Height and Muscle Gain

[Shogun1204]

Does your height play much of a role in how much mass you can pack on? I notice a lot of guys here are in the 5'10" range for hieght...I am 6'3"...will it basically mean looking bigger will take longer then a guy shorter then me?

[dantelis]

Depends on your body type.  If you are a tall, thin built ectomorph, it will definitely take you longer to build muscles than a tall, mesomorph.  (See http://bodybuildingpro.com/bodytypeinformation.html for definitions of ecto-, endo- and meso- morphs).  Steve Reeves and Arnold were tall mesomorphs (at 6' 1" and 6'2" respectively) and did okay, but they are exceptions (plus Arnold used steroids, helping him along the way). 

Another disadvantage is that with longer muscles/bones, you will have a longer lifting range and probably can't lift as much as a shorter bodybuilder.  Notice how shorter guys can do more bench presses/pushups/pullups/etc.?  They have a shorter range of motion and usually shorter muscles so can do more work at a shorter range. 

[Carmello]

I beg to differ. I am 6'2'' myself, and don't look anything spectacular at all. I'm a super ectomorph, but I do gain strength like crazy. I've won bets based on people thinking I can't lift a certain weight. Someone at my old job once thought I never even benched before, and I told him I could do 225lbs for 10 reps, and he quickly bet me 50 bucks, and lost. I shoulda told him I bench 275lbs for reps, and uped the money.

Enough about that, what I'm trying to say is for some reason, even though my range of motion is almost double that of normal lifters, and I don't even look like I lift, I'm as strong as the huge short guys in my gym, but still slim as hell. I'm 6'2'' at 195lbs, picture that! Funny thing, for about 2 years, when I'm doing my max set, I see big guys look at me like, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY ON!?" LOL! It sucks being tall for this reason, but alot of people have told me they'd trade their muscle for some height. It's not all it's cracked up to be.

[MidniteRambo]

Speaking as someone who is 6'3, I believe it is easier for a man smaller in height to pack on muscle.  Case in point, here are the heights of the top ten Olympia finishers.  Note that only two contestants are over 6 feet tall and placed 7th and 10th.

Contestant       Inches   
1. J. Cutler          69         
2. R. Coleman       71         
3. V. Martinez       69       
4. D. Jackson        66         
5. M. Anthony       68         
6. G. Badell           68         
7. T. Freeman        74       
8. M. Ruhl             70         
9. D. James           68         
10. G. Schlerkamp   74       

[dantelis]

I beg to differ. I am 6'2'' myself, and don't look anything spectacular at all. I'm a super ectomorph, but I do gain strength like crazy. I've won bets based on people thinking I can't lift a certain weight. Someone at my old job once thought I never even benched before, and I told him I could do 225lbs for 10 reps, and he quickly bet me 50 bucks, and lost. I shoulda told him I bench 275lbs for reps, and uped the money.

Enough about that, what I'm trying to say is for some reason, even though my range of motion is almost double that of normal lifters, and I don't even look like I lift, I'm as strong as the huge short guys in my gym, but still slim as hell. I'm 6'2'' at 195lbs, picture that! Funny thing, for about 2 years, when I'm doing my max set, I see big guys look at me like, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY ON!?" LOL! It sucks being tall for this reason, but alot of people have told me they'd trade their muscle for some height. It's not all it's cracked up to be.

Shogun asked about packing on mass, so you actually back up what I am saying.  As a "super ectomorph," you have problems packing on any muscle (based on your self-description: "I don't even look like I lift").  You are definitely the exception in the strength area for a tall guy, ectomorph.

[Ursus]

i am a little over 6'3. yes it takes longer but more ppl would rather be tall and big than short. im well happy with my genetics

[Carmello]

Yeah. This has been goin on for years now. If I add more protein to my diet, I tend to get fatter, and not muscular. Once, I did a cycle of Masterdrol, from Legalgear, and gained 15 lean pounds from it. I was lookin good for a while after, and since my pct product was Attitude, I think it helped in me keeping about 8lbs of the weight since. But I don't wanna rely on synthetic products to get me bigger, and I don't wanna get fat. What can I do?

[blondmusclhunk]

Carmello protein will not make you fat unless your body is not using it.  If your working out hard you definatly need the extra protein in your body. Make sure if you take a protein drink it is protein and not a weight gainer those have tons of sugar and carbs in it.  Stick to a plain whey protein that is low in carbs.

As for the height question I am six foot 243 and I do notice I am a lot less strong than some of the shorter guys but when it comes to the size if you pack on that muscle a taller guy that is dense will look better on stage.  Proportion seems to be easier for taller guys than shorter guys.   But shorter guys do have the better position to add size faster it seems.

[kh300]

same topic from bb.com
chick gives a good answer.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=977520

[Carmello]

Carmello protein will not make you fat unless your body is not using it.  If your working out hard you definatly need the extra protein in your body. Make sure if you take a protein drink it is protein and not a weight gainer those have tons of sugar and carbs in it.  Stick to a plain whey protein that is low in carbs.

As for the height question I am six foot 243 and I do notice I am a lot less strong than some of the shorter guys but when it comes to the size if you pack on that muscle a taller guy that is dense will look better on stage.  Proportion seems to be easier for taller guys than shorter guys.   But shorter guys do have the better position to add size faster it seems.

No, the powder isn't the problem. I use Syntha-6 and I love it. It's when I add a meal, or more meat to a meal. I like to go with no more than 45g of protein per meal. I have 4-5 meals a day, and 1 or 2 shakes depending on my work schedule for that day. Don't know what to do.

[blondmusclhunk]

As long as your getting a little more than you weight in protein grams per day you should be fine if your working out heavy and hard.  Just watch the carbs especially breads and pastas. stick to whole grain products and brown rice. No sugar

[brianX]

It is not "harder" for a tall man to build muscle. Ronnie and Gunter are the biggest men in the world, and they're both around 6'0".

[candidate2025]

im pretty sure its an impossibilty to get fat from clean proteins.  when you consume more than you need/can use you just shit it out.

if im wron on this one please explain to me.

[MidniteRambo]

im pretty sure its an impossibilty to get fat from clean proteins.  when you consume more than you need/can use you just shit it out.

if im wron on this one please explain to me.

Each gram of protein is equivalent to roughly four calories.  A chronic caloric suprlus (i.e., consuming more than your resting metabolic rate plus additional activity) is converted by the body into into adipose tissue.  This assumes the absence of substances which alter the body's normal physiology (e.g., anabolic steroids).

In layman's terms, if you are a "protein pig" you can get fat.

 

[blondmusclhunk]

Yes if you consume more protein than your body needs then you will get fat.  If you dont hardly go to the gym and don't work out intensly and your eating a lot of calories and bad calories and dumping down protein shakes in the hope of magically building muscle you will get fat.   However if you are hitting the gym hard and intense you will definatly use it up