How big of a roll does height play on what one can lift?

[DerickVonD]

I was wondering if height plays a major roll in muscle mass. Almost every bodybuilder and wrestler I have heard about is above average height wise. I am 5' 10' almost 5' 11" and I would like to be able to bench press 400-500lbs and squat and deadlift 600lbs.

 

[waynaferd]

Well shorter people with shorter arms and legs have more leverage, therefore can lift more than a taller person with equal muscle mass.

I would say not to aim quite so high, or not until you get above 170.

Good luck!

 

[DerickVonD]

Well shorter people with shorter arms and legs have more leverage, therefore can lift more than a taller person with equal muscle mass.

I would say not to aim quite so high, or not until you get above 170.

Good luck!

Oh, I'm not talking about lifting that anytime soon. I'm talking about eventually getting to that point.

 

[BodyWizard]

The taller you are, the greater a strain is placed on the frame by lifting heavy weights; in part, because you have to life the weight farther at each stage that the shorter guy, and in part because the increased distance from center-mass stresses joints excessively.

If you can build a musculature that can support such lifts, then all the best to you

 

[DerickVonD]

just curious, whats the most someone of my height has benched?

 

[b unit]

just curious, whats the most someone of my height has benched?

j/k

 

[DerickVonD]

I have searched google

 

[Caferacer]

Well shorter people with shorter arms and legs have more leverage, therefore can lift more than a taller person with equal muscle mass.

I would say not to aim quite so high, or not until you get above 170.

Good luck!

On top of that, tendon insertion shortens in distance from the joint as you go down in overall height. Closer insertion = less torque to produce movement.

 

[soseg]

to a certain point imo... height is an advantage before it becomes a disadvantage

apparently 5'11 / 6'0 is roughly the best height for a strongman (also considering you have an average body ie not an overly long torso/legs/limbs)...

i think of it this way... you get someone whose really short... they wont pull out as much as a guy roughly 6'0 ...just at that height theres so much muscle u can add etc to that frame as compared to the taller guy

however... you get someone whose 7 foot tall... theres no super strong guys at that height, it becomes harder... longer limbs, torques, etc... higher centre of gravity, longer distances to pull/push... tho... i just found myself in a paradox thinking about it...

if a guy 7 foot tall bulked up to a massive fkn size equivalent to a guy 6foot tall (lets say we take Mariusz Pudzianowski...)... but pretend hes 7 foot with the muscle mass to make him the same size in proportion to his height (hell id imagine hed weigh over 400lbs haha)... then with all that extra muscle on him i could only presume theyd lift more...

tho using that reasoning i suspect at those heights its in such a small percentile and just not what the regular human body is designed for (if this at all makes any sense?)... ie... youd need to be genetically gifted, short guys naturally look more bulky than taller guys except for the rarer cases... and once guys break the high 6 foot marks or 7 foot marks then theyre naturally very thin... so it becomes harder to break those boundaries, add the muscle, lift the weight etc

i dont know how to explain wtf is in my head atm haha soz

 

[b unit]

I have searched google

ok, a guy called Scott Mendleson holds the "raw" (without a bench press shirt) world record bench press of 715 pounds

He's 5'9" and weighs between 290 - 310lbs

Ryan Kennelly holds the world record bench press of 1,075 pounds using a bench shirt. He's 6'2" and is one of the taller lifters competing in bench pressing attempts. His length provides a slight disadvantage to bench pressing, due to the increased distance of the lift.

you can search on youtube for either one of these guys

 

[futurepilot]

Almost every bodybuilder and wrestler I have heard about is above average height wise.

I would actually say its the opposite. Most bodybuilders are shorter, 5'10 or less, If you look at the olympia for example. And as mentioned one of the best raw benchers ever was 5'9.

As far as strongman type events go, most of the time height helps. But pure bodybuilding, the shorter guys hold the advantage.