HOW TO HAVE LONGER LEGS – EXERCISES TO MAKE LEGS LONGER

Experimental data demonstrates that when external loading or stress is applied to limbs or legs, they can grow longer and bone mineral density also increases. [1]

Studies also demonstrate that the development of human skeletal bones can be influenced by the external environment like physical activity or cultural traditions and customs.

An example of the traditions or customs that can influence the way bones grow and develop is the custom of tightly enfolding or binding young girls’ feet in order to impede normal growth which used to be practiced by the Chinese.

While this led to permanent deformation and crippling of foot bones , the girl’s feet became exceptionally small which according to the Chinese, contributed to her beauty.

This according to their parents increased their chances of attracting wealthy men thus saving them from a life of drudgery.

The reason why bone development can be influenced by such environmental forces is that human bones are physiologically plastic in nature.

During our day to day activities, when an external force is applied on bones, bones can be elastically pulled in the direction of the force and when the external force is removed, the bone recovers to its normal position.

The range in which the bone can be pulled and return to the original position without fracturing is the plastic range of bone. [2]

A study that was conducted to investigate the impact of environmental stresses (exercises) on bone growth, also strongly linked exercising to bone hypertrophy (Increase in bone growth.)

The study included professional male tennis players who were 27 years old on average and professional female tennis players who were 24 years on average.

The numerus bone was thicker and slightly longer in the dominant racket hand compared to the non playing hand among all the tennis players.

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This article will demonstrate how to get longer legs naturally especially if you are still growing (during puberty) whether you are male or female by performing leg lengthening and stretching exercises.

The Best Leg Lengthening exercises that could make your legs long .

1. Sprinting, Jogging and Walking .

Sprinting, jogging and walking can contribute to bone length in two ways; first, sprinting triggers the release of growth hormone by the body.

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If your growth plates are not yet closed, growth hormones contribute to the proliferation of chondrocytes (growth plate cells) thus, accelerating the rate at which new bone is manufactured leading to longitudinal bone growth. [3]

On the other hand, growth hormone directly promotes the growth of skeletal bones.

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Secondly, the entire body weight rests on our leg bones.

If sprinting, jogging and walking are done regularly, it leads to an increase in bone mineral density since the bones will have to adapt to accommodate the stress applied on the leg bones when performing these exercises.

Animal studies demonstrate that bone has great physical and mechanical properties after periods of increased stress.

A 12 month study that aimed to assess bone mass and turnover among track and field sprinters, jumpers, hurdlers and other power athletes established that such athletes had higher regional bone mineral density at lower limb, lumbar spine, and upper limb sites.

The responsiveness of bone to mechanical loading depends upon it’s proximity and the mode of exercise.

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However, according to studies, Walking alone doesn’t appear to improve bone mass, rather it limits progressive bone loss.

And It’s been reported that running long-distances not only temporarily curtails bone formation but also accelerates bone wasting.

Hence, it’s better to jog for short periods if your intention is to increase bone mineral density.

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Running is definitely one exercise you can’t miss out if you wonder how you can make your legs longer.

2. Kicking

when researchers from Indiana University set out to establish if contributions to bone growth due to exercises during youth continue as person grows, over 100 professional baseball players were examined.

Their throwing arms are subjected to high impact forces while their non-throwing arms aren’t.

Once they stop playing professionally, the players normally stop engaging in regular throwing which permitted the researchers to investigate the impact of exercises on bones long after they stop being physically active.

The humerus, – which is the shoulder to elbow bone was the focus of attention.

Quantitative CT scans and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were utilized to measure bone mineral density and size.

Due to continuous pitching, the scientists established that the high impact forces applied to humeral bones caused the bones in throwing arms to almost double in strength.

The external region of the humerus (cortical bone) for the pitching hand was thicker in contrast to the non-pitching hand humeral bones.

The bones in throwing arms had about 50% greater mass, size (total cross-sectional area) and thickness.

Since bones change in size due to physical strain, 1,000 micro strains is equivalent to a 0.01 % change in length of the bone from its original length.

Thus, the bones become slightly longer due to the physical strain.

High impact exercises result to bone strains of up to 1,000 micro-strains in humans. [4]

Doing many kicks regularly is believed to increase the thickness and length in the legs.

Side kick in air not so high and so low, about shoulder height and repeat as many times every day.

The only challenge with this technique is it takes much longer to notice results unless you are a kick boxer and kicking is part of your daily training sessions.

3. Swimming

Research conducted on rats to examine the impact of swimming on bone growth and development established that swimming can increase bone length, bone volume and weight in rats.

This was after rats were trained to swim at least 5 days a week for approximately 5 months.[5]

Another study that aimed to determine the the effect of swimming on bone metabolism during adolescence also found that swimming may lead to increased bone mineral content among boys aged between 10 to 17 years.

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The very best stroke which will help you to make legs longer will be the breast stroke.

The kicking action stretches your legs out while at the same time, you stretch out your torso as you float on water.

4. Cycling with elevated saddle.

This is one exercise that I used to grow approximately 2.5 inches in my shin bones over 3 years.

If you don’t have a stationary bike, owning one will be the obvious thing to do for the best and quick results.

Otherwise, you may get an O utdoor bike » » and make it stationed with the aid of a bike stand.

First, it will save you the recurring gym costs and second it will ease your work out program since having a stationary bike [ https://amzn.to/3vFCJX8 ] at home allows you to conveniently cycle any time and day you feel like without worrying about trips to the gym.

If you wonder how to get long legs, its one exercise I highly recommend.

Elevate your seat by a few millimeters from the level you cycle comfortably and when you get comfortable or used to the new height, raise again by a few millimeters.

