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When discussing the question “are taller people stronger than shorter people?” there are a number of different variables that come into play. Which is what we will be revealing as we try to unveil the truth behind this beginning of age speculation. Who is stronger?.
Simple question, seriously tough answer.
With all of the outside influences, the most important factor to understand is the bone mass of the people involved and the lives that they have lived. This is a very broad consideration, but one that could include half the population in reality.
Therefore the question “are taller people stronger,” is actually much more complicated than it seems. We will be researching the question and finding out the actual findings in this article, so feel free to follow along to get the answers that you seek.
Why Being Tall Makes You Stronger
Even Tho We Have The Same Muscles
Bone mass is necessary for lifting weights and day to day items. Without bone mass, we all crumble, short or tall we need bones. Being tall, we have longer bones which results in heavier bone mass when compared to a regular height person, or a shorter person.
But how does this make us stronger?. Longer bones have greater leverage, so lifting up something like a sports bag is much easier compared to someone with short arms for example. The person with shorter arms has less leverage in the arms, so it is harder for them to lift up the sports bag on a angle. This means that on average, a tall person will have more of a chance to be stronger than their shorter counterparts.
With extra long limbs, come extra long muscles and connective fibers.
However, each and every person has the exact same number of muscles. The majority of us have the ability to bulk out those muscles in the same manner whether you are tall or short. The only benefit that bone mass gives is more area in which the muscles can grow, and the ability to physically be bigger, allowing the accomplishment of much larger tasks.
While having the ability to be perceived as stronger, comes with its disadvantages. Exercising and using equipment to bulk out our muscles is not quite as easy when compared to a regular height person.
For example, using a recumbent exercise bike is a great way to work out the lower half of the body and a rowing machine achieves great upper half workout, neither of them are guaranteed to ‘fit’ a tall person. A tall person has to find a recumbent bike suitable to taller people or the workout becomes very cramped if at all possible. Same goes with the rowing machine, if you are tall with long legs, do your due diligence and make sure the rowing machines built for longer persons.
Is Being Stronger Always Ideal?
This bone mass can also mean that taller people are able to work on more varied equipment or get into situations where their physical strength is tested more often. This can lead to them being perceived as being stronger and will generally give a more biased outlook towards taller people. In this way, people who are taller are more likely to be perceived as stronger, putting them in situations where their strength is tested, increasing the amount of physical training that they do in their day to day life. In this way, tall people being stronger might actually be somewhat of a self fulfilling prophecy, rather than a fact of life.
Short People Have A Gravitational Advantage
When it comes to lifting, short people are actually lower to the ground, creating a lower center of gravity. This lower center of gravity allows them to lift things with more ease, allowing them to lift more with less effort. This means that a short person may actually be able to make a much more impressive show of physical strength than a tall person.
This applies in situations such as dead lifting at gyms, moving boxes, and even in certain types of martial arts fighting. However, a taller person can be more prone to lower back pain from the extra length they have to bend and many of us are hunched slightly.
However, this improved strength breaks down when you have to lift the items higher. Just like short people have an advantage when they are lifting low to the ground, tall people have an advantage when they are lifting higher. Once something is near the top of the head, it gets harder to lift. So a short person will be able to lift something to their height, but a tall person will be able to lift well above the height of the short person, making it easier for them to seem stronger, even if they are lifting smaller amounts of weight initially.
A Short Person Can Be Stronger & Fitter Than A Tall Person
Finally, the way that people live their lives is one of the most important ways to determine how strong they are. If a person lives a life that has them at the gym every day of the week or that has them lifting boxes for work, they are going to be stronger than another person, even if they are shorter. Just like the tall scrawny guy in high school, people who live less challenging lives are going to be weaker. Thankfully, those people are able to work harder to put more muscle on and to increase their overall strength.
Are You Tall And Strong, Or Is It A Stereotype?
So now you know that in order to answer the question of “are taller people stronger,” you need to know the kind of life that they have lived and you need to be able to define what you mean by strength. Depending on the situation, the answer may vary.
A tall person will seem stronger in anything having to do with high lifting and often with speed, but in a situation where force is kept low to the ground, a short person will generally be able to beat them time after time. In short, there is no real answer to the question, just situations in which one or the other possibility is true.
Regardless of your height, you shouldn’t concern yourself with whether or not someone else is stronger than you. Unless it is essential to your sport/job etc. On a day to day basis, the thing that matters most is living a healthy and fulfilling life. Having bigger muscles than the person next you will will mean nothing in 30 years from now.
The Seriously Strong People Are Tall
As irrelevant as it may be, many of the worlds strongest people competition winners are taller than average. Brian Shaw is a tall weight lifter that has won the title 4 times since 2011. He stands at 6’8″.
For a smaller stature, Darren Sadler has won the division under 105kg while measuring in at 5’8″. While by no means short, this is evidence that the harder you work out, the stronger you can become.
