Topic: Leg limb length question

[Roger White]

I have an athlete with very long lower limbs.  They are near the same length as her femur.  Has anyone have any experience with this type of athlete?  It is very awkward squatting.

The weird thing, this girl has springs in her legs and is down right fast in sprints.

[Shaun Le Conte]

I hope you are able to get a good answer to your question. Maybe this girl should focus on track and field and just use weightlifting as strength training.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Personally, from my experience and reading of the literature I do not think limb lengths are generally a determining factor of overall potential. I think one's absolute height can be determinant if it reaches beyond a point conducive to weightlifting so that extremely tall people will not make good weightlifters. Probably people over about 6'4 are simply too tall to ever be elite weightlifters though there could be exceptions a little taller of course. Other than that, it seems to me that athletes with longer limb lengths often but not always require longer development cycles, and I think having different proportions of limb lengths is pretty much irrelevant.

This article might be of interest:
http://www.weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=39&topic=3221.msg10319#msg10319

And, there is some more relevant material referenced here:
http://www.weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54&Itemid=62

[Matt Rupiper]

Is there anything out there that shows the height to weight ratio of the best lifters.  I would presume that the top levels are usually pretty short.

Matt Rupiper, CSCS, USAW

[Matt Erdman]

http://www.weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=60

That should help a little.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

This may also be of interest, from References in the Features section of the main site (which may also have more articles of interest): http://www.lsus.edu/weightlifting/Papers%20Presented4.htm