Walk into any gym, and you’ll hear strong opinions about height. Tall people have longer levers, so they must be stronger. Shorter lifters move the bar a shorter distance, so they must have better mechanics. Everyone has a theory, and most of them contradict each other.

A paper published in the International Journal of Exercise Science finally gives us something better than gym folklore. Let’s break down what the study found, not to declare a winner, but to show why different body types do better at different lifts, and how you can train smarter by understanding your structure.

How Body Structure Shapes Strength

The researchers evaluated 35 trained male athletes: powerlifters, football players, and strength-focused lifters with years of experience. They recorded a variety of different measurements:

• Height

• Body weight

• Limb lengths (arms, femurs, tibias)

• Torso length

• Hip and waist circumference

• Thigh and arm girths

Then they compared these to each athlete’s 1-rep max in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. The result is one of the clearest snapshots we have of how height, limb length, and body proportions impact strength.

Finding 1: Bigger Bodies Create Bigger Absolute Strength

Unsurprisingly, one of the clearest patterns was that lifters with larger frames generally moved more weight in total.

Height, body mass, torso girth, and limb size all showed strong positive correlations with the squat and bench press.

Why?

• Larger bodies have more muscle cross-sectional area

• More muscle = more force production

• Bigger chests and arms directly benefit pressing

• Larger glutes or hip extensors contribute heavily to squatting

This doesn’t mean someone tall automatically outlifts someone short, but it does mean that taller and bigger lifters have a higher absolute strength potential than shorter and smaller lifters.  It means body size increases potential force, which plays out clearly in these two lifts.

Finding 2: The Deadlift Has Its Own Rules

Then the study hits you with the plot twist: Height had a negative correlation with deadlift performance.

Several measurements linked to taller bodies, like femur length, torso length, and arm-to-leg proportions, made the deadlift harder. Meanwhile, athletes with shorter builds often had:

• Less distance between the bar and their hips

• A more compact starting position

• A shorter range of motion

• Better leverage off the floor

Short kings still have a kingdom — and in this study, the deadlift is their throne.

Finding 3: Relative Strength Levels the Playing Field

Absolute strength isn’t the full picture.

When the researchers adjusted the lifts for body weight, the story became far more balanced. Smaller lifters often excel in movements where leverage matters more than mass, and they tend to display higher relative strength because their bodies move weight more efficiently.

This is why pound-for-pound rankings exist. Raw numbers favor larger people. Efficiency per kilogram often favors smaller ones. Both are valid metrics; they just answer different questions.

Finding 4: Height Doesn’t Predict Strength — Proportions Do

The biggest takeaway from the study is arguably that two lifters can be the same height and have totally different strength profiles depending on limb proportions and torso length.

Examples the data supported:

• Long femurs challenge the squat for both tall and short athletes

• Long arms benefit the deadlift but reduce bench press efficiency

• Shorter torsos reduce forward lean and improve leverage in squats and pulls

You’re not strong “because you’re tall” or strong “because you’re short.” You’re strong because of how your unique proportions work under load in specific situations. 

What This Means for Your Training

Understanding your structure helps you program smarter instead of forcing your body into someone else’s mechanics.

If you have a larger frame

• Expect strong absolute progress in squat and bench

• Prioritize trunk stability and hinge technique in the deadlift

• Use accessory lifts to reinforce sticking points from long levers

If you have a smaller frame

• Lean into hinge and deadlift variations — you’re built for them

• Build upper-body mass to offset leverage challenges in pressing

• Focus on range-of-motion efficiency and tempo work

For everyone

• No lift is off-limits

• Technique matters as much as anatomy

• Accessory choices should match your proportions, not generic templates

The Bottom Line

Height does influence strength, but not in the simple “taller = stronger” or “shorter = stronger” way people argue about. Bigger bodies do tend to produce higher absolute strength, especially in the squat and bench. But shorter bodies often have more efficient leverage, especially in the deadlift. And limb proportions matter even more than height itself.

What this study ultimately shows is encouraging: every body type has a natural advantage somewhere. The key to getting stronger isn’t wishing you had a different build; it’s understanding the one you have.