Long limbs

fifomania

This may sound ridiculous but a friend of mine who goes to the gym told me that she goes running with weights to achieve long 'ballet dancer' type limbs. is this true?? if so, hand me those weights!

Roper

Think I saw her the other day, i took a photo.

aye

fifomania wrote: »

This may sound ridiculous but a friend of mine who goes to the gym told me that she goes running with weights to achieve long 'ballet dancer' type limbs. is this true?? if so, hand me those weights!

huh?
whats ballet dancer limbs?
i dont think the weight are going to increase the length of her limbs in any way, if thats what you mean.

running with weights is just a bit harder than running without them, it wont change the shape of your legs, if they're the limbs you mean. if you're talking arms, depending on how she holds the weights, it might help build some lean muscle in the arms, again they arent going to lengthen or anything.

thirtyfoot

When Peter Shilton (former English keeper for those who may not know) was a kid he would hang for time on end from the stairs banister to make his arms longer. He had very long arms, was a pretty good keeper but I'd say would have been muck at ballet.

cowzerp

Well she'll be doing well straining her shoulder joints, but certainly wont grow longer arms!

maybe if she has a big nose she could sleep on her face at nights too!

davmol

My mate was mad into basketball as a kid.He wanted to be michael jordan so he tied weights around his ankles with ropes and hung the weights off the end o his top bunk to stretch his legs.,not only did he not make the NBA but hes still 5'7" and walks with a bad limp from ligament damage from it.

javaboy

Tingle wrote: »

When Peter Shilton (former English keeper for those who may not know) was a kid he would hang for time on end from the stairs banister to make his arms longer. He had very long arms, was a pretty good keeper but I'd say would have been muck at ballet.

I've heard that about Shilton before. The legend goes he was told he wasn't tall enough to be a keeper or something like that. As for the ballet, didn't another English keeper, David Seaman, do quite well on one of those I'm a celebrity dance me out of here shows a while back?

davyjose

fifomania wrote: »

running with weights to achieve long 'ballet dancer' type limbs. is this true??

Yes, it's a little-known secret that ballet dancers don't actually practice for hours a week, year after year. They actually just run with weights twice a week

rubadub

davyjose wrote: »

Yes, it's a little-known secret that ballet dancers don't actually practice for hours a week, year after year. They actually just run with weights twice a week

Yep and bouncing a basketball makes you tall, and doing gymnastics makes you short.


remember this thread, maybe there is something in it....;)
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055400070

They do stretch peoples legs by locking onto the bone and adjusting the tension over time. But I expect it would mean holding weights all day long, and you are probably just pulling the ligaments & tendons while the bone is fairly static.

Oryx

rubadub wrote: »

They do stretch peoples legs by locking onto the bone and adjusting the tension over time. But I expect it would mean holding weights all day long, and you are probably just pulling the ligaments & tendons while the bone is fairly static.

If you mean increasing height in those with dwarfism, they break the leg bone and slowly increase the gap between the break so the bone lengthens as it heals.

The idea of running with weights to lenthen your legs makes me laugh. Doing it would probably make me cry.

Racing Flat

fifomania wrote: »

This may sound ridiculous but a friend of mine who goes to the gym told me that she goes running with weights to achieve long 'ballet dancer' type limbs. is this true?? if so, hand me those weights!

If she's still growing, and the stimulus is enough (i.e. the weights are heavy enough, or she does it for long enough, or both) running with weights at the end of the limbs will lengthen the limbs.

Case Study - Haile Gebresailasse. Has one arm 4 inches longer than the other. Attributed to running to school (was 10miles I think) carrying his schoolbooks (= weight) under 1 arm.

Casshern88

Racing Flat wrote: »

If she's still growing, and the stimulus is enough (i.e. the weights are heavy enough, or she does it for long enough, or both) running with weights at the end of the limbs will lengthen the limbs.

I’m sorry but I have to call BS dangerous BS.
I would never advise anyone to run with weights especially not heavy weights, you’re just asking for an injury. Lengthening your arms???, I’m sorry but its not going to happen . Unless this girl a trained runner she prob has bad body posture while running which will be worsened by adding weights into the mix.

The way your arms move while running can be quite unpredictable, depending on how tired you are. Putting your ligaments, tendons and joints through bad body mechanics repeatedly while holding weights just is not a good idea..... Rant over.

Racing Flat

Casshern88 wrote: »

I’m sorry but I have to call BS dangerous BS.
I would never advise anyone to run with weights especially not heavy weights, you’re just asking for an injury. Lengthening your arms???, I’m sorry but its not going to happen . Unless this girl a trained runner she prob has bad body posture while running which will be worsened by adding weights into the mix.

