Parenting the Gymnast Body: Navigating Weight and Body Shape Concerns

Gymnastics is an aesthetic sport, defined as “concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty”. Which in the past has revolved around a gymnast’s weight. This can be problematic as our appreciation for body diversity within the sport of gymnastics is still not where it should be. False assumptions that “lighter girls fly higher” are still held fast in the community.  But it’s 2022 and we need to understand that there is no one “gymnast body”.

For example, we can recognize that powerful gymnasts like Shawn Johnson and Simone Biles have a different body type than that of Nastia Liukin or Tasha Schwikert All four of these gymnasts are highly decorated, incredible athletes that have different strengths. For instance, Nastia would openly admit that vault was difficult for her yet Shawn and Simone are absolutely amazing on that event. A lot of that has to do with their body types and power-to-weight ratio. On the contrary, Nastia was famous for her ballet-like lines and artistry that are just not inherent to other bodies type. And that’s OK. In life, we all have our strengths and challenges. Gymnastics is no different.

Is there a specific body type for the gymnast?

No. This is an easy answer. Look at the past few Olympic-cycle gymnasts and compare their body types. They do not all look alike, yet they’re successful in their own right.

From my perspective as a women’s JO/NCAA gymnastics judge, the Code of Points does not support one body type over another. The artistry deductions are not overlooked for those who have a more ballet-like style. Artistry deductions encompass expression, relation of choreography to music, dynamics, etc. They are not limited to a certain body type. Sure, we’ve heard stories of judges who prefer a “certain” look over another. But this is unethical issue and today’s judging criteria does not favor one body type or another.

The problem lies in the fact that gymnastics is and will always be a subjective sport. And there are some who erroneously seem to think a gymnast’s weight should be judged alongside her skills. To prevent this kind of bias from occurring, we need not just proper judge training, but a mindset change in everyone involved in gymnastics. Execution deductions are applied to everyone, so this shouldn’t be an issue.

Body Diversity within Gymnastics

All bodies are different and that is normal. Trying to make your body and by extension, your weight (or your gymnast’s) look a way it is not meant to be will only lead to injuries, decreased performance, and mental toll. And the very likely chance of developing a serious eating disorder.

Sadly, many young girls and gymnasts (and parents/coaches!) feel like if they do not meet this “thin, lithe” standard of the “gymnast body”, then they are not going to “make it.”

And, so many “nutritionists” and “trainers” I see that are working with these elite level athletes only care about a “look” versus health. Health and performance are so much more than a gymnast’s weight or body fat percentage. I don’t care if your 16-year-old gymnast has a six-pack and 10% body fat. If they’ve not started their period due to lack of energy availability (calories!), their bones are suffering and this is NOT NORMAL. More on this as we get into things…

Let’s explore the following topics that all play into the gymnast’s body. Hopefully this information will help you (and your gymnast) understand more about their body composition and how to work with versus against it.

Can a gymnast be too tall?

The genetics of the parents partially (60-80%) determines how tall a child will be when they reach their adult height. This is a simple equation that is commonly found in calculator form online, linked here.

Gymnasts often have “delayed growth” or “stunted height” due to inadequate energy availability (not eating enough to cover the demands of training, living, etc) and intense training (stress on the body). These are considered “environmental effects”. This “stunting” is not normal. Nor should it be celebrated just because people sometimes favor “shorter” gymnasts.

Every athlete is unique. For some, tracking in the 80th percentile for height is completely normal. And for others, the 25th percentile is normal. The red flag is when the gymnast starts to fall off of her own curve.

It’s unfortunate that some coaches will complain in front of their athletes about having to adjust the uneven bars to multiple settings because of the “tall girls”. Too bad, adjust the bars. And stop commenting on the gymnast’s body.

Weight vs Body Composition

The scale tells us how much force exists between the object that’s being weighed (a body) and the planet Earth. This can be measured in pounds or kilograms. But it does not delineate bone mass, water, muscle, intestinal contents, etc. You may say “well of course, you should be measuring body composition and not weight” which is a *better* measure. But it’s still not perfect.

The most accurate measures of body composition likely come from the DEXA scan in combination with other measures. This equipment is not easily accessible as it’s usually only found within universities or medical offices. Those scales at the gym with the metal plates or the hand-held BIA gadget (bioelectrical impedance) have such a huge margin of error. It is not worth using as it can easily mislead an athlete.

Gymnasts should not be weighed by their coaches. Period. The coach is not equipped to counsel a gymnast about weight nor the steps that need to be taken to address nutrition issues. Regarding the number on the scale, I always ask parents and athletes, “what are you going to do with this information?” Very rarely does focusing on a gymnast’s weight or body fat percentage provide positive outcomes for the young, aesthetic sport athlete.

Why adding cardio to achieve optimal body composition isn’t the answer

Also, just adding more exercise (aka extra cardio sessions) to achieve an optimal body composition is not necessarily the answer. It’s risky to put an athlete in a place where they’re depending on exercise to maintain an optimal body composition because things happen. The athlete may get injured, sick, or retire from the sport.

