How does gymnastics stunt growth

A small study published in the journal Sports Biomechanics suggested that smaller gymnasts were better equipped for moves involving forward and backward whole-body rotations and twisting. But self-selection isn't entirely to blame for the gymnasts' short stature. Research suggests gymnasts' intense training plays a role, too. If you've ever played a competitive sport, you're probably familiar with the impact that daily, intense training can have on your body.

All those hours at the gym or around the track, or in the pool add up. The muscles in your arms and legs start to pop; you have an easier time with stairs; your reflexes seem quicker.

So it's not crazy to assume that the rigorous training regimens that gymnasts undergo have some dramatic effects on their bodies — especially since they're so young. A study from kinesiologists at the University of Texas at Austin, for example, concluded that gymnastics training, however intensive, did not appear to have any effect on gymnasts' heights as adults or on the growth spurts that accompany puberty.

Other studies suggest that while gymnasts' growth might be affected by training during their active years, they seem to "make it up" by the time they reach adulthood. The range of activities children take part in at gymnastics class include disciplines such as the gymnastics bars, which require a massive amount of control and strength of the upper body and core.

Young gymnasts also need to learn floor skills and the vault, which both require strong legs and include fast and physically demanding movements.

According to research conducted on the Role of Intensive Training in the Growth and Maturation of Artistic Gymnasts, teenagers who pursue gymnastics to a high level are highly select individuals and on average they are a little shorter. However, gymnasts who can perform an elite level gymnastics bar routine may have different characteristics to gymnasts who have the leg strength to master intense floor routines. Well, possible reason that makes more sense is what will be our discussion for the next para.

Taller kids who get into gymnastics are more likely to have a hard time with it. And as a result, it may make them more prone to drop out or look into other suitable sports.

For example, swimming. So that they can be more successful at a suitable sport that goes with their build. Unlike gymnastics that prefer kids with a short body. And this is one good reason why young female athletes often gets selected in a high-level sports team on the basis of their physique, size, and skill.

And during this selection process, subconsciously the body size is coming into play from very beginning. The smaller size of a gymnast actually takes place even before training starts. Those who have the concern of stunt growth might also want to know whether training has any bad impact on body.

Well, this segment should help you a bit. Usually, people would want to know about long term bone density and if it has an impact from weight-bearing.

Growth in body size affects rotational performance in women's gymnastics. Sports biomechanics , 2 2 , — Bacciotti, S. Journal of human kinetics , 58 , — Bale, P.

Gymnasts, distance runners, anorexics body composition and menstrual status. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness , 36 1 , 49— Bass, S. Short stature and delayed puberty in gymnasts: influence of selection bias on leg length and the duration of training on trunk length.

The Journal of pediatrics , 2 , — Caine, D. Does gymnastics training inhibit growth of females?. Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine , 11 4 , —