Succeeding as a Tall Bodybuilder

Training
21

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
I also know I have to pay special attention to my extremities, so upper/lower arm, upper legs ands calves. Those are usually the things all tall guys struggle with so I make sure I focus a lot of my attention there.

forgot to mention I’m 6’2 so I feel your pain brotha’s lol[/quote]

I’m the same height and never had issues with arm size(albeit I’m quite a bit smaller than you weight wise)…legs on the other hand are killing me, not so much hamstrings but quads and calves. Quads don’t seem to grow, I’m going to try widowmaker sets though and see how I go. Back Squatting is pretty much a no for me I feel it more in my lower back than I do in my legs.

Everything great takes time.

22

[quote]ironmaniac508 wrote:
I believe height is actually an advantage in some respects. [/quote]

I what respects? I’m 6’5 as well, so I’m dying to know…

23

[quote]asusvenus wrote:
ironmaniac508 wrote:
I believe height is actually an advantage in some respects.

I what respects? I’m 6’5 as well, so I’m dying to know…

[/quote]

when you start looking built you will be a beast compared to most normal people

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all of my tall brethren in one thread. I love this place

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Yea, being 5’6-

Oh shit, wrong thread.

26

Mechanical drop sets really helped bring biceps out for me, three dif variations.

HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY weighted dips for triceps and lower reps like 5x5. Deadlift skull crushers also.

I jack up the bar a bit for deads on the power rack, still below knee.

For abs dude… Power clen to push press is king for me.

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BTW my avatar is a lifelike portrait of myself

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[quote]hardcoreraymond wrote:
Mechanical drop sets really helped bring biceps out for me, three dif variations.

HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY weighted dips for triceps and lower reps like 5x5. Deadlift skull crushers also.

I jack up the bar a bit for deads on the power rack, still below knee.

For abs dude… Power clen to push press is king for me. [/quote]

Did you use the mechanical drop set that CT mentioned in one of his articles?

I’m looking for some help here too, 6’7".

29

6’4 here, i float around 200 pounds, i dont squat or deadlift, leg press and a variety of heavy ass rows take their place, doing a lot of isolation work following the heavy compounds is the way to go for us. i have never been able to say, yeah my arms grow from my bench and rowing, no fuck that, train them.

30

Im 6’3 275 right now, I agree with Waylander on the extremities comment, but I disagree with most of the other posts, why isolation work? if you’re a tall person u need to recruit as much as possible, at 6 feet+ thats a big frame to fill out. No deadlifts??? I would say pound the heavy weights, and keep it basic, compound lifts, chins, dips, these things work and they work well, theres no reason for any1 to be doing tricep kick backs because they have long limbs

31

yeh im 196cm (6’6) 220 pounds and have fucking long limbs

at 196cm tall my arm span is 210cm and sitting down im the same height as my old man who is only 5’10 lol
so my arms and legs are way behind my torso in regards to ‘looking’ big

my foreams are pretty decent, upper arms not to bad, quads and hams bad, and calves absolutely pathetic
so these are hard points for me, but i think they will come good its just a matter of time as ironmaniac said adding the mass to look bigger which unfortunately takes so much longer for us

although on the flip side i have wide shoulders and extreamly thick chest and back for my weight, people think im bigger than i am because of my pecs then they look at my arms and have second thoughts, or they ask me how much i bench and i sigh and tell them to ask me how much i deadlift instead :slight_smile:

as far as exercises go im with RommelKorps u gotta do the big compound lifts for the reasons he mentioned
i live off bench, squats, deads, cleans, presses, chins, rows and dips
then i throw in the extra isolated work for arms calves and legs

even though i can just do 5 reps ATG squats with 220 pounds i gotta keep doin em cause i dont wanna have those shit numbers any longer

my bench as i said is shit 1RM is 220
but i can strangely do DB flyes for reps with 60 pounds which i think is decent lol
but the lever disadvantage for bench and squats does wonders for rows chins and dips, at least for me

deadlifts are my best 1RM of 500 pounds and 5x400.

as for advice i think its vital for us talls to work your core alot as ive only recently discovered, it has made such a huge differnce to my lifts in only a short time and i mean core stability not crunches and shit, im at T-Nation so u guys all ready know this.

also i highly recommend getting checked out by a body specialist of some sort to get an analysis of strength tension relationships, imbalances and weaknesses in your muscles as i think tall people are more likly to have problems with glute activation, shitty hip flexors lumbar spine and other shit lifters dont want.

a few sessions with a guy who knows what he’s talking about and following the exercises he gave me fixed my posture, nagging pains and i made steady progress on major lifts involving legs and core

32

[quote]hardcoreraymond wrote:
Deadlift skull crushers also.
[/quote]

Ya learn something new every day

33

[quote]BigBartDawg66 wrote:
I’m looking for some help here too, 6’7".
[/quote]

Work on your Tiger Uppercuts. Your kicks are fine, but when you want to throw a fireball stop telegraphing it by yelling “TIGER!”. Just throw the fireball.

