How to Grow Taller at Any Age & What Affects Height Most

ACE certified personal trainer Monica Morris shares the best exercises & lifestyle tips to promote & preserve height

Co-authored by Desiree Sanchez and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: November 3, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Best Exercises
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• Diet
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• Lifestyle Changes
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• Medical Treatments
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• FAQ
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• Video

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Genetics largely determines your height, but you can still maximize your natural growth and standing height. In this article, we partnered with a personal trainer and Pilates instructors to share the best exercises, diet, and lifestyle changes to help you look taller at any age. We also share medical treatments to get taller and answer your frequently asked questions!

How to Grow Taller Naturally

ACE certified personal trainer Monica Morris says height is determined by genetics and can’t really be changed. If you’re a growing kid or teen, eating a nutrient-dense diet and getting enough sleep can help. For adults, core and back exercises can preserve height, while dead hangs and Pilates can help you look taller.

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Section 1 of 4:

Best Exercises & Stretches to Grow Taller

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   Dead hangs According to Pilates instructor and teacher trainer Desiree Sanchez, one of the easiest, most effective ways to decompress the spine is to hold a bar and let your body weight hang. Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and let your body hang relaxed for 20 to 30 seconds. This stretches the spine and decompresses the vertebrae.

   • Aim for 3 to 5 minutes total per day, splitting into smaller sets instead of doing it all at once.
   • Morris notes that “hanging from an overhead bar can feel good and briefly decompress the spine, but the effect is only a few millimeters, and it returns to the original structure hours later.”
   • Inversion tables have the same temporary effect, adds Morris. Plus, she warns that they aren’t recommended for people with high blood pressure, glaucoma, or heart conditions.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Monica Morris is an ACE-certified personal trainer with over 15 years of fitness training experience.

   Desiree Sanchez is a Pilates Instructor and the owner of Functional Strength Pilates, with over 27 years of experience teaching Pilates.

   Vanessa Kelly is the founder and CEO of Function Pilates, with over 15 years of experience in Pilates instruction. She specializes in postural alignment, movement science, instructor training, and mentorship.
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   Pilates Sanchez shares that most people with a consistent Pilates regimen find they get a little bit taller, since it decompresses the spine and improves posture naturally. Either book classes at a studio near you, or start with simple Pilates exercises at home, such as bridges, leg circles, and criss-cross ab crunches.

   • Master Pilates educator Vanessa Kelly agrees that stretching can make you taller. She explains that stretching the chest and strengthening the back muscles can combat compression from sitting and driving.
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   Cobra stretch Lie flat on your stomach with your legs extended back and your feet about hip-width apart. Place your palms flat on the floor directly beneath your shoulders, then press the tops of your feet and your hips gently down into the floor. Slowly press through your arms to lift your chest and upper torso off the floor, keeping your elbows slightly bent or straight (if your lower back feels comfortable). Draw your shoulder blades down and back away from your ears and look straight ahead. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds while breathing deeply.

   • Perform this stretch once or twice a day, such as in the morning to wake up the spine and once after long hours of sitting. Repeat it 2 to 4 times per session.
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   Cat-cow stretch Get on your hands and knees on a mat or floor, placing your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips to form a table shape. Inhale deeply as you drop your belly to the floor, lift your chest and tailbone toward the ceiling, and look forward or slightly upward. Then, exhale as you draw your belly button toward your spine, round your back up toward the ceiling, and tuck your chin to your chest. Flow slowly between the 2 positions, matching each movement with your breath for 10 to 15 reps.

   • Perform the stretch once or twice a day, or multiple times to relieve stiffness and back tension.
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   Pelvic tilts Lie flat on your back on a mat with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor hip-width apart, and your arms resting comfortably at your sides. Take a deep breath in, then exhale and gently tighten your abdominal muscles. Pull your belly button inward toward your spine while pressing your lower back flat into the floor, and hold this squeezed position for about 6 to 10 seconds while breathing normally. Slowly release back to the starting arch, and complete 8 to 12 reps per set, for 2 to 3 sets daily.

   • While pelvic tilts alone don’t increase bone length, they can correct excessive anterior pelvic tilt (where the pelvis rolls forward and arches the lower back) and improve spinal alignment, helping you stand taller.
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   Wall angels Stand with your feet about 1.5 to 2 feet away from a wall, resting your head, upper back, lower back, and buttocks against the surface. Draw your belly button inward toward your spine to flatten your lower back against the wall, tucking your chin slightly to align your neck. Raise your arms into a “goalpost” position, bend your elbows to 90 degrees, and press the back of your head, shoulders, forearms, and the backs of your hands against the wall. Slide your arms upward toward the ceiling as high as you can go without arching your lower back or flaring your ribs. Reverse the motion to bring your arms back to the goalpost position.

   • Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. Perform them daily or 4 to 5 times a week.
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   Glute bridges Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart, and heels placed about 6 to 8 inches from your glutes. Gently flatten your lower back into the floor by tilting your pelvis and bracing your core, then press your heels into the floor and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips toward the ceiling. Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders down through your knees, then pause at the top for 1 to 2 seconds. Slowly lower your hips back to the starting position.

   • Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps per day if you’re a beginner.
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   Core, back, and weight-bearing exercises While Morris notes that as a full-grown adult, you can’t add actual height, you can preserve your height and help yourself look taller. She says core and back strength training exercises support better spinal alignment. Plus, weight-bearing exercises help maintain bone density. This is important because building bone density helps prevent shrinking with age, Morris explains.