Your leg muscles will have to adapt to function in a stretched position and in the process they will grow longer.

For more about it, read leg lengthening with cycling.

5. Jumping and Skipping Rope.

Like earlier mentioned, the weight bearing load of exercises causes bone growth.

However, the magnitude of strain on leg bones is relatively higher when you jump (depending on how high you jump) compared to running or swimming.

When research was conducted to investigate the impact of jump training on bone growth, among both young and old rats, it was established that jumping increases both the length and width of both the femur and shin or tibia bones in both young and old rats.

This was after the rats jumped 100 times for 5 days every week for 2 months [6]

No wonder many basket ball players experience humongous growth spurts later in life even in their twenties.

Attempt to do this exercise by jumping with both legs at the same time, and land on the bottom of your feet parallel to the ground.

The more often you perform this exercise and the more the number of times you skip, the more likely you will succeed with making your legs longer.

6. Inversion Table/Hanging

To perform this exercise, you must have an inversion therapy table.

If you don’t have an inversion table you can substitute it by fastening your ankles on a hanging strap and then hang upside down.

Use the inversion table after creating micro fractures in your shin bones. More on micro fractures later.

The idea here is to stretch the micro fractures created in the shin bones and the knee cartilage.

This workout also has a great added advantage.

Besides increasing your height for the lower body, this exercise also elongates the spine as you hang upside down with gravity force.

The longer you hang, the greater will be the results.

In fact, Inversion is considered as the ultimate Stretching exercise for increasing height naturally.

Perform the Workout at least 3 times in a week to make legs longer. Other wise, doing it every day is ideal.

7. Using Ankle Weights

In an experiment to investigate if loading knees with weights contributes to bone length of the loaded hind limbs, loads were applied to the left hind limbs of the mice knee.

Knee loading increased the length of both the femur and tibia bones by 2.3 and 3.7% respectively.

Adjustable Ankle Weights [ https://amzn.to/2Skv42R ] will lengthen the legs through stretching and lengthening the cartilage between your knees.

They may also lengthen the shin bones if used after creating micro-fractures with jogging or sprinting.

The ankle weights can elongate the fractures which leads to bone lengthening as the micro fractures heal.

What are micro fractures or stress fractures ? You may ask..

According to Merriam- Webster medical dictionary, a microfracture is a small or minute fracture in a material (such as bone).

Bones have an inherent ability to repair damage.

However, if this damage accumulates at such a rate that the capacity for bone repair is exceeded, stress or micro fractures result.

$micro fractures than can make legs longer$

These fractures occur commonly in athletes and soldiers engaged in high intensity, repetitive activities such as marching or running.

On the other hand, if damage accumulates at ‘normal’ rates but the bone’s repair mechanism is deficient, fragility fractures result.

A fragility Fracture is any fracture resulting from a fall from a standing height or less.

Our bodies normally sustain a fall from this height without a fracture unless there is an underlying cause that makes the bones fragile.

Scientific research demonstrates that micro fractures result when external stress is repetitively applied on bones especially during military training and among athletes.

The pain in the lower extremities or shin bones during marching was first described in Soldiers over 120 years ago.

Thus, using the ankle weights technique after creating micro fractures can be an option if you wonder how to grow your shin.

Caveat ;

The numbness in your feet may prevent you from sticking them on for long hence, it will be critical to constantly massage the feet every couple of minutes to maintain blood flow.

That’s why it’s not easy to use ankle weights while sleeping. Thus it’s recommended to use them during day.

Sit on a high chair or lay on a bed high enough to allow the feet hang freely and use an Ankle weight fastener to add weights to your ankle.

Start with small weights and gradually increase as you progress, stretching your legs down freely with the weights.

To read more about micro fractures, Visit How to use ankle weights to increase height »

Recommendations

Sprinting, jogging or walking independently will not make your legs grow longer though they contribute to bone growth.

They should be used in conjunction with other leg stretching exercises like ankle weights or the inversion table.

2. Just cycling will not make your legs grow longer unless the seat is raised.

While some claim they were successful with increasing their height by using cycling with a raised seat in conjunction with protein powder supplements, increasing G.H release is critical and will increase your chances of being successful with increasing your leg length especially if you are past puberty.

3. Jogging, walking and jumping can be done every day but will not increase G.H release. Sprints should not be done every day.

4. To avoid unexpected injuries, always listen to your body and go one step at a time.

For instance, if you are to use ankle weights, use adjustable ankle weights and begin with 1 kg attached to each leg before increasing.

5. Be patient and don’t expect quick results. Growth is a gradual process especially growth of bones.

Ask any orthopedic how long it takes even minor fractures to heal. The least time it takes is at least 4 months.

The initial growth in bones may take much less time but as you continue with the exercises, it will take much longer to notice results and this is the time when the majority give up.

FAQ

Should I sleep with ankle weights at night? Would I grow faster that way?

I strongly advise you against sleeping at night with ankle weights.

It’s very uncomfortable so you will wake up very often during the night yet sleep quality is vital.

You should instead use them during the day in your free time as you are watching T.V or working on you computer

Should I bike vigorously to create micro fractures?

Cycling vigorously won’t create micro fractures due to the lack of ground impact. You should either run, march or jump to create micro fractures.

What about the thigh bone, How can I lengthen it ?

I haven’t come across any reliable method of lengthening the thigh bone but as discussed under jumping, studies show that jumping can increase the length of both the shin and thigh bones.

After successfully lengthening my legs with raised seat cycling, my femur or thigh bones appear way longer than my shin bone.

Since during pedaling it’s the thigh muscles that do almost all the work, I’m sure they get stretched as well.