Can you still grow taller after 50? The surprising changes brought about by strength training

Good evening, this is Nobaru.

I recently had a health checkup at work.

And it produced a surprising result.

Believe it or not, my height increased after turning 50.

My 40s: When my height started to shrink

Looking back 10 years, my height started to shrink little by little once I passed 40.

Every time I saw the results of my health checkup, I felt the effects of aging.

My current height is 176.8 cm, but at my lowest point, it was 174.3 cm. Compared to now, it was more than 2 cm shorter.

Changes since I started strength training

However, about five years ago, when I started strength training, my height began to return little by little.

In particular, it has grown by about 2 cm over the last 3 years.

I never thought I would grow taller after 50, so I was surprised and started thinking about the reason why.

The answer I arrived at is strength training.

I think starting an exercise called deadlifts was a major factor.

■ The effects of deadlifts

Deadlifts are an exercise where you lift a barbell from the floor with both hands.

This movement uses the muscles in your back and glutes, especially the erector spinae.

As the name suggests, the erector spinae are the muscles that straighten the spine.

I believe that as a result of strengthening these muscles through deadlifts, my back naturally straightened and my posture improved.

As you age, your back can round without you noticing, causing your height to shrink.

I was no exception, and I might have had a bit of a hunched back in my 40s.

However, by strengthening my back and core muscles through strength training, my posture improved, and as a result, my measured height increased.

■ Summary

Even at an age long past your growth phase, it seems possible to grow taller by correcting your posture through strength training.

Deadlifts, in particular, are a highly effective exercise for strengthening the back and straightening the spine.

However, since it is an exercise prone to injury, I recommend building a foundation with other training before starting.

But I am truly glad that I didn't use my age as an excuse and kept up with my strength training.

Regardless of age, the body changes. Why not start strength training yourself and see what unexpected discoveries you might make?

Thank you for reading until the end!
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