   • Some core and back exercises to try include planks, dead bugs, bicycle crunches, rows, supermans, and bird dogs.
   • Some weight-bearing exercises include jumping rope, jogging, and stair climbing.
   • “Age-related height loss mostly comes from compressed spinal discs, bone loss (osteoporosis), and a more rounded upper back (kyphosis),” Morris adds. Scoliosis can be a separate issue, and isn’t a normal part of aging.
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Section 2 of 4:

Best Diet to Grow Taller

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   Eat a balanced, nutrient-dense diet rich in protein, calcium, zinc, and vitamin D. While genetics is the main contributor to height, you can maximize your growth potential by building your meals around fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy products, and nuts and seeds. This is especially important for growing kids and teens, says Morris, who need to get enough protein, calcium, vitamin D, and calories. Here are some of the best foods to include in your diet:

   • Eggs
   • Yogurt
   • Cheese
   • Fortified cereal
   • Beans, peas, and lentils
   • Meats like beef and chicken
   • Fortified or plant-based milk
   • Fatty fish like trout, tuna, and salmon
   • Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and cabbage
   • A large study on children also found a link between those taller than average and certain nutrients, including protein, calcium, carbohydrates, vitamin D, zinc, and more.

Section 3 of 4:

Other Lifestyle Changes to Grow Taller

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   Aim for 7 to 12 hours of sleep every night. Getting plenty of sleep can help you reach your full genetic height potential (especially for kids and teens), since the growth hormone peaks during deep sleep, says Morris. Most healthy adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, teens need 8 to 10 hours per day, and school-age children need 9 to 12 hours per day.

   • Lying horizontally while you sleep also relieves downward gravitational pressure on your spine, allowing the spinal discs to decompress and rehydrate. Because of this, you’re actually around one centimeter taller in the morning than at night!
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   Get at least one hour of exercise every day. Exercising regularly can help children and teenagers reach their maximum natural height, while helping adults stand taller through improved posture. If you’re a child or teen, aim for 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, including running, swimming, jumping, or sports like basketball.

   • If you’re an adult, exercise won’t necessarily increase your height, but you should still aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each day to improve your overall health.
   • Morris adds that the lack of resistance training prior to the onset of menopause can increase the risks for postural deviations.
   • There's an old belief that strength training before puberty stunts growth, which has since been largely debunked, notes Morris. She says supervised resistance training is considered safe for kids and teens. “The real concerns are injury and poor technique, so good coaching and proper form matter more than age.”
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   Practice good posture to help you appear taller, says Morris. When standing, rest most of your weight on the balls of your feet instead of leaning back on your heels, keep your shoulders pulled back and down, and align your ears directly over your shoulders. When sitting, sit all the way back into a chair with lower back support, keep your knees at a 90-degree angle with your feet flat on the floor, and raise your phone or computer monitor to eye level.

   • Better posture can help reverse slouching, forward head posture, and a rounded upper back.
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Section 4 of 4:

Medical Treatments to Increase Height

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   Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (rhGH) therapy FDA-approved for children and adults with growth hormone deficiency and other conditions, this synthetic hormone stimulates bone and cartilage growth at the growth plates. It’s administered as a daily shot given under the skin in the arms, legs, lower back, or stomach. Treatment can help children experience “catch-up” growth, adding up to 3 to 4 inches to their final adult height, depending on the underlying cause and how early treatment begins.

   • In adults, it doesn’t increase vertical height but is prescribed to treat specific medical conditions.
   • Using synthetic HGH may cause side effects such as carpal tunnel syndrome, increased insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, swelling in the arms and legs, joint and muscle pain, enlargement of breast tissue in males, and increased risk of certain cancers.
   • If you have concerns about your child’s growth, Morris recommends talking to your pediatrician.
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   Limb lengthening surgery (distraction osteogenesis) This procedure involves breaking the femur or tibia (thigh or shin bones) through small incisions in the leg, then placing a magnetic rod and pins inside the bone to slowly increase the length of the bone at a rate of roughly ½ to 1 millimeter per day. Once the desired length is reached, adjustments stop, and the newly formed bone hardens and heals over several months. Physical therapy is also needed to prevent stiffness and help rebuild strength and flexibility.

   • People usually get limb lengthening surgery to treat uneven limbs, skeletal abnormalities, or for cosmetic reasons.
   • Like all surgeries, limb lengthening carries risks and potential complications, including bone infection, nerve damage, muscle contractures, or failure of the bone to heal properly.
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Common Questions: Other Factors Affecting Height

When do growth plates (epiphyseal plates) fuse in males and females?

Generally, growth plates fuse between ages 15 and 17 in males and ages 13 and 15 in females. That said, the full range can span roughly 12 to 19 years depending on the specific bone and individual development. Once the epiphyseal plates fuse completely into solid bone, longitudinal bone growth and further height increases stop.

How does sleep affect Human Growth Hormone (HGH) secretion?

The dominant pulse of Human Growth Hormone secretion occurs during the first 1 to 2 hours of sleep, specifically in the deepest stages of non-REM sleep. For children and teenagers, HGH released during sleep is the main driver of height. For adults whose growth plates have fused, no amount of sleep or HGH will increase height; instead, HGH supports tissue repair, muscle growth, bone density, and metabolism.

What determines human height, and what percentage is genetic vs. environmental?

According to one study, human height is 60 to 80 percent genetic, while 20 to 40 percent is attributed to environmental factors, such as nutrition. However, other studies show that genetics can account for 80 to 90 percent of height.

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