[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.
[/quote]
Don’t you have more trouble with chest than arms? I thought I read that somewhere.
i reckon tall people have a disadvantage, our rom is bigger, we have more distance to travel, squats and deads become an aerobic workout. I am fucked after doing these exercises, i dont do back squats coz of too much glute activation, i stick to hacks and sissy’s, even front squats raised heals gives me a sore arse.
at the end of day tho im glad im tall, id rather look down at ppl than up.
I thought I would add my two cents to the discussion…
I’m 6’8" currently about 250lb. In the last year, I went from 220 to 250 with minimal bodyfat gain. The only thing that brought my weight up was heavy focus on the major three lifts (Wendler’s 5/3/1 program and WS4SB). I still have a long way to go before I look “big”. I really don’t think my frme will look good until I am about 265-275lb. In my last PL competition, I had a 345 squat, 275 bench, and 465 DL (all raw numbers). These aren’t very good numbers at 242lb but they were a big improvement for me.
I think a lot of people have touched on this issue, but for us tall guys you are only going to look “big” if you look “thick”. It is a lot harder for tall guys with long levers to look thick. You may have 17 inch arms but they aren’t going to look big compared to a guy with 17 inch arms who is 5’6". I am convinced that the only way to really change your look as a tall guy is to focus on the big three lifts. It is going to be a lot harder as a tall guy to squat and bench but you will get more payoff from these lifts.
As a tall guy, we like certain lifts because we can minimize the disadvantages that long levers create. The leg press is a perfect example of an exercise that somewhat reduces the negatives of long legs. However, by replacing squats with leg press you are really missing out on developing your whole body.
For me, squats and DL were the only lifts that forced my posterior chain to get stronger and added some depth to my build. Leg press is fine to add in after you squat, but they shouldn’t be your main leg exercise.
The other key element is nutrition. As a tall, light guy, you just have to eat that much more. I always thought I ate a lot until I started tracking my calories for a few weeks. I was taking in approximately 3,500 calories a day. Well even this number is below my maintenance level. I never really started growing until I was taking in a “clean” 4,500 to 5,000 calories a day. This is a lot of preparation and planning to get this many good calories. It just comes down to how much you want it. Nutrition is all about you and your desire to get bigger.
As a tall guy, it is going to be that much harder to “look big”. A small number of people are genetically gifted and have the height and weight combination. Most of us have to work that much harder to look big. I really think the key for us tall guys is to really focus on technique on the major lifts, keep the reps low (3-10 reps) and the weight high (80% or more), and dial in on how many calories you really need to grow.
The one real advantage we have as tall guys is that when we are “bigger” we are that much more imposing. I may not ever have the biggest PL total in the gym, but when I reach my goal of 6’8", 275lb with 15% bodyfat, I will “look” huge.
Good to see so many tall guys out there…
“How’s the weather up there?”
Seriously, don’t you hate those overused douchey comments like the plague?
I like how they (smaller people) think they are actually being funny… Sigh.
[quote]mday wrote:
I thought I would add my two cents to the discussion…
I’m 6’8" currently about 250lb. In the last year, I went from 220 to 250 with minimal bodyfat gain. The only thing that brought my weight up was heavy focus on the major three lifts (Wendler’s 5/3/1 program and WS4SB). I still have a long way to go before I look “big”. I really don’t think my frme will look good until I am about 265-275lb. In my last PL competition, I had a 345 squat, 275 bench, and 465 DL (all raw numbers). These aren’t very good numbers at 242lb but they were a big improvement for me.
I think a lot of people have touched on this issue, but for us tall guys you are only going to look “big” if you look “thick”. It is a lot harder for tall guys with long levers to look thick. You may have 17 inch arms but they aren’t going to look big compared to a guy with 17 inch arms who is 5’6". I am convinced that the only way to really change your look as a tall guy is to focus on the big three lifts. It is going to be a lot harder as a tall guy to squat and bench but you will get more payoff from these lifts.
As a tall guy, we like certain lifts because we can minimize the disadvantages that long levers create. The leg press is a perfect example of an exercise that somewhat reduces the negatives of long legs. However, by replacing squats with leg press you are really missing out on developing your whole body. For me, squats and DL were the only lifts that forced my posterior chain to get stronger and added some depth to my build. Leg press is fine to add in after you squat, but they shouldn’t be your main leg exercise.
The other key element is nutrition. As a tall, light guy, you just have to eat that much more. I always thought I ate a lot until I started tracking my calories for a few weeks. I was taking in approximately 3,500 calories a day. Well even this number is below my maintenance level. I never really started growing until I was taking in a “clean” 4,500 to 5,000 calories a day. This is a lot of preparation and planning to get this many good calories. It just comes down to how much you want it. Nutrition is all about you and your desire to get bigger.
