Where the Load is

In a previous entry, I talked about the reasoning which states that if weight lifting has the ability to produce height increase(via bone size increase) then why aren't bodybuilders gaining height? I reasoned that weightlifters(powerlifters, bodybuilders, strongman, and misc) are in fact gaining height but that it is not large enough to be unable to be dismissed by measurement error. Look at how extreme a bodybuilders shoulder and bicep development is relative to how it is compared to non-specific weight training. A normal weight lifter will not have a bodybuilders physique and proportions. Bodybuilders do highly specialized routines to get their disproportionately large arms and shoulders.

So too must people who want to train for height increase via bone increase. Imagine the standard back squat movement. At the top of the movement, the bar is putting most of the load on the bone. In the middle of the movement, most of the load is on the muscle. At slightly below parallel most of the load is on the tendons and ligaments. Same with bench press: Arms locked or near locked out bone, in between muscle, at the chest tendons and ligaments. If you are very flexible, you might have to do dumbell bench to get the load onto the tendons and ligaments.

How to build bone? Perform exercises where most of the load is on the bone(some load will always be on the muscle). Bodybuilders stress how important ROM after all. Bodybuilders want to keep their ROM in the muscle building range, we height builders want to keep our ROM in the bone building range.