I’m 6’4". Glad to see a thread with other long-limbed individuals. As far as height and bodybuilding go, I don’t really see it as a detriment. You do have to substitute exercises sometimes though. Having a long humerus can make flat benching pretty rough. Have you ever seen a typical gym goer in the neighbourhood of 6’5" with a bench press that makes jaws drop? They do exist, but they’re a comparative rarity I think. Squatting can also pose a challenge. I’ve got long femurs and going below parallel with any significant weight is really hard.

I find that my long limbs give me an advantage in other lifts though. I can do a ton of pull-ups. I have a pretty good deadlift, and my bent-over row is excellent. Barbell curling has never posed a problem either.

If I had to give advice to a tall person just starting out, it would be to ignore the conventional “all you need is bench, squats and deadlifts” mantra and freely supplement or substitute with machines. If it weren’t for the leg press, my legs would be nowhere near as big as they are now.

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[quote]Protoculture wrote:
LankyMofo wrote:

Dumbell presses, leg press, good mornings, shrugs, and rack chins. So, still mostly free weights as I generally train in my apartment where my equipment is limited to say the least.

You have a leg press in your apartment?[/quote]

Lol, that’s why I said I generally train in my apartment. I still hit the gym once a week for legs.

[quote]RommelKorps wrote:
Im 6’3 275 right now, I agree with Waylander on the extremities comment, but I disagree with most of the other posts, why isolation work? if you’re a tall person u need to recruit as much as possible, at 6 feet+ thats a big frame to fill out. No deadlifts??? I would say pound the heavy weights, and keep it basic, compound lifts, chins, dips, these things work and they work well, theres no reason for any1 to be doing tricep kick backs because they have long limbs[/quote]

I think my main point is that regardless of how tall you are, you have to figure out what works for YOU. Just because 2 people are both 6’5" doesn’t mean they should train the same way because they’re both tall. Some people (tall and short) will respond great to heavy basics (deads, squats, bench) and other people (tall and short) will respond better by substituting those lifts with something else.

So, my main point is there is no real difference except the time it takes.

35

I’ve noticed that alot of you tall guys, are pretty fund of the leg press. I guess I have to try and focus some more on that one, since I barely get anything out of squatting as it is now.

Edit: Even though I have crazy long femurs, I have no issue at all going ATG. I’m actually having a hard time stopping at parallel, as I tend to “fall in to the hole”, too bad that my power in the whole isn’t worth mentioning.

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This is officially my new favourite thread. Everybody knows tall people are the most awesome, now we just need some tall girls in here as groupies and we’re set!

I’m 6’4’', 250lbs.

I find it odd that some people in this thread said squats never worked, or that it’s better to do isolation exercises to grow as a tall guy rather than the big compound lifts. For me, it wasn’t until I started doing the heavy lifts, and basically only going heavy that I really started to grow. Though I’ll agree with PimpBot, without the leg press, your legs will probably go nowhere. There was a time where I would just ignore it, but now that I’ve brought in leg press my legs have been on a completely different game.

Also, would somebody post that link for training for lurch? I’ve never read it.

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I’m 6’ 3", and would completely agree with a post on page one saying that it takes much more mass to fill out the frame. I think that is the hardest challenge we face. I like that challenge though, it will feel so much more accomplished when we get to the filled out muscular frame. I’m at 190 right now, I have a ways to go.

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[quote]Rattler wrote:
This is officially my new favourite thread. Everybody knows tall people are the most awesome, now we just need some tall girls in here as groupies and we’re set!

I’m 6’4’', 250lbs.

I find it odd that some people in this thread said squats never worked, or that it’s better to do isolation exercises to grow as a tall guy rather than the big compound lifts. For me, it wasn’t until I started doing the heavy lifts, and basically only going heavy that I really started to grow. Though I’ll agree with PimpBot, without the leg press, your legs will probably go nowhere. There was a time where I would just ignore it, but now that I’ve brought in leg press my legs have been on a completely different game.

Also, would somebody post that link for training for lurch? I’ve never read it.[/quote]

39

[quote]stringer wrote:
The Austrian Oak wrote:
stringer wrote:
how much do you weigh and what are your lifts?

I’ll post my lifts if you want.

But what do the numbers of specific lifts have to do with my question?

the more information available, the more detailed the responses can be.
[/quote]

True. You are asking for suggestions for improving your appearance. You might want to put up a pic or 2. No two people have have the same bone structure and insertion points. Your specific weak areas may not be the same as another tall persons. Just a thought.

40

I’m 6’4 with a 6’1 wingspan. this is alright for benching, but obviously brutal for deadlifts as i have to bend down further.

I think the biggest key is to not even think about it. It rarely if ever crosses my mind that someone can lift more than me, or “looks” bigger than me because they are shorter.

The deadlift is my best, and favourite lift. Just do the good shit, and don’t think of yourself as disadvantaged. You are what you think.