How to Get Taller Naturally – Advanced Stretching Exercises

You already know that in order to train your body how to get taller naturally, you should be implementing stretching exercises to increase height.  If you haven’t already, you should review the first post detailing how to get taller naturally with the more foundational exercises:


How to Be Taller Using Stretching Exercises

So far, your stretching schedule has only taken about a maximum of 30 minutes per session.  At two sessions per day (one immediately after waking in the morning and one immediately before bed), you’ve only devoted about an hour per day to stretching.

Now you’re going to have to add to that a bit.

What?  You didn’t think that the program got easier as we went along did you? 
So, in addition to the stretching routine that you’re already doing (in the links above) add these exercises to your routine:

Stationary Bar Twists
Stand and hold a stick or PVC pipe cut to roughly 30” long straight over your head.  Your hands should be at the very ends of the stick.  Twist to your left and then to your right, feeling the stretching motion going both ways.  You should be doing the motion slow enough to feel the stretch, but fast enough so that you are carrying your momentum over to the next side when you alternate.  Hold each side for about 3 seconds for a total of 20 intervals for each side.

Advanced Neck Stretch
Kneel down on the floor on both knees.  Keep your body straight and your hands down at either side of your body.  Slowly and safely nod your head forward so that your chin rests on your chest.  Keeping the rest of your body perfectly still, bring your head back so that you are looking at the ceiling.  As you perform this motion, arch your spine in as far as you comfortably can.  Perform 10 repetitions, with each lasting about 7 seconds.

Praying Stretches
While still on your knees, stretch your arms up and place your palms flat against each other.  Arching your back, lean your head and arms backwards as far as you can while maintaining stability.  Perform 10 repetitions with each lasting about 7 seconds.

Gymnast Stretch
Lie flat on your back and bring your hands next to your head with your palms flat on the floor.  Using your feet and hands, push your body up so that you create an arch with only your feet and hands touching the ground.  You’re going to raise your self up as high as possible, fully stretching your back.  Each repetition should last about 8 seconds.  Perform 10 repetitions.

Single Leg Backward Leg Lifts
Roll over onto your stomach and clasp your hands behind your neck.  Slowly lift one of your legs up, keeping it straight, as far as you can.  Hold it for three seconds and let it slowly descend to the floor.  Repeat with the other leg.  Perform 10 repetitions with each leg.

Double Leg Backward Leg Lifts
Remain face down on the floor.  Place your hands down at your sides where you can use them for stability.  Raise both legs up simultaneously as far as you can, feeling the arching motion in your lower back.  Hold for 3 seconds.  Repeat 10 times.

Bowl Stretches
Remain face down on the floor.  Extend your arms straight in front of you as if you were mimicking Superman as he flies through the air.  Now raise both your arms and legs upwards simultaneously as far as you can.  Hold for 3 seconds per repetition and perform 10 repetitions.

Downhill Skier Stretches
Stand up with your feet together.  Slowly bend at the waist downward as far as possible while simultaneously bringing your arms up behind you as if you were skiing downhill.  Be sure to keep your arms as straight as possible throughout the entire motion.  Perform 10 repetitions with each repetition lasting about 5 seconds.

Downhill Skier Stretches II
Remain standing but extend your feet about 3 feet apart in a wide stance.  Raise your arms straight over your head and bend forward at the waist.  Throughout the movement, your arms should be extended so that when you are all the way bent over, they should reach between your legs and become parallel to the floor.  Perform 10 repetitions with each lasting about 5 seconds.

Grow Taller Exercises – Swimming

There are many grow taller exercises that should be taken note of and you should decide for yourself which of them best fit into your lifestyle as well as your abilities.  But for all of the grow taller exercises there are, swimming is – by far – the most optimal.


Other than being in incredible shape, do you notice anything else about Michael Phelps that deserves particular note?  Look at his torso, beginning at the bottom of his pectoral muscles and extending down to the top of his hips.

He has a long, lean torso – a look that most guys (and gals!) would come close to killing for.  And obviously, his primary source of exercise is swimming.



Why do you think that is?

