Parents Has gymnastics helped your gymmie gain weight?

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mariposa

Proud Parent
Proud Parent
DD has always been thin since she was a baby and when she started team I remember freaking out about her working out more hours because I worried she would lose weight or not grow as well. I was soo wrong. I use this calculator every now and then to see how she is growing and it has been amazing how much weight she has put on since starting team.

May 2008 she was 5 years 10 months and had just moved up to team. 37lbs and 43 1/2", 8th percentile for weight and 25th for height.

March 2009 she was 6 years 8 months old. 42.5lbs and 45 3/4" tall. 18th percentile for weight and 26th percentile for height.

December 2009 7 years 5 months 47lbs and 47 1/2" tall . 22nd percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height.

Interestingly, she has followed her height curve but has jumped up quite a bit on the weight curve. Until moving to team, she was always below 10% percentile for weight. I am sure a lot is due to muscle, but wow. All that worry for nothing. :D

Here is the calculator I used. Pretty fun. Especially when used over time. It has helped me so much to relax about all the hours she spends at the gym. She still doesn't eat as much as I would like, but I try.

Children's Growth Chart Percentiles Calculator
 
Oh yes, gymnastics puts on muscle weight! Lily went from 46 lbs last year to 52 now. She's pretty much the same height as Abby, though a year older - so 25th % for weight and a whopping 9th % for height. :)

Meg
 
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Did she stay on the same height curve? That is what I find interesting. People always say gymnastics will stunt their growth, etc, but so far, that hasn't been the case with my kiddo. Her height has followed the same curve, but she has gained lots of weight. :D I think you just have a shorty, which is usually a plus for gymmies!
 
Mariposa, yes she has always been short so she is staying pretty much on the same curve - always hovering between 5th to 10th percentile - and has always been like that every since she was about 6 months old. I strongly suspect she would weigh less if she did not do gymnastics. Sounds like gym is good for Abby!! :)
 
Midget has slowed down on the height chart and let everyone else catch up.

May 2008 she was 42.5" and 37 pounds. This was after doing 4 months of Gym.

May 2009 she was 46" and 45 pounds.

Now she is 47" and 53 pounds. Christmas Eve baby so she is 6 years, 11 months.

She is one little muscle though.
 
Definitely noticed a jump in weight when DD switched to preteam. I don't think there has been any slowing of height and she's added an hour or two now that she is on level 2 team. She is currently 4'1" and 55 pounds at 6y2m. Excellent weight for a swimmer.

I read somewhere that you don't see height delay until 15 hours of training a week?
 
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Actually just the opposite--to the point where the doctor talked with Beth last spring about whether she was trying to lose weight! If she knew what she weighed now--she'd have another talk with her (she was 81 lbs last spring and is 77 lbs now.

She eats a TON, but she just exercises a lot. There's no fat on her at all!
 
Here is where Lilly falls...

7 years 2 months

45 pounds - 18th percentile

45 inches - 5th percentile

She has gained a little height in the last year but I have noticed more in her weight gain. This spring she weighed right at 40 pounds but then her gym really stepped up the conditioning program over the summer and she put on right at 5 pounds and it seems like it is solid muscle. She has a stocky & muscular build. During the summer she looked a bit funny next to her non-gym peers with defined arm, back, leg and abdominal muscles. She wears 5-6 slim pants to fit in the waist but not sure how much longer she will be able to stay in slims due to her muscle mass. Her pants are getting tight through the thighs especially.

It is funny to see family or friends go to lift her up for a hug and groan because she weighs so much more then you would expect. It is a shock for most.

Lilly eats almost non-stop and is always hungry so that is not a complaint I have. Luckily most of her food choices are very healthy.

Gymnastics does her body good! :D
 
Flipper is just the opposite, too. Without all the muscle, the child would blow away - and it is not for lack of eating. Sunday evening, we went out to eat fairly early in the evening. About 8 p.m., Flipper asked when we were going to have supper. I replied that we had already eaten. "I need my second supper!" Yep, she eats a full meal before gym and another after - even on the two days she doesn't go to gym. BTW - she is in the 3rd percentile for weight and 8th percentile for height for her age. I want her metabolism (it would probably help if I worked out as much as her ;>).
 
It seems like Dani was pretty much at the 75 percentile for both height and weight when she was younger (ages 3-6). Then when she started with cheer and more recently gymnastics, she seemed to slim down a bit more but she has added a lot of muscle. She has more of a build like Nastia and Samantha Shapiro where she is thin but still muscular. Here is where she is today:

At 10 years and 11 months:

your child is 66 pounds, and that is
at the 12nd percentile for weight.
your child is 55 inches, and that is
at the 29th percentile for height.

She is definitely taking on my body type and physique (I am 5 ft 3 in and about 105 lbs). I am one of those people that can eat anything and I never seem to gain weight (sorry guys!). I think Dani is definitely due for a growth spurt soon--it seems like all her classmates are getting taller except her!! I was the exact same way when I was in elementary school and middle school and didn't really hit my spurt till high school. As long as she is healthy and her doctor says she is fine I am not concerned.
 
Flipper is just the opposite, too. Without all the muscle, the child would blow away - and it is not for lack of eating. Sunday evening, we went out to eat fairly early in the evening. About 8 p.m., Flipper asked when we were going to have supper. I replied that we had already eaten. "I need my second supper!" Yep, she eats a full meal before gym and another after - even on the two days she doesn't go to gym. BTW - she is in the 3rd percentile for weight and 8th percentile for height for her age. I want her metabolism (it would probably help if I worked out as much as her ;>).

Yeah, I'd lose weight if I exercised that much too LOL!
 
Just checked Beth's and it is:
At 11 years and 10 months:

your child is 77 pounds, and that is
at the 19th percentile for weight.

your child is 59 inches, and that is
at the 47th percentile for height.
 
Well, I used the calculator with Pixie's measurements and she was in the "below 3rd percentile" which I think was the same as last year. Maybe she hasn't moved onto the charts yet but I can definitely tell there is more mass to her. Her legs are more muscular and her arms are no longer toothpicks.

I think gymnastics has been very good to her body growth.
 
Wow, I knew Alex was petite but I had no idea that she was THAT petite.
She is 52" tall and weighs 57 pounds, she is 10 years 2 months old
According to this calculator she is in the 6th percentile for weight and the 14th percentile for height. I have not been keeping up with the percentages since she was a baby. Very interesting, I will have to keep checking this from time to time.
 
Interesting everyone. DD looks likes she weighs less than she does due to muscle I think. She looks skinny, but has really defined muscles now, especially upper body. It is funny to see her do stuff and realize how muscle-y she is. LOL. I wish I had her body, too. :D I enjoy checking it ever 6 months or so to see how she is growing. I DO wish she would eat more sometimes. She eats healthy, but I would love to squeeze in a little more calories each day.
 
This looked so interesting I went to the trouble of finding out what on earth inches and pounds convert to! :D
Anyway, it seems my DD is on the 6th percentile for both height and weight. Good to be 'even', and great news that she's finally broken the 3rd percentile barrier she sat on as a baby and toddler.
That's pretty steady growth though isn't it.
It will be interesting to see if gymnastics changes it!!
 
Hmm, one of my boys on team is the same height as Alex and roughly the same weight. However, he has GERD and so he has always had issues with eating in that he eats slowly and I hear many GERD kids learn to self-regulate. A few years back he wasn't gaining any weight when he first started doing team besides soccer.

I was talking to one of our coaches recently and when she quit ballet is when she had a growth spurt at 17! I'm thinking now it's a matter that they stay small due to caloric intake and just a minimal amount of excess that allows for some growth.

However, it's often noted that when gymnasts quit is when they grow A LOT. This generally pertains only to gymnasts and dancers who have been working out A LOT.

I've heard it's been thought this is due to body stress and joint compression but the available calories leading to sudden growth makes a lot more sense.
 
Beetle fit here:

At 14 years and 2 months:
your child is 101 pounds, and that is
at the 31st percentile for weight.
your child is 61.5 inches, and that is
at the 24th percentile for height

I think for her it is because she hasn't finished growing or started her period yet. So that automatically puts her in the lower percentages for her age.
 

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