Last updated on December 11, 2022
Question:
Can I still grow taller? I am almost 16 years old, male and I’m about 5’5. I am very active and have a very good diet, going to the gym about three times per week, eating about 130 g of protein, and doing other forms of exercise. My mom is 5’0 and my dad is 5’4. Using the Tanner Stage Calculator I am roughly in Tanner Stage 4.3 as I don’t have much body hair or facial hair even though my family is really hairy.
According to the Prediction of Adult Height During Adolescence, my maturity offset is late and my age of peak height velocity was at about 15.3 years. My measurement for that calculator was 166 cm for standing height, 81 cm for sitting height, and 60 kg weight. It said that I will grow another 8 or so cm.
I have an older brother who is actually about the same height as that, maybe an inch less. Also, my mum’s and dad’s sides of the family are pretty tall as most of the males are 5’10+. This year I have grown about an inch and a bit though I have not grown in about 4 months.
Is it still possible for me to become at least 5’7 or more?
Answer:
All of the calculators give an answer somewhere between 170 cm (5’7) and 175 cm (5’9). It is typical for boys to grow between 2.5 cm (1 inch) and 7.5 cm (3 inches) during stage 4. While I think 8 cm is a bit overly optimistic, it is within the range of possibility. I would think that at least reaching 170 cm (5’7) is highly likely.