They will then have to adjust their eating patterns if they were appropriately fueling for the sport. If they weren’t appropriately fueling (i.e., trying to eat as little as possible), their weight will likely shoot up. Often to a place where they are uncomfortable if something happens and they cannot continue training as the previous level.

Some post-sport changes are to be expected

Body changes post-sport retirement are normal. But massive swings in weight could likely be avoided with proper fueling from the start of their career. I teach athletes to “fuel for the work required”. This makes it easy to peel back added snacks when they are injured, on break, or on vacation and don’t need all this extra “energy” to cover exercise expenditures.

Frequent weighing can quickly become a mind-game and perpetuate disordered eating patterns. In my opinion, the young gymnast should only be weighed if visiting their physician or dietitian as those professionals are equipped to track growth.

Nutritionists (non-licensed, non-board certified) and trainers are NOT equipped to measure and monitor your child’s growth. And children under 18 are exactly that…CHILDREN. Parents or coaches should not be weighing their athletes. I’ve counseled MANY athletes where their parents or coaches are trying to micromanage their gymnast’s weight. Let me tell you, it almost ALWAYS backfires.

Dealing with “Body Talk”- A Zero Tolerance Policy

Body shaming or telling an athlete they are “fat” in effort to motivate them may work in the short term. Telling a gymnast she needs to lose weight to win might work… for now. But at what cost? It will then likely lead to crazed disordered eating behaviors and set them up for a lifetime of struggle. Little girls are vulnerable and will do what they are told. Especially if told it will make them win.

I was told by my coach to just “eat fruit” for dinner to lose some weight. So I did…after 4-hour practices in the grueling heat of the summer. And then wondered why my ankles and Achilles tendons weren’t healing. I sought help from my parents and enlisted them to help me with the eating disorder struggle. Telling them to hide the peanut butter jar that I was binging on because I was starving my body and HUNGRY was a bad idea. It led to all sorts of confusion and conflict. When they’d see me sneaking peanut butter from the jar (because I was starving), they’d get upset because I had asked them to help me stop. Yet they didn’t understand what was causing the underlying behaviors.

When a trusted third party is necessary

Think about it…food and body talk with your parents (as a gymnast) or spouse (as a parent/coach) never ends well. All parties are usually well meaning. But you are too close to be involved. It would crush me if my husband told me I “shouldn’t be eating that”. And yet we tell our gymnasts the same kinds of things all the time.

This is where a trusted third party like a trained pediatric/adolescent registered dietitian nutritionist and/or therapist comes in to help mediate these conversations. Also, as a parent, it is SUPER important to watch what you say about your own body in front of your children. How you treat your own body and your own relationship with food (food behaviors, dieting, etc) speaks much louder to your athlete than anything you may tell them.

When to Seek Help for your Gymnast

If your gymnast is struggling with food in any way, it’s time to seek help. She may be overeating, undereating, thinking she needs to go on a special diet to be successful (and tries to convince you she knows what she’s doing).

Or, if you are concerned about your gymnast, you need to first start with an evaluation of their growth (which will most likely be reassuring).

If your athlete has not started her period by 16, she could be experiencing delayed puberty and may need to see a physician (sports medicine, endocrinology, pediatrician) to rule out issues aside from RED-S.

Is your gymnast suffering from RED-S?

RED-S stands for “relative energy deficit in sport”. This essentially means an athlete is under fueling/overtraining. The body does not have enough fuel to perform normal reproductive functions. Whenever athletes were referred to the pediatric endocrinology clinic I worked with, I would see the patients in tandem with the physician. A nutrition assessment is key in helping the physician diagnose the issue (which was often related to inadequate nutrition and not a true disease or hormone disorder). Appropriate reproductive development is heavily linked to healthy bone mineralization.

Additionally, if you observe your athlete “body checking” in the mirror all the time or making comments about being “fat”, etc, you should seek help for them in the form of both a therapist and dietitian. These comments may seem innocent. Or they could very likely be related to deeper struggles and the beginnings of eating disorder behaviors that you as a parent or coach are aware of.

For the athlete who is struggling with some excess weight, some visits with a registered dietitian nutritionist would also be incredibly helpful. There could be other issues at play that are causing them to overeat (lack of proper nutrition education, emotional issues driving them to cope with food, etc). This is a touchier subject to broach. I implore you to seek advice before bringing up these issues with your athlete(s).

Preventing Gymnast Food and Body Concerns

The first way to help your gymnast feel confident in her own body is to learn to help fuel and nourish her body as a high level athlete. Just “eating healthy” is not enough. And certainly won’t help navigate the weight and body image concerns. “Food Parenting” is a big job, and your gymnast needs help. Both of you need to learn how food works in the body, timing of digestion and absorption related to sport, hydration, vitamin/mineral needs, and how to enjoy all foods without guilt, shame, or food fights.

If You Want to Learn More

Join our free training on How to Fuel the Gymnast for Optimal Performance to learn more about how you can best help your gymnast with nutrition! Click here to sign up.

And as always, if you feel your gymnast needs more support and education, please feel free to reach out, and let’s chat.