Last updated on September 8, 2020
Question:
Hi,
I just turned 15 years old. I’m 5’7″ and I weigh 167 pounds. I’m not obese, I’m mostly all muscle, and I have an athletic build. My shoe size is 11.5. I have big hands, also my calf muscles are huge and my thighs are too. All my friends are really late puberty and they still don’t have armpit hair yet, but I do and I really started going through puberty when I was 13. I have a deep voice. They say that I’m early puberty. I hope that that is not a bad sign. I want to make it to at least 6 feet when I’m done growing. Any advice on how do you think I will be when I’m done growing?
PS. can you give me some examples of the signs to know when you’re done growing and things that I should eat to help me grow taller?
Answer:
Yes, you do sound like you were an early bloomer, but not overly early. You sound like you are at least in stage 4 of development. Use the Tanner Stage Calculator for Boys. When you get to 5, you are basically done growing upward.
Height is not something people can control. “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Luke 12:25). Your genes give you your maximum potential height. You can not reach your potential by eating poorly or having a disease, but you can’t exceed your maximum potential height. You are in good shape, so you must be eating well, so you are reaching your full potential.
Early bloomers tend not to be as tall as late bloomers. One reason is that you start your growth spurt at a shorter height. Early bloomers tend to be better athletes because they are stronger than their peers and have a longer experience with an adult-sized body.