Is it harder for taller guys to squat?

Author: Kamille Rowe  |  Last update: Friday, June 13, 2025

"And the longer your femurs are, the harder it is to perform the back squat with high quality," he adds. Tall guys struggle to maintain balance between pushing their hips back to settle into the squat and keeping their center of mass over the midfoot.

Are squats harder for tall guys?

Taller people have longer legs, therefore must generate more torque to meet the same force a shorter person experiences. (Edit: Thighs are levers, so you can apply basic torque mechanics to them.) Not only this, but a full squat requires more work from the taller person due to the difference in max height.

Does height affect your squat?

Height can affect how deep a person can squat in good form. That is because a taller person often has longer femur bones. For this reason, there is a leverage issue in play. When they squat, there can be a tendency to end up rounding the back and not being able to keep the BB over the feet as the squat is performed.

Is lifting harder for tall guys?

Tall folks have a greater range of motion and thus have to travel a further distance, resulting in doing more work with the same amount of weight lifted as a smaller guy. More work means they will tire out faster with fewer repetitions completed.

Is it easier for shorter or taller people to squat?

In an undated article by Ross, the author concluded “For the same weight lifted, taller lifters must generate approximately 25% more torque, which explains why taller lifters tend to be relatively poorer squatters.” In other words, I can think of “torque” as related to the lever length from the hip to the knee joint.

Why Squats Suck for Tall People AND What to Do Instead

Is it harder for taller guys to build muscle?

Taller guys generally have a harder time gaining lean mass. Taller guys have a more challenging time performing traditional strength exercises through a full range of motion. Taller guys are more susceptible to joint discomfort if treated like every other lifter.

Are tall guys naturally stronger?

Taller individuals tend to have a higher body mass due to their larger frame, which can give them an advantage in strength-based tasks such as lifting heavy weights. However, this advantage can be offset if the taller individual has a higher body fat percentage, as excess fat can hinder strength and performance.

Are pull-ups harder for tall guys?

Yes, it is easier for short people to do pull-ups!

Not only that, but the work required to do a pull-up increases faster than the size of the person.

Is bench press harder for taller guys?

Benching for the Big Man. While the Barbell Bench Press might not seem like a daunting task to a taller lifter, in terms of efficiency, they are still at an extreme disadvantage compared to shorter athletes. When it comes to this exercise, a long, lanky frame is not ideal for optimal pressing.

How should tall guys squat?

The front squat fits the bill perfectly for tall/long-limbed lifters. The front squat means the weight is front loaded (duh!). The weight acts as a counterbalance. It shifts the centre of mass slightly—this is what allows the more upright body position.

Is it harder to squat if you have long legs?

Long legs plus poor ankle mobility makes squatting deep very challenging. To overcome this limitation, focus on improving ankle dorsiflexion – the ability to flex your foot upward towards your shin.

Why do powerlifters have thick waists?

If you look at powerlifters, you can see they all have big thick waists and it's all from doing heavy squatting and deadlifting.

Can the average male squat 225?

Most beginners can work up to squatting 135+ pounds with a few months of training. Intermediate lifters with a few years of experience can often squat 225+ pounds for a few reps. About 17% of advanced lifters squat 315 pounds within their first decade of lifting.

Why is squatting so difficult for me?

​If you can't squat down- Your muscles are stiff

While performing squats you have to push your hips out and squat down, while keeping your spine neutral and thighs parallel to the ground. In case you are finding it difficult to go down, then it might be because your hips muscles are not that flexible.

Is 5 pull-ups impressive?

There are no definitive guidelines, but the number of pull-ups that are generally considered strong is 12+ for men and 8+ for women. If you can do this many, you're considered an advanced athlete. However, you are still considered an above-average athlete if you can do more than 8 (for men) or more than 3 (for women).

Does pull-ups stop height growth?

The answer is there are no effective exercises to stop height growth. There is absolutely no shred of scientific evidence to prove that any exercise stops height growth.

Is it harder to be flexible if you're tall?

In reality your range of flexibility depends on a number of things, and none of them are height-related. For example, individuals with more elasticity in the structure of their joints will naturally be more bendable.

Are taller guys more masculine?

Women tend to consider taller men with broader shoulders more attractive, masculine, dominant, and higher in fighting ability, according to recent research published in Evolutionary Psychological Science.

Is 5 feet 11 short?

Statically speaking, the average adult male is between 5′10″ to 5′11″. That therefore makes them average! So if you are asking if a person feels short or average at 5′11″ to 6′, then the answer would be higher than average!

Which muscle is harder to grow?

Unfortunately, achieving 'that look' only comes with hard work. There are no shortcuts. Well, there are, but we don't talk about that nor do we endorse it. Anyway, the chest – which predominantly consists of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor – is a notoriously difficult muscle to build.

Are taller men more successful?

It has long been recognized that taller adults hold jobs of higher status and, on average, earn more than other workers. Empirical research on height and success in the U.S. labor market dates back at least a century.

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