As a tall guy, it is going to be that much harder to “look big”. A small number of people are genetically gifted and have the height and weight combination. Most of us have to work that much harder to look big. I really think the key for us tall guys is to really focus on technique on the major lifts, keep the reps low (3-10 reps) and the weight high (80% or more), and dial in on how many calories you really need to grow.
The one real advantage we have as tall guys is that when we are “bigger” we are that much more imposing. I may not ever have the biggest PL total in the gym, but when I reach my goal of 6’8", 275lb with 15% bodyfat, I will “look” huge.
Good to see so many tall guys out there…[/quote]
Unless you have very small joints or something, 265-275 pounds at 6’8" isn’t going to look that big. I’m 6’5" and 260 pounds and I still don’t look the part. You’re going to need to be over 300 without a doubt.
[quote]asusvenus wrote:
“How’s the weather up there?”
Seriously, don’t you hate those overused douchey comments like the plague?
I like how they (smaller people) think they are actually being funny… Sigh.[/quote]
I get it all the time, it’s just jealousy.
[quote]mday wrote:
The one real advantage we have as tall guys is that when we are “bigger” we are that much more imposing. I may not ever have the biggest PL total in the gym, but when I reach my goal of 6’8", 275lb with 15% bodyfat, I will “look” huge.
[/quote]
Doubtful. I weigh more than that at 5’10.5" currently. I seriously doubt someone nearly AN ENTIRE FOOT taller than me will look HUGE while weighing that much LESS than I do, especially at 15% body fat. If that were contest shape that might be different.
[quote]Rattler wrote:
asusvenus wrote:
“How’s the weather up there?”
Seriously, don’t you hate those overused douchey comments like the plague?
I like how they (smaller people) think they are actually being funny… Sigh.
I get it all the time, it’s just jealousy. [/quote]
You really think that? That isn’t much different than getting asked 15 times a day sarcastically if you work out…“I bet you play football”. It isn’t jealousy as much as it is people seeing something they don’t usually see and then saying the first dumb thing that pops into their head.
They just don’t realize that it is the same dumb shit that pops into 90% of the other people who have spoken to you that day.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Rattler wrote:
asusvenus wrote:
“How’s the weather up there?”
Seriously, don’t you hate those overused douchey comments like the plague?
I like how they (smaller people) think they are actually being funny… Sigh.
I get it all the time, it’s just jealousy.
You really think that? That isn’t much different than getting asked 15 times a day sarcastically if you work out…“I bet you play football”. It isn’t jealousy as much as it is people seeing something they don’t usually see and then saying the first dumb thing that pops into their head.
They just don’t realize that it is the same dumb shit that pops into 90% of the other people who have spoken to you that day.[/quote]
Agreed. Chances are they don’t stand out in any way and don’t realize how tiresome such comments can be. I actually avoid commenting on people that are taller than me because I already know they hear that shit all the time.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Rattler wrote:
asusvenus wrote:
“How’s the weather up there?”
Seriously, don’t you hate those overused douchey comments like the plague?
I like how they (smaller people) think they are actually being funny… Sigh.
I get it all the time, it’s just jealousy.
You really think that? That isn’t much different than getting asked 15 times a day sarcastically if you work out…“I bet you play football”. It isn’t jealousy as much as it is people seeing something they don’t usually see and then saying the first dumb thing that pops into their head.
They just don’t realize that it is the same dumb shit that pops into 90% of the other people who have spoken to you that day.[/quote]
I know, I wasn’t being entirely serious. It’s usually people just trying to come up with a good line, thinking that nobody else has ever said it before.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
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?
Lol, that’s why I said I generally train in my apartment. I still hit the gym once a week for legs.
[/quote]
Oh, ok. Too bad. For a minute there I thought you were one of those cool guys who live in a loft and keep their leg press machine smack in the middle of the place while some of your friends ride crappy 10 speed bikes around your apartment and others practice hockey slap shots with a taped up ball.
Yep, I got all that from that one statement.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Rattler wrote:
asusvenus wrote:
“How’s the weather up there?”
Seriously, don’t you hate those overused douchey comments like the plague?
I like how they (smaller people) think they are actually being funny… Sigh.
I get it all the time, it’s just jealousy.
You really think that? That isn’t much different than getting asked 15 times a day sarcastically if you work out…“I bet you play football”. It isn’t jealousy as much as it is people seeing something they don’t usually see and then saying the first dumb thing that pops into their head.
They just don’t realize that it is the same dumb shit that pops into 90% of the other people who have spoken to you that day.
Agreed. Chances are they don’t stand out in any way and don’t realize how tiresome such comments can be. I actually avoid commenting on people that are taller than me because I already know they hear that shit all the time.[/quote]
With that said, I enjoy meeting someone taller than me, cause apparently, being 6’5 I’m the tallest at my school of 1000 students, and I HATE being one of the extremities.
