'Normal' clothes for a gymnast shape

[KarenUK]

Hi all,

I hope you don;t mind me asking a question here... I'll warn you it is quite frivolous!

My daughter is 10, and went from a 1hr/week rec class to 8hr/week class about 10 months ago. We're in the UK, she competes as a floor and vault gymnast, but trains on bars and beams, and does a couple of comps a year as four piece. She loves her gym, and has drive and determination, but with a realistic view of how far she will get given the age she started. We are a new family to gym, it's a huge learning curve and we support her and are proud of her work ethic and attitude.

Anyway, one thing I was unprepared for is the way her body shape has changed so quickly. She's always danced, since increasing the gym her legs and abs are becoming more toned and muscular but, boy, her shoulders! She's developing a bit of a Johnny Bravo shape - she is not self conscious, she's proud of looking 'like a gymnast' and of the muscles that she 'built for herself'. I am just finding it hard to find clothes that fit and flatter her new shape - tops for her age group seem to be cut narrow across the torso, summer vest tops come right in at the front of the arms and make her shoulder look huge, I can;t seem to find clothing that fits and flatters her.

Can anyone more seasoned in gymnastics suggest general styles to look out for or to avoid? She does spend most of her life in leos for either gym or dance, and leggings or tracksuits, but she does actually need some normal, ten-year-old-girl type clothes!

 

[bogwoppit]

It made me smile when I saw your post. This is something we mums al have to deal with. Even now that my girls have stopped gym they still have those gymnast shoulders and finding clothes that fit was a big challenge for year. No real advice, we just tried on lots and lots of things, some things work, most did not.

But just be proud that you are trying to find clothes for an athletes body and not clothes to fit in her muffin top!

Definitely not a frivolous post, gymnasts do have to dress up sometimes!

 

[KarenUK]

Thanks for your reply - I don't feel so silly now! I think part of my concern stems from a friends daughter who went through hell as a teenager with other kids at school calling her names because of her build - she was an artistic gymnast and doing very well, but that was the beginning of the end for her

My girl so far is proud rather than self conscious - she know how many hours on the bars it took to make those shoulders! I don't want to spoil her delight in her sport.. but I know that girls can be cruel. She did a ballet solo at at dance festival recently (we're lucky because 8hrs/week means she can continue dancing) and she did really stand out in her tutu next to the little stick insects - I had other mums coming over asking me why I am 'doing that to my child'. But her whole body lights up when she talks about her gym, she's not going to set the world on fire, but she's making steady progress and enjoying every minute (well, