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18 Best Exercises To Increase Your Height

Growing tall after the normal age of 18 is close to impossible. However, it does not mean that it is impossible! Your height and the process of growing taller is influenced by several factors such as environment, hormones, genes, and nutrition. But, it doesn't state that there is no means that will help you grow taller.

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Exercise is the first and foremost step that aids you in gaining some extra height. To increase your height you need to stretch your spine, neck and leg muscles and that can be easily achieved by simple stretching exercises [1] .

Here are some of the most effective exercises that will help you increase your height[2] .

Exercises For Increasing Your Height

1. Hanging

Using your hands as a support, hang your body down. This helps in stretching out your muscles, thereby promoting towards increasing your height [2] .

How to

  • Hang on to a bar using your hands.
  • Keep your arms and spine straight.
  • Remain in the position for 30 seconds.
  • Repeat the same at least three times daily.

2. Jogging

One of the most important exercises for increasing your height, jogging help in making your legs longer. It is best effective when done immediately after hitting puberty, but can be carried out at any point in your life [3] .

3. Skipping

Both fun and beneficial, skipping helps in increasing your height because it involves jumping. Jumping while skipping a rope strengthens your legs and makes them longer; ultimately helping you become tall [2] .

Note: While jumping and skipping, make sure your both legs leaves and lands on the surface at the same time.

4. Vertical bends

Practising this exercise help in making the muscles in your calf area to expand. Vertical bounds, as the name suggests, expand the muscles in a vertical direction - thereby making you taller.

How to

  • Stand up and keep your legs slightly apart from each other.
  • Bend down and try to touch the floor.
  • Do not bend your knees.
  • Repeat it for 7-8 times.
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5. Toe lifts

This exercise is very easy to be done. When you apply force on your toes and reach up, the muscles in your hands, as well as your legs, get elongated [4] .

How to

  • Stand on your toes with your back straight.
  • Stretch the muscles in your legs while reaching up.
  • Simultaneously, place your hands high up trying to reach towards the ceiling.
  • Repeat it according to your desire.

6. Legs up

One of the easiest ways to increase your height is by raising your legs. When doing the legs up exercise, your legs go through a strenuous process of stretching - causing the increase in height.

How to

  • Lie down with your face and palms down.
  • Place your palms onto the sides of your chest.
  • Raise both your legs as high as possible, while keeping your feet straight and together.
  • Support your back with your hands, if required.
  • Repeat the same for about 10 minutes with each repetition lasting for 60 seconds.

7. Alternate leg kick

Developed from "Tae Kwon Do", a Korean martial art form, alternate leg kick help extend the muscles on your legs [2] .

How to

  • Stand straight on a mat.
  • Stretch your body to the maximum while extending your right leg up.
  • Keep your hands close to your chest and keep your fists tight.
  • Start kicking the sky for about 30 seconds and repeat this process with your left leg.

8. Jump squats

Doing this exercise help condition your muscles and joints of the lower body, which in turn, help improve your height[5] .

How to

  • Start with a normal standing position.
  • Lower yourself into a squat by lowering your hips back and down, while bending your knees.
  • Force yourself up with your legs as you come up out of the squat while jumping.
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9. Mermaid stretch

This exercise involves stretching your intercostal (several groups of muscles that run between the ribs) and shoulder muscles. The posture requires you to keep your body straight and involves your shoulder, where the stretching of the muscles help make you taller.

How to

  • Sit down with your knees bent underneath on the left side.
  • Hold on to your ankles with your left hand.
  • Raise your right arm, extend and reach over your head.
  • Feel a good stretch along the right side of your torso.
  • Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
  • Repeat on the other side as well.

10. Side planks

This exercise helps in stretching out your leg muscles, like most another exercise that are effective for increasing your height. It also helps make your legs stronger and thinner [2] .

How to

  • Lie down with your side, keeping your shoulders straight below your neck.
  • Stretch out your legs and place your left hand on your left hip.
  • Support your abs while raising your waist off the ground and reach to the level of your right hand.
  • Make your body diagonal to the floor.
  • Stay in the position for 30 seconds.
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Exercises For Your Upper Body

11. Pelvic shift

This exercise help increases the curvature of your lower spine and upper back, thereby resulting in increasing your height [2] .

How to

  • Lie on a mat with your shoulders flat on the floor.
  • Keep your arms stretched out on the sides with your palms facing down.
  • Bend your knees and draw your feet close to the buttocks.
  • Arch your back, so that the pelvis is lifted.
  • Tuck the buttocks and let the legs and shoulders support your weight.
  • Hold the position for at least 30 seconds and repeat.

12. Side stretch

Standing and stretching in this position help your muscles grow and elongate. Side stretch stretches and strengthens the intercostal muscles. This exercise aid in stretching your muscles from the back to your shoulders [6] .

How to

  • Stand straight and keep your feet together.
  • Clasp your hands together, stretching over your head.
  • Bend your upper body to the right.
  • Hold the stretch for 20 seconds and get back to the starting position.
  • Repeat the stretch two times and switch sides.
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13. Low lunge arch

This exercise requires you to bow your back and upper body, which is the most direct means to increase your height. Stretching out the upper body is rather difficult, but doing low lunge arches can help in moving the muscles.

How to

  • Lock your palms with your fingers.
  • Stretch your arms to the front of your right leg.
  • Bend your right leg and stretch out your left leg.
  • Stretch as far as you can and stay in the pose for 30 seconds.
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14.Forward spine stretch

By focusing on your back, hamstrings, and abdominals, the forward spine stretch help stretches out and thereby elongate these parts of your body, helping you grow taller [2] .

How to

  • Sit up tall and keep your legs straight.
  • Spread your legs a little and sit up as tall as you can from the base of your spine.
  • Stretch your arms and reach through your heels, engaging your leg muscles.
  • Pose in such a way that your back forms a C, focusing on your lower belly.

15. Glutes and hip bridge

Doing this exercise helps in improving your flexibility as well as increasing your height. By stretching the hip flexors, your lower back gets elongated, along with the back of your thighs.

How to

  • Lie on your back and extend your hands down to grab your ankles.
  • Lift your knees and hips parallel to the floor.
  • Finish by lifting your torso from your hips, stretching your back.

16. Land swimming

Also called dryland training, land swimming is carried out with the aim of increasing your height and improving the flexibility of body muscles.

How to

  • Lay down on a flat surface and the lift your legs up, one by one.
  • Stretch your hands out to the front and imitate your position to that of swimming.
  • Do it for 10-15 minutes.

17. Side bends

This exercise is focused on stretching your waist muscles. Along with that, it helps strengthen your side abs wall, tightens the core and improves your posture; all contributing towards increasing your height [2] .

How to

  • Stand vertically with your feet flat on the floor.
  • Bend your body sideways and stretch as far as you can.
  • Hold the position for 30 seconds.
  • Repeat it with the other side of the body.
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Exercise For Your Lower Body

18. Single lep hopping

A combination of fun and exercise, single leg hopping is centralised on improving the strength of your lower body, thereby help increase your height [7] .

How to

  • Position your hands straight up pointing towards the ceiling.
  • Hop on your left leg ten times.
  • Hop on your right leg ten times.
  • Repeat.
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View Article References
  1. [1] To, H. T. S. G. H. (2016). How to Stimulate Growth Hormone To Grow Taller Naturally. Star.
  2. [2] Decathalaon. (n.d.). 30 BEST EXERCISES TO INCREASE HEIGHT [Blog post]. Retrieved from, https://sportsadvice.decathlon.in/advice-alias/30-best-exercises-increase-height-tp_14731
  3. [3] Hermanussen, M., & Scheffler, C. (2019). Body height as a social signal. Papers on Anthropology, 28(1), 47-60.
  4. [4] Milgrom, C., Finestone, A., Levi, Y., Simkin, A., Ekenman, I., Mendelson, S., ... & Burr, D. (2000). Do high impact exercises produce higher tibial strains than running?. British journal of sports medicine, 34(3), 195-199.
  5. [5] Carvalho, A., Mourão, P., & Abade, E. (2014). Effects of strength training combined with specific plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump height and lower limb strength development in elite male handball players: a case study. Journal of human kinetics, 41(1), 125-132.
  6. [6] Bobbert, M. F., & Van, A. S. (1994). Effects of muscle strengthening on vertical jump height: a simulation study. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 26(8), 1012-1020.
  7. [7] González-Ravé, J. M., Machado, L., Navarro-Valdivielso, F., & Vilas-Boas, J. P. (2009). Acute effects of heavy-load exercises, stretching exercises, and heavy-load plus stretching exercises on squat jump and countermovement jump performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(2), 472-479.

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