I don’t comment of their heights either though, since they’ve(we) heard about it a million times, and it’s the most uninteresting topic there is. “Do you play basketball?”(Since the law apparently says that anyone above 6ft has to play basketball) is the only thing people ask me about, I normaly proceed to answer: No, my aim is bullshido. They get dissapointed.
[quote]asusvenus wrote:
With that said, I enjoy meeting someone taller than me, cause apparently, being 6’5 I’m the tallest at my school of 1000 students, and I HATE being one of the extremities.
[/quote]
If you get to be bodybuilder huge, you’ll be even more of an extremity. You better get used to it.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
They just don’t realize that it is the same dumb shit that pops into 90% of the other people who have spoken to you that day.[/quote]
This has never been truer than it is with women hearing dumb shit from men. Ask any attractive woman, they will have lots to say about guys saying “the same dumb shit” and thinking it’s really creative.
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
asusvenus wrote:
With that said, I enjoy meeting someone taller than me, cause apparently, being 6’5 I’m the tallest at my school of 1000 students, and I HATE being one of the extremities.
If you get to be bodybuilder huge, you’ll be even more of an extremity. You better get used to it.[/quote]
Well, that’s a good kind of extremity, as it says something about me, in regards of dedication and so forth.
Thanks to the OP for starting this. Leg press is king! 6’4" 245 here I know all your pains. It seems to me that my pull muscles have always responded better than my push. My back and bis are larger but my Tris and Chest have always lagged and forget about the calves, their strong as hell but look small due to the fact my legs are so long.
[quote]Rooster1980 wrote:
Thanks to the OP for starting this. Leg press is king! 6’4" 245 here I know all your pains. It seems to me that my pull muscles have always responded better than my push. My back and bis are larger but my Tris and Chest have always lagged and forget about the calves, their strong as hell but look small due to the fact my legs are so long. [/quote]
Hah, weird. For pretty much the same heigh-weight, we have such different builds. You got biceps, mine don’t exist. You have no calves, mine grow no problem. Funny how that works.
So let me start by saying I’m 6’ on the button.
I don’t care how tall you are or how bad your levers are, in order to grow, you need to be under heavy load. There are few exercises that allow you to do this like squat/bench/dead. If you haven’t squatted 2x bw, benched 1.5x bw, and DLed 2xBW, then you probably aren’t advanced enough in your training to decide that they don’t work for you.
I do believe that someone can not be built for a lift, but the above numbers are achievable. If you can do those, and you still feel that they don’t work to get you bigger, I MIGHT believe you, but chances are you’re eating wrong. I have never heard of a bodybuilder outside of a weider publication attributing their massive physique to sissy squats and concentration curls.
Now that being said, unless you’re a powerlifter, I see no reason to do only those three lifts. But don’t give up on them because they’re extra hard to do because you’re so damn tall 
The recipe for success for tall dudes isn’t radically different than it is for anyone else: lift heavy, eat big, sleep big, repeat.
[quote]Rattler wrote:
Rooster1980 wrote:
Thanks to the OP for starting this. Leg press is king! 6’4" 245 here I know all your pains. It seems to me that my pull muscles have always responded better than my push. My back and bis are larger but my Tris and Chest have always lagged and forget about the calves, their strong as hell but look small due to the fact my legs are so long.
Hah, weird. For pretty much the same heigh-weight, we have such different builds. You got biceps, mine don’t exist. You have no calves, mine grow no problem. Funny how that works.[/quote]
Which was exactly my point!
On another note, I kind of laugh when I hear about 6’ people complain about the disadvantages of being a tall bodybuilder. I think I laugh the same way huge guys laugh when 180 pound guys complain their legs are too big for their pants. You may be a bit bigger than average but really, you’re not big enough to be complaining about it!
[quote]OTS1 wrote:
So let me start by saying I’m 6’ on the button.
I don’t care how tall you are or how bad your levers are, in order to grow, you need to be under heavy load. There are few exercises that allow you to do this like squat/bench/dead. If you haven’t squatted 2x bw, benched 1.5x bw, and DLed 2xBW, then you probably aren’t advanced enough in your training to decide that they don’t work for you.
I do believe that someone can not be built for a lift, but the above numbers are achievable. If you can do those, and you still feel that they don’t work to get you bigger, I MIGHT believe you, but chances are you’re eating wrong. I have never heard of a bodybuilder outside of a weider publication attributing their massive physique to sissy squats and concentration curls.
Now that being said, unless you’re a powerlifter, I see no reason to do only those three lifts. But don’t give up on them because they’re extra hard to do because you’re so damn tall
The recipe for success for tall dudes isn’t radically different than it is for anyone else: lift heavy, eat big, sleep big, repeat.[/quote]
If I do a lift for 6 months with no noticeable results, I can safely say it’s not working. I don’t need to dedicate the time and effort it takes to acheive a 500+ deadlift to stop doing it.