When you’re in the water, gravity has almost no pull on your spine.  Added to that, the strenuous exercise of swimming places a much more active role on your spine than that of sleeping.  When you’re sleeping, naturally, your spine is at rest.  When you are swimming, your body is twisting and turning in the water, side to side.  This active motion helps strengthen the cartilage between your vertebrae, which is a much more active form of spine lengthening.

The important thing to remember is that you have to swim actively in order to get taller.  If you’re just standing around in a pool, you’re not going to get any of the positive effects at all.  Simply put, swimming is one of the best ways to train your body how to get taller fast and grow taller naturally.

Added to the spine-lengthening effects of swimming is the simple fact that it is the single best aerobic exercise that there is.  Swimming places almost no trauma on any body part because of its low-impact nature.  This is a stark contrast to running or even walking for cardiovascular exercise.  Additionally, swimming effectively utilizes almost every muscle AND support muscle in the body so it is a true “total body workout.”

Warning: Please consult your physician before beginning this stretching regimen or any exercise program, particularly if you are susceptible to fatigue and/or injury or have a pre-existing heart condition.

The most ideal form of swimming is the breast stroke.  This is because, by its very nature, its the most ideal form of spine-lengthening for height increase that there is.  In the breast stroke, your arms are stretched out one way while your legs are kicking the other way.  This is all going on at the same time and effectively “stretches” you out in the most optimal way.

If you have access to a pool in which you can do laps and you are already a proficient swimmer, then hop in and get to it!  If you don’t know how to swim or simply don’t have access to a pool, then start researching your yellow pages and look up some community pools or fitness centers that have pools.  If you can’t swim, then this is a great time to get some lessons and learn how!

I won’t prescribe a set number of laps or time to spend in the pool because every reader of the Grow Taller Blog is going to differ greatly in their swimming ability.  However, I will tell you that I, personally, swim 500 meters 2 to 3 times per week and I know that this routine has helped me tremendously.

Growing Taller Secrets – Human Growth Hormone (HGH)

In case you’ve been living under a rock (which I know you haven’t) you have heard at least some of the hype surrounding human growth hormone (HGH) and the benefits that it can have for a number of age and health-related ailments.  Additionally, human growth hormone may just be one of the worst-kept growing taller secrets there is, but there is a very large amount of misinformation about it circulating the last few years.


Human growth hormone therapy has been prescribed by physicians and advocated by many researchers for a variety of benefits including:

• Decrease in body fat
• Elevation of mood
• Increase in lean muscle mass
• Improved sleep patterns
• Restoration of hair loss/color
• Thickening of skin
• Decrease in LDL cholesterol (aka the “bad cholesterol”)
• Increase in HDL cholesterol (aka the “good cholesterol”)
• Enhanced immune function
• Enhanced sexual function
• Increased energy
• Grow Taller

Woah.  Read that last one again.  Wow, right?  They mean to tell us that all we have to do to increase our height is to take HGH supplementation?  Can human growth hormone really be the most important of the growing taller secrets there is?

No.

WARNING: If anyone, anywhere, at any time tells you that you can increase height as an adult by supplementing with human growth hormone in any way, shape, or form is LYING TO YOU.

It is true that human growth hormone plays a crucial role in height increase for children and adolescents.  This is why human growth hormone has become such an important treatment for children that suffer from low levels of natural growth hormone, which can severely stunt their development and growth.

However, once an adult has completed puberty and – more importantly – their growth plates have closed there is nothing that HGH can do for your height.  Sorry, HGH is not one of the fabled, “growth pills” that some unscrupulous companies may have you believe.

Yet, there are several (and seemingly more every day) of these questionable companies out there that will have you believe that HGH supplementation can help make you gain height at any age.
Lies.  Baloney.  Hogwash.

So please don’t fall into the trap that these companies set.  They prey upon people’s emotions by making false promises and they squeeze out of any responsibility with slick, lawyer-written disclaimers that absolve them of any liability.

