The Tall Man's Training Problems -- Charles Estes and Rolland Puckett (1968)

 

Every tall bodybuilder is well aware of certain difficulties in making progress due to his height. He finds that proportion is the most elusive achievement and that he must concentrate with much dedication on virtually every important area of his physique more than is required of the shorter bodybuilder. It can be discouraging to watch as the shorter man fills out and shapes up in all the right places, but making only nominal gains with one's own tall physique, employing at least as good a training routine.

There are, however, good reasons why this is so and in my own experience there is cause not to be discouraged if the tall man carefully considers the needs of his physique and then carefully plans his training program. 

For most tall men one thing is certain: to reach their goal will take more time. To attain a champeenship physique will take much more. In my view the shorter man can reach his peak of development for physique contests in less time. 

At 6' 2" these are the major problems I have encountered: 

Long Torso -- broadening the shoulders and widening the lats makes a long torso a good thing to have instead of a problem. The exercises used to accomplish the desired breadth and depth of this area must of course include the bench press, overhead lifts such as the military press, behind the neck press and the standing dumbbell press. Because he usually has longer arms the tall man will be required to push harder and farther when performing most of these. When posing, the use of special posing trunks with a higher cut makes the torso appear to be better proportioned. 

Long Neck -- concentrate on the head-strap exercise. Have someone hold the ends of a towel looped behind the neck, resisting against his pull. This is a minor problem since the neck develops quickly.

Biceps -- the knotty biceps which begins halfway up the upper arm is something every bodybuilder must avoid regardless of height, but because of long arms the tall man must work harder on his biceps, using heavy poundage and being sure he does his repetitions correctly and concentrates on them intensely. Then he is sure to get the full, rounded and long biceps worthy of competition. 

Midsection -- rectus muscles do not show well in tall men. Because of an elongated torso there sometimes appears to be a blank space in the abdominal area and cranium. To define the musculature of this area, to give the abdominals deeper cuts, I have had to do more sets of inclined sit-ups holding extra weight on the chest.

Thighs -- the outer curve of the thigh is harder to achieve with long upper legs. The full squat is the best exercise for bulking the thighs, but some men have legs so long they could never perform full squats as well as the shorter man in the same class.

Calves -- most tall men have basketball players' calves -- there, but no definition. The value of doing calf raises with toes in and toes out on a block with plenty of weight on the shoulders has been proved. At an early age I discovered what is now called the ankle curl. The great thing about the ankle curl is that it can be done anytime, anywhere, in a sitting position, standing, or lying down. If you are not careful, however, this exercise can bring on an instant "charlie horse," caused by too much tension on the calves. Each man will soon find the point at which he can maintain tension on his calves without actual pain. He should alternate calves. This exercise takes determination. I can promise it will bring results because it has bulked up my calves to over 19".   

Yep, he's the tall guy. 

Diet -- in most cases the tall man must eat more and take more supplements to add the additional muscle to his taller stature.

Although the tall man must put forth greater effort to achieve his ideal musculature development, and though it seems to take him longer, the fact is his great determination will be richly rewarded by an imposing and, if he is tall enough, a towering stature.

Therefore, even if you are a bit on the tall size you have much in your favor. Even though it may take you a bit longer to reach the ideal physique goal you have set your mind on, when you finally reach this stage you'll be more than happy . . . you'll be a well-built, big, big man! 

It won't be easy. I can assure you on that score. But be persistent, train regularly, and you can't help but develop a huskier, better-looking physique, even if it does take a little longer. YOU CAN DO IT! 

Enjoy Your Lifting!