Does Basketball Make You Taller?
(And Other Silly Fitness Questions)
by Joe DeAntonis, M.A.C.'s MAT™ Specialist

I was recently looking at some statistics and realized that the average height of an NBA player is 6’7”. Wow, I thought to myself, I should play more basketball and maybe I’ll get a little taller! I figure those guys have played a lot of basketball in their lifetime, and it made them taller, so why wouldn’t it work for me?

If these statements sound really outlandish to you, GOOD! But the problem is that these types of statements are common in our field. For decades I was told that lifting weights would stunt my growth. But none the less, I enjoyed doing it so I was persistent with my weight training. I started lifting weights at age 12, and haven’t stopped since, I’m now 35. I’m not 6’7”, but tipping the yard stick at 5’10”, I am taller than most other members on my family tree.

Don’t just take my word for it, my opinion doesn’t mean a thing. But you can look at just about every research paper from the past 10 years and come to the conclusion that weight training has little if anything to do with how tall you are. It becomes a matter of preference and ability to perform. For example, if you were to take someone who is 5’5” and have them play basketball against a guy who is 6’5” tall, chances are the 5’5” guy isn’t going to have an easy time. Likewise, the taller guy is going to have a more difficult time in the weight room due to his long levers he calls arms and legs. The shorter guy has better mechanics due to his shorter limbs. This is strictly a physics principle.

Being good at a task help us to feel good about ourselves, and in turn motivates us to stick with that activity. This is probably one of the main reasons most of the guys in the NBA are tall, and most of the people in powerlifting contests are a little shorter. Obviously there are exceptions, but the general rule still stands.

Another silly statement that has been floating around the fitness and rehab industry for several decades is that stretching will “lengthen” your muscles. I am going to go out on a limb and say that in the same manner that basketball doesn’t make you taller, stretching does not make your muscles longer. Have you ever noticed who really enjoys stretching? Typically it is the people who are already good at it. If you’re already good at something, you want to stick with it, right? Inflexible people usually dislike stretching due to the discomfort it creates in their body. These are the people that don’t do it on a regular basis. The natural conclusion then becomes, “people who stretch are more flexible”, when in reality it should have read “people who are flexible stretch more often.”

In the past several years, a lot of research has been released challenging the validity of passive stretching, but our industry has yet to pick up on this. Most therapists and trainers are still out in the field stretching their clients and hoping to see length changes. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way; I’m not saying stretching is bad, but I just want you to understand it will not make your muscles longer, at least not permanently (thank goodness!). You may see some temporary changes, but those muscles inevitably “tighten” back up. If you have tight muscles, there is probably some other underlying factor causing that tightness, and often, stretching in not the answer!

If you have been battling with tight muscles, consult with a MAC Fitness professional to see if stretching is the answer for your problem. Chances are, other modalities may be more appropriate. Likewise, if you are struggling with height issues, I know of a great basketball court in the North Hills!