The way your arms move while running can be quite unpredictable, depending on how tired you are. Putting your ligaments, tendons and joints through bad body mechanics repeatedly while holding weights just is not a good idea..... Rant over.

I'm not advising anyone to do it, just answering the OP question as to whether the application of weight to limbs can lead to limb lengthening. The answer is a resounding yes, as long as the person is still growing, eg a teenager, and as long as the stimulus is sufficient. Human tissue is extraordinarily plastic (as in it can adapt to stimuli imposed on it), including bone tissue.

Why would running with weights be 'asking for an injury'? Is doing weights 'asking for an injury'?

If the person has bad posture, using weights might improve the posture, as the increased muscle tone needed to carry the extra weight may lead to improved posture. Or it might lead to worse posture if it causes her to sag more, but without seeing her do it, or a crystal ball we can't assume either way.

'Putting your ligaments, tendons and joints through bad body mechanics repeatedly while holding weights just is not a good idea' Again you're assuming using weights will have a deleterious effect on body mechanics - not necessarily. We need to challenge the body for it to improve.

Too many ill-informed assumptions are made in relation to exercise.

BossArky

Racing Flat wrote: »

Case Study - Haile Gebresailasse. Has one arm 4 inches longer than the other. Attributed to running to school (was 10miles I think) carrying his schoolbooks (= weight) under 1 arm.

I seriously doubt it. Any links actually saying that?

It would more than likely be repetitive strain pulling down on the carrying shoulder. I guess when he stands relaxed with both hands down by his sides, one of them (the carrying one) hangs a bit lower due to shoulder sinkage.

Most people who use a pc at work will have uneven shoulders to a slight degree. The shoulder which they operate their pc mouse with sinks a bit over the years. Tennis players, etc would have perhaps more pronounced imbalances from favouring one side over the other.

Haile's crooked arm would be due to running the 10km each way to/from school with bad form. The body must have begun to accept this as a natural posture so that it carries over to his running nowadays without books - not actual lengthing of his arm.

seanybiker

i hung weights off me lad for a few days. Now i actually have to tuck it into me sock. Its annoying

estebancambias

i presume this Haile Gebresailasse charachter's one arm longer than the other works in the same way as those women with the thing(BROACH?) around the necks works in africa.

it gives the impression that their knecks have been elongated but in reality its actually their shoulders, i think which have been pushed down.

Racing Flat

BossArky wrote: »

Haile's crooked arm would be due to running the 10km each way to/from school with bad form.

I wouldn't say it was 'bad form', just that he was carrying schoolbooks, always on the one side, so that side changed. His body adapted to the functional demands that were placed on it.

Racing Flat

estebancambias wrote: »

i presume this Haile Gebresailasse charachter's one arm longer than the other works in the same way as those women with the thing(BROACH?) around the necks works in africa.

it gives the impression that their knecks have been elongated but in reality its actually their shoulders, i think which have been pushed down.

A good example of the body adapting to the stress it is placed under.

BossArky

He must have been a dedicated student to run 20 km per day with books under his arm. He probably had his hand up a lot in class a lot too:

Teacher >> "How many laps of a 400m track must I run to cover 10km?"

Haile >> *raises arm* "Ohhh Miss, Miss, Miss, ooooh I know this one!! Miss, Miss, Miss!".

Maybe that's why one arm is longer than the other?

Casshern88

Racing Flat wrote: »

I

'Putting your ligaments, tendons and joints through bad body mechanics repeatedly while holding weights just is not a good idea' Again you're assuming using weights will have a deleterious effect on body mechanics - not necessarily. We need to challenge the body for it to improve.

Too many ill-informed assumptions are made in relation to exercise.

no weight's are brilliant , they will have a huge positive effect on your body, when DONE CORRECTLY. unfortunately not all exercise is good exercise.

indeed far too many people think they know it all when it come to exercise , ill be the first to admit i do not know EVERYTHING, but being a qualified professional working in the fitness industry i think i know ENOUGH to say that running with "heavy weights" will not give you a dancers body, now if this girl were to combine running with a resistance program she would have for more success in creating the impression of a longer, leaner more toned body.

Racing Flat

Casshern88 wrote: »

running with "heavy weights" will not give you a dancers body

I agree. Dancing will probably give you a dancers body.

Racing Flat

BossArky wrote: »

Teacher >> "How many laps of a 400m track must I run to cover 10km?"

Haile >> *raises arm* "Ohhh Miss, Miss, Miss, ooooh I know this one!! Miss, Miss, Miss!".

I bet he was fairly good at the 61 times tables aswell.

61 times 12.5 = WR etc.

amazingemmet

Racing Flat wrote: »

I agree. Dancing will probably give you a dancers body.

QFT