Do Shorter Guys Actually Have an Advantage In Building Muscle?

Let's be real. Short guys aren't winning in too many areas of life.

Whether it's dating, fighting, gaining respect or whatever, shorter men are at a major disadvantage most of the time.

However, in the gym when we're trying to build muscle, this is a completely different story.

You hear people saying that shorter men are lucky because they look more muscular, or that it's easier to fill out their frames.

In this post we'll take a closer look at whether short men really do have an advantage and easier time building muscle, and what this might mean for you.

First of All: Where Did This Idea Come From?

Tall guys will most likely know how the story goes.

They start out looking pretty skinny and lacking in muscle mass.

They start working out and manage to pack on a bit of muscle.

After a while they look in the mirror and realize that even though they've gotten heavier (by gaining muscle), they don't look that much bigger!

They look at their shorter friends and realize that they look more muscular and well built than they do.

Then they go on to wonder whether short guys have an advantage.

See, the thing is, most short guys actually do tend to look more muscular and built than taller guys when they first start out with their lifting career.

You can look at any group of friends that all start out lifting together and most of the time, the shorter guys are going to have bodies that look more developed. Why? We'll get into that below.

So Do Short Guys Really Build Muscle More Easily?

Well, not exactly.

The rate at which people can pack on muscle has very little to do with their height. If you have two guys, one of which is 5'6" and the other is 6'3", they would both have the same ability to pack on muscle mass.

Obviously there are other factors involved, but purely in terms of height, they can both put on muscle at the same rate.

However, the way that muscle mass looks on a person is going to vary heavily depending on your height.

It's no secret that taller guys have naturally larger frames. They've got much more space for their muscle mass to cover.

10kg or 22lb of muscle is going to look very, very different on a guy that's 5'6 compared to a guy that's 6'3. The shorter guy is going to have a much fuller looking frame when compared to the taller guy.

Let's use the arm as an example. If a taller guy has an arm that's 90cm long, and a short guy has an arm that's 60cm long, 100g of bicep muscle is going to look much more densely packed and full on the 60cm arm than it would on the 90cm arm.

The longer arm has more area to cover, and therefore the muscle is going to be stretched and spread out more, making it less noticeable.

They've got the same amount of muscle mass and are probably equally as strong as each other, but the short guy is going to have bigger and fuller looking biceps, without a doubt.

This is true for all body parts, not just the biceps. A shorter guy is going to look fuller all across the body at the beginning of their fitness journeys.

Key Takeaways: Short guys do not have an easier time building muscle then taller guys. The rate at which you can build muscle has very little to do with your height. However, being shorter does allow you to have to cover less of a frame, which helps with filling out and looking muscular at the beginning of your fitness journey. In that way, shorter guys do have a bit of an advantage.

What About Taller Guys? Do They Have an Advantage?

While shorter lifters do have an advantage in looking more filled out and developed at the beginning of their fitness journeys, taller lifters do have an advantage as well.

Due to having naturally larger frames due to their height, taller lifters have more space to put on muscle mass in the long run.

Essentially, you can think of it like having a house and fitting people inside of it (the house represents your frame, and the people inside of it represents your muscle mass).

The taller you are, the larger your house is going to be, and vice versa.

Shorter lifters will have the illusion of looking like their houses are filling up quicker due to them being smaller in size. For taller people, it will seem like they've got emptier houses.

However, in the long run, once short lifter starts to run out of space, the taller person has more space and more room in the house to fit more people. Essentially, more total capacity.

So even though the shorter guy is going to fill out his frame quicker, the taller guy naturally has a better ability to put on more muscle once both of them start to get close to reaching their full potential.

And if you're ever thinking of taking bodybuilding to an elite level, being taller definitely does help in this case. You've naturally got more room to build more muscle. Who doesn't want that?

So you can see how being shorter or taller both come with advantages.

But who has the bigger advantage you may ask?

Shorter guys essentially have a short-term advantage, whereas taller guys have a very, very long term advantage.

Well, this depends on where you're planning to go in fitness. If you're going to lift weights because you want to look a little better and just be healthier, then being shorter is probably going to benefit you more.

It takes years and years, probably even decades for people to even get close to their full potential as a natural lifter. Most people will never get close to this point, and in this case being shorter is going to be more beneficial.

However if you're planning to step on the stage as a pro bodybuilder one day, and really are committed to pushing your body to its limits, then being taller is going to benefit you in the long run.

Progress might seem slow at the beginning, but you'll be able to get more out of your body and make more gains due to your height as time goes on.

Whether you're taller or shorter, know your advantages and utilize them as much as you can!

Don't Let it Get to You

And lastly, don't let it get to you that you're being limited by your height when it comes to building muscle or any goal in fitness, whether you're tall or short.

Gains can definitely still be made no matter the side of the spectrum that you're on.

Simply accept your height, accept that you'll have your advantages and your disadvantages and work from there!

Simply stick at it, continue to work hard and you'll eventually thank yourself for all the hard work that you're doing!

Conclusion

Short guys do have a bit of an advantage when it comes to building muscle, but taller guys do have their own advantages as well.

Ultimately, don't let your height dictate your mindset when it comes to building muscle and reaching your goals in fitness!

Sure, these factors are going to have a bit of an influence on your ability to make gains, but it's not something you can change anyways. Why not simply accept it?

We hope you enjoyed reading through this post and have found it useful to you! If you did remember to share it with your friends so that we can reach more people and help more achieve their goals in fitness!

And if you would like some help with your fitness journey (whether you're tall or short!), upgrade to Gympulsive Pro for full access to our site and instant access to all of our training programs!