mental health

Strength workout at a high level minimizes the signs and symptoms of depression.

You will enjoy many more advantages for your mental and physical health if you combine high-intensity strength and moderate-intensity cardio exercises.

Improve Balance

Exercise effectiveness, particularly when it comes to pilates and yoga, depends heavily on balance. Strength training will uphold your stability in this case and be of great help.

Many strength exercises involve balance and movement and engage both your larger and smaller muscle groups. Your body develops stronger and much more stable in this manner.

Heart and bone health

Strength workouts on a regular basis increase bone density. They have an impressive impact.

Squats can maintain bone strength when you age and while you’re young. Moreover, they encourage heart health and lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Lower chances of injuries

Most, but not all, some injuries while working out and moving are related to weaknesses and imbalances.

Luckily, the squats enhance hip and knee stability, addressing many problems brought on by imbalances.

Squats can be an excellent tool for measuring deficits we have when lifting, in addition to fixing asymmetries and weaknesses.

Which Types Of Squats Increase Height?

Some people avoid squats because of the myth that they shorten your height. But these exercises can increase your height instead.

The following these types of squats will be the best solutions.

Jump squats

This jumping workout promotes the fitness of your lower body’s muscles and joints, benefiting your height. Please follow these steps to make it work:

• Start in your normal standing posture.
• Kneel while bringing your hips down and back.
• Bend forward and extend your arms overhead.
• As you leap off the ground, bring your arms down and your hips back.
• Ensure that your body is straight and upright when you are jumping.

Side deep squats

The exercise is highly effective because it combines the benefits of basic and jump squats methods:

• Start with the basic squat position.
• Raise your torso to one side while raising your hands and bending your knees.
• Raise your body on the opposite side while bending your knees.
• When you push yourself, your body must be straight.

Besides, squatting in the correct posture is essential. This video will show you how to do it perfectly:

How To Reverse And Prevent Spinal Shrinkage While Doing Squats?

Although spinal constriction and shrinking are not significant concerns, you are curious to know that you can limit their impact and reverse their effects.

Hang From A Bar

By hanging from a bar for a few minutes, you can relieve your spine of pressure.

The weight imposed on your lower body can gently pull your vertebrae apart. Then, your intervertebral disks have more space to expand.

This tactic’s impact is minimal because your grip may give out before you can hang on for too long.

Inversion therapy

Anti-gravity inversion or an inversion table can support your ankles. Since they work as passive activities, you can engage in them for longer while achieving the desired effect.

Many people like to use inversion as an effective method to relieve their back pain due to damaged or compressed disks.

Lay down

Your spine is free of all tension if you lie down on your comfortable bed. The faster the disks relax, the sooner you should recover your spine.

It’s worth noting that you are up to one inch taller in the morning than at night.

Your intervertebral disks properly unload as you sleep and then expand as required.

The load on your head and upper torso will then gradually squeeze your disks throughout the day.

Too heavy squats only exacerbate the problem by putting more pressure on your disks.

Conclusion

Squats won’t make you a few millimeters shorter, depending on your body condition and how hard you push yourself.

However, if you are not an Olympic lifter with no spine disorder, the shrinkage in height will be temporary.

Hopefully, you will find this article helpful. Do not forget to plan your workout sessions properly and stick to them.