25/01/2006

New Zealand Fitness Magazine

By Dr Igor Borisov

Did you know that people on Earth have an average height of 165cm for men and 154cm for women? Generally, this is a loose concept, as we usually say that someone is of tall, average or short stature.

But as whole, the height of adults is normally in the range of 155cm to 190cm. Such fluctuations depend on heredity, nutrition, climate, place of residence (town or village), state of health, physical surroundings, social environment, and so on.

However, why is it that some people grow quickly, others grow slowly and some do not grow at all? The reason is that increases in height depend on the level of appropriate hormones within the body promoting the growth of all body-parameters and primarily, increases in skeletal height.

To ensure adequate growth of bone tissue it is necessary to maintain a certain level of several hormones, including somatotropic hormone (the main growth hormone), thyroxine, testosterone and androgen in the blood. In fact, growth of the human skeleton ceases between the ages of 17 and 19 years, but sometimes as late as 20 to 22 years of age. However, what should children, teenagers and young people of average height do if they want to be taller? A desire for a strong, sporty appearance is certainly alluring to the younger generation. But how can this goal be achieved?

It has been found that sport and fitness stimulate hormonal action in the human body. That is, 1.5 to two hours of average intensity physical exercise can increase the level of growth hormone in the blood by almost three times the normal level. This hormonal action does not cease even during sleep. Is it any wonder then that children and young people who play sport grow faster?

The most effective methods include stretching exercises, which one may perform sitting, standing, lying or hanging on a horizontal bar and / or ladder bars, and using firm rubber straps. Various high jumps and swimming activity are also effective.

It is well known that height can change during a day. In the morning a person is taller than in the evening by 1cm to 3cm. This is related to the length of the spine because the spine has some physiological bends. The difference between its length and height can be very significant. Therefore, a young man could increase his own height by 3cm to 5cm in 45 to 60 minutes. How?

It is easy with the assistance of massage, thermal procedures (eg sauna) and physical exercises. These activities relax the muscles controlling the physiological bends as well as toning and stretching them. However, the increase in spine height is temporary lasting just a few minutes.

In order to attain more stable results it is necessary to regularly perform the following physical exercises:

• Light running (as a warm-up) for five to six minutes.

• Stretching and relaxing exercises for 20 minutes including inclines, swings, bridges, semi-splits and splits.

• Hanging from a horizontal bar or from ladder bars, firstly without, and then with 5kg to 10kg weights tied to the legs (one or two repetitions respectively for 15 to 20 seconds each).

• Hanging from a horizontal bar upside-down without and with the same weight (one or two repetitions respectively for 10 - 15 seconds each). To prevent an accident, a supporting partner should be in attendance.

• Vertical jumps of approximately 60 repetitions, divided into six sets of 10 repetitions. The aim is to touch the basketball hoop or backboard, or any other objects and perform two sets of jumps with both feet. The pause between jumps in each repetition should be six to 10 seconds. After a rest of four to five minutes complete another two sets on one foot. Every jump should be performed with maximum effort. Also, one should aim to gradually increase the number of repetitions during subsequent jumps in each set, and increase the number of sets as well. It should be noted that jumping is the most effective stimulator of active zones, responsible for the growth of bones.

• Basketball training (two times a week) with emphasis on jumping in the defense zone.

• Swimming (two to three times a week) with emphasis on stretching hands and legs whilst performing breast-stroke.

This programme can help many young people. For example, one teenager, Rustam Akhmetov, from Ukraine increased his height from 164cm up to 187cm. He trained as a high jumper and stopped growing at 14. Despite everything he could not add even one centimeter to his height during this time. Finally, he became not only taller, but also a very good jumper reaching his personal record of 224cm. Of course, this is a humble achievement compared to the striking results obtained today.

Along-side this physical training should also be psychological training and good nutrition as these are also important components for height extension. Furthermore, weight training is undesirable for anyone who is trying to increase his or her height. Otherwise, any sporting activity that is performed three to four times a week can help improve the height of a person. But, special exercises (one to two sessions a day for 15 to 20 minutes each) are not an obstacle for increasing human height.

It is well known that the height of adults depends on their heredity. Parents can predict the height of their child immediately after his / her birth to within a few centimeters. Predictions are more likely if both parents are nearly equal in height themselves. One may use the following formulae:

Predicting height:

Hb = [(Hm + 12cm) + Hf] divided by 2

Hg = [(Hf 12cm) + Hm] divided by 2

Hb = height of boys, in cm

Hg = height of girls, in cm

Hm = height of mother, in cm

Hf = height of father, in cm

Generally speaking, attempting to increase your height should not be an individual decision. Parents, coaches, PE teachers and family doctors should all be jointly involved in developing solutions when young people want to increase their height.

From NZ Fitness Magazine December/January 06 issue.