So now to get to the main question that brought you here: Can jumping make you taller?

Does Jumping Make You Taller?

If you think that a jumping rope will do the trick, then I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. When you reach full physical maturity, your epiphyseal plates would have sealed, and your bones have ossified. That would be between 18 and 25.

Although it seems contradictory because you can actually make your hands bigger and force other bones to actually increase slightly in size - you can not make them lengthen.

Trust me I know this sucks because I am right on the borderline of being considered short. I sit right at 5'10 and trust me I know the feeling because it just seems like everybody is doing nothing but getting taller these days.. am i right?

When the epiphyseal plates seal, there’s nothing in your ability that will help you get taller naturally, and that includes jumping ropes. (1)

But what you can benefit from jumping ropes is fixing your posture, along with a few other things that will help you appear taller and might actually add a slight amount of height to your stance. 

Yes, these are not the news you wanted to hear, I know. 

But that aside, jumping ropes remain a great exercise and good tool to add to your height. There are also a bunch of other exercises (like wall angels) besides jumping ropes that can give you a few inches to your appearance. 

We’ll talk about them in a moment.

Before that, we should discuss the jumping rope.

Factors That Affect Height

These are the factors that can and do effect height.. Real height, not height appearance.

Genetics

The main factor that contributes to determining your height is genetics.

As years have passed, experts have been able to identify up to 700 different genes that influence different aspects of human growth. This explains why certain genetic conditions like Marfan Syndrome can affect the height of an adult.

Sorry to tell you, but your parents are going to be the ultimate deciding factor in determine just how tall or short you end up becoming.

Hormones

A number of hormones instruct the growth plates to generate new bone. These include:

• Testosterone and Estrogen: These hormones play a role in growth during puberty.
• Thyroid Hormones (TH): This hormone also factors in how tall you can get when you reach maturity.
• Growth Hormone (GH): When it comes to growth, this hormone, as its name implies, is the most important of them all.

Gender

You’re probably familiar with this fact. Males usually are taller than females. This is mainly due to the fact that they keep growing for longer periods. 

When Do We Stop Growing in Height?

A significant part of human growth happens during puberty. But aside from that, the growth rate can vary from one person to another since boys and girls tend to go through puberty at different periods.

The average of male growth is about three inches every year during puberty. As for girls, they grow only around one or two inches during the first couple of years that follow their first period. This explains why men are usually taller than women.

As for the maximum height that you can achieve during puberty, well, that depends on different factors. We’re talking about mother’s nutrition during pregnancy, activity level, diet, and genetics.

The National Health Service states that girls usually reach the end of their main growth stage at the age of 14 or 15. As for boys, they can keep growing until the age of 16. 

Although we do keep getting slightly taller in height but the main growth fizzles off around then.

Now you might be wondering about the reasons that stop us from getting any taller after a certain point.

Well, here’s the deal: We keep growing because our bones keep getting longer, and this is thanks to epiphyses, the growth plates that exist in our bones (obviously).

These growth plates mature as we go through puberty. Their growth comes to a halt, and at the end of puberty, they fuse. If and when that happens, you stop getting any taller, from there on, we slowly start shrinking as we grow old. Sad, I know.

But, now, as I’ve said, jumping can counteract that by making you look taller.

So, I Really CANNOT Gain Extra Height Even If I’m Younger?

That’s correct. As you can gather from all the information, most factors that play a role in human growth are beyond our control.

But aside from that, some factors can reduce or increase one’s growth in childhood and through puberty. This includes:

Physical Exercise & Stretching

It’s essential that you practice physical activities on a regular basis at a young age.

Sports like the jumping rope are very important as they allow your bones to remain healthy and strong, which is critical for normal physical development.

Stretching can also aid in helping you to lengthen out your bones that have been compressed all day through walking and exercise. 

this is why many believe that swimming can make you taller because it's a sport in the water that allows you to release tension on the bones while still being active.

Of course, this won’t make you any taller, but it can definitely help reach the maximum adult height that you can attain.

Additionally, jumping rope will allow you to build a well-shaped and muscular physique. This can hugely make up for a short posture.

Sleep

Sleep is extremely essential as you experience most of your growth during sleep. SO you should get a significant amount of sleep every night to reach your maximum adult height.

If you have ever wondered why you wake up weighing less, then take a look at this post i wrote on why you weigh less in the mornings.

Good Nutrition

Here’s an obvious factor. If you’re not eating well, you’re not reaching your full height potential. You must have a well-balanced and varied diet to reach the maximum adult height.

Sometimes this can be challenging as heck because not all of us have time to cook super nutritious meals everyday. But the good news is your don't have to. You can supplement with a good low fat low sodium protein powder or meal replacement that is packed with more nutrition that you would even get if you cooked them yourself. 

My favorite by far is Kachava's meal replacement, you can check the flavor (chocolate) and see the exact one I get by clicking here or you can read my full review here to see if its for you or not.

Why Jumping Can Make You LOOK Slightly Taller

Now jumping ropes will not help your bones grow any longer or increase your height in any shape or form. But what they will do is allow you to stand in a good posture. One needs to look as tall as they can be to have a good posture.

Keep this mind; a fully-grown adult can’t increase their body’s length if their bones fully ossify. In other words, if your epiphyseal plates seal up, your bones cannot grow any further. So if you want to be taller, you can only make yourself look taller.

But not to worry because this can be done and hey, attractiveness is nothing but an illusion. Remember that.

How can jumping help with that?

When you use the jumping rope in a correct way, your head is held in a neutral position, your torso becomes erect, and your shoulders are held back.

To maintain your balance as you jump, the body is forced to be centered right over your feet. Combine all these factors, and you get yourself an exercise that forces your spine to hold a healthy form that corrects the posture.

But keep in mind, if you’re just going to jump the rope once or twice a month, you’re not going to have any real effect on your posture. You must use the jumping rope on a regular basis. If you aim to fix something like a bad posture, you’ll have to realize that consistency is key.

This, of course, means that you might have to make some changes to your daily routine. You’ll have to keep track of your posture as you sit at a desk, when lying in bed or when commuting from one place to another.

Doing all of these things, assuming an incorrect posture is what causes a bad posture in the first place. If you don’t fix them, no amount of jumping jacks will make you “taller.”

But jumping rope isn’t the only option you have. You can also benefit from a bunch of other exercises and stretches that’ll help you correct your posture and seem taller. Here’s a list of them:

What Do I Need to Start Skipping?

First things first, get a suitable rope for your height. Skipping ropes differ. It should not be too long that it makes you trip, and it shouldn’t be too short as it will also cause you to trip and fall. It should be a good match for the length of your body from head to toe.

So when you get yourself a new rope, please test it out a few times before you choose to use it.

A good investment would be choosing a rope made up of soft material like an elastic or foam rope. If it ever touches your body, which it certainly will a few times, you don’t want it to hurt you in any way.

So skip safely, fix that posture, and look taller!

If you’re eager to make your legs taller, then jogging isn’t an exercise that you want to miss out on. It makes your leg bones stronger, and it helps them grow naturally. It can help you make a significant increase in height, especially if practiced during puberty or right after it.

Swimming

Swimming is one of those exercises that basically work the entire body.

You’ll have to use your core, arms, and legs to the max, and that will force you to develop a lot of muscle strength. And if you want to avoid all the heat and sweat that comes from the usual workout exercise, then swimming is an ideal option.

Go for the breaststroke as it is the best style for increasing one’s height.

Toe Lifts

All you have to do is stand on your toes as you reach up simultaneously, stretch the leg muscles, and keep a straight back.

If you feel out of balance and need some support, you can always stand near a wall and put your hands up as you attempt to reach the ceiling.

It’s a good exercise because it requires no equipment and you can do it anywhere at home.

If you have smaller calves this can also be a way to help increase the size of your calves.

Pelvic Shift

I bet that all of us these days spend too many hours just sitting around, either at work or at home. Well, unfortunately, that’s no good for our height.

Growth is affected by the changes in the spine and muscles around it caused by sitting for too long. However, doing the pelvic shift can counteract that as it increases the curvature of the lower and upper spine and makes you look taller.

Steps to Follow:

1. Lie down on a flat surface with your shoulders flat on the floor
2. Stretch your arms down on the sides, palms down.
3. Bend your knees and keep your feet as close to your butt as possible.
4. Arch your back to lift your pelvis off the ground
5. Tuck your butt and maintain your position by supporting your weight with your shoulders and legs.
6. Hold this for around 30 seconds at least, then repeat.

Single Leg Hopping