You're probably never seen workouts geared toward people taller than 5'8"—or those who don't quite graze 5'1". But your height does impact which moves are easier—or harder—for you to do, says Jennifer Burke, a certified physical trainer at Crunch gym in Los Angeles.
Generally speaking, taller people have more trouble with exercises where you have to lift your legs straight up in the air, says Burke. That's because taller people usually have a longer leg-to-rest-of-body ratio than shorter people. "Those moves are more challenging for taller people because they likely have more leg to keep in the air in relationship to the rest of their body," says Burke. "So it puts more of a strain on their muscles."
Taller people also may have more difficulty doing squats. The thinking here is that, because their legs are probably longer, they have further down to go before they hit the ideal squat position. "And when weight is traveling a further distance down, it could be harder because the distance covered is greater," says Burke.
What about the shorter folks? Their issue is more about vertical jumps. Any exercises involving big vertical jumps—like box jumps—are usually harder for them. "Ultimately, they end up doing more work than tall people on vertical jumps because they have to exert more force to travel the same distance," says Burke.
And finally, most fitness machines with adjustable moving parts—i.e., the ones where you get to choose your weight resistance—are harder for people on extreme ends of the height scale (above six feet or below five feet). That's because those machines are pretty much made for the average Joe. "Most of the machines in the gym are designed for the average person, around 5'5" or so," says Burke. "So if you're either really tall or really short, some of the moving parts may not be adjustable for your correct height," says Burke. So if you're a super-tall or super-short machine junkie, stick with ones that don't have adjustable parts—like the treadmill or an elliptical without arm handles (since those are created for a standard-sized person, too).
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