So am I saying that supplementing with HGH as a whole is bad?  Not at all.  As you saw before, there are plenty of benefits that can be had from supplementing HGH.  But one must consider the possible side effects of HGH supplementation as well:

• Thyroid-related problems
• Swelling of the jaw, facial muscles, and other body parts.
• Abnormal growth of internal organs and bones
• Swelling and hardening of arteries
• Swelling in arm and leg muscles
• Arthritis symptoms
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Frequent, debilitating headaches
• Muscle pain
• Irregular blood pressure and high blood pressure
• Potential for diabetes due to insulin reception decrease

There are many products on the market that tout the benefits of the HGH they contain and many of them make some pretty exaggerated claims of their benefits.
Altering the body’s natural hormone levels can possibly bring about many benefits, true, but can also have catastrophic results.

Therefore, I strongly believe that anyone considering human growth hormone therapy should consult with a medical doctor that is experienced with human growth hormone therapy, its possible benefits, and its possible side effects.

Do you think I took the easy way out?  I didn’t.  I’d love to tell you that you can get taller just from popping a pill or even with a monthly injection of a powerful cocktail of HGH.  But I’d be doing you a very grave disservice.  The very same grave disservice that I see so many other companies doing to their customers every day.

By leading a healthy life, getting optimal nutrition, and by performing regular, safe exercises and stretches you will find that you are far ahead of the game by naturally bolstering your body’s own production of HGH.  This natural boost is far more beneficial and far less risky than a synthetic HGH blend that you ingest orally or have intravenously injected because it is synergistic with all of your body’s other systems.

Do yourself an immense favor.  Don’t look for the fast or easy way out by seeking out growing taller secrets that don’t exist.

How to Be Taller Using Stretching Exercises

After you’ve spent a week or so using the stretching exercises outlined in “Get Taller Using Stretching Exercises” you’re going to continue that exact stretching schedule afterwards, only you’re going to be adding some advanced stretches to the routine.  Like the foundational exercises outlined in that previous post, the following exercises train your body how to be taller through a natural, healthy methodology of stretches.

As was said before, stretching exercises are the foundation for learning how to be taller so they should not be rushed through.


Note: These stretching exercises to increase height are to be utilized at the very beginning of your journey to grow taller.  You should perform each exercise in the group together in a set twice per day.  The first set should be done first thing in the morning, within 30 minutes of rising from bed and the next should be done in the evening, within 30 minutes of laying down to sleep.

AirCycle
Lie flat on your back on a carpeted floor, an exercise mat, or on a bed.  Place both hands on the back of your hips.  Supporting yourself with your hands, lift your legs and the lower part of your torso into the air.  Your weight should be resting on your elbows as well as your upper back.  When your feet are straight up in the air, simulate riding a bicycle with your legs performing a peddling motion.  Perform this exercise three times, for 60 seconds each time.

Neck Stretching #1
Sit up into a sitting position.  Lower your head so that your chin is resting on your chest, or as close as you can safely go.  Slowly and safely rotate your head to the right, backward, to the left, and back down in a smooth motion.  Now perform the motion in the opposite direction.  Perform this exercise 10 times both ways.

Neck Stretching #2
Still sitting straight up, bend your head down to the left so that it appears you wish to touch your ear to your shoulder.  Hold for around 6 seconds and return your head straight up.  Now bend your head down to the right the same way.  Again, hold for 6 seconds and return your head to normal.  Repeat this motion for both sides 10 times.

Advanced Twists
*Note – Advanced Twists should replace the Standard Twists outlined in the last post.
Stand with your feet at shoulder width.  Look upwards toward the ceiling as far as you can while maintaining looseness in your neck muscles.  It’s very important not to strain your neck in any way.
Extend your arms out to each side and keep them at shoulder level.  Twist your upper body at the waist to the left while maintaining stability.  Stop when your body resists going further and twist back to the right.  Each twist should last around three seconds.  Perform 20 repetitions.

Cardiovascular Exercise
Now is the time to begin acclimating your body to cardiovascular exercise such as running, swimming, or bicycling.  Cardiovascular exercise is immensely important for proper heart, lung, and circulatory function.  It also helps to keep us lean and fit.

If you aren’t already doing so, begin a cardiovascular routine that consists of at least three 30 minute intervals.  It’s crucial that you begin cardiovascular fitness right now because it’s going to play a large role in the more advanced sections of training your body how to be taller in the weeks to come.