The best mass-building exercises are squats and deadlifts. Doing these exercises regularly will not only make your legs bigger and stronger, but it will also build size and strength in your upper body. In fact, increases in your squat lift will translate into increases in your bench lift. Unfortunately, the saying “everything in life is compensation” is very true and these exercises are no exception. Do squats and deadlifts shorten you?

The answer is yes. I spoke to several weightlifters at the gym where I work out. Everyone has told me they lost 1 inch in height. In reality, a weightlifter had his height measured at a doctor’s office and was able to verify a 1-inch loss. I know from my own experience that I have lost an inch in height.

Squats load your spine through an axial load. This creates a compressive force on your discs, in effect pressing down on your spine. By shortening the spine, squats shorten it. The same is true for the deadlift or any other vertical lift, such as the standing calf raise or the seated shoulder press. That compression force is especially bad if you have a history of low back pain.

What do you do for a living? No man likes to lose an inch of height, especially if he is under 6 feet. The leg press is a poor substitute; creates significant compression and shear forces on the spine. This is due to the backward rotation of the pelvis during movement. Isolation exercises, such as leg extensions and leg curls, place tremendous shearing forces on the knees and are also poor mass-building exercises.

The best alternative is the single leg leg press. By placing one foot on the ground, you direct kinetic energy toward the ground instead of your spine. Of course, the weight is much less; Doing any exercise with one limb is much more difficult due to the increased need for stabilization.

So what do you do if you’ve already lost an inch in height? There are exercises to help you regain height and even gain an inch. These exercises will be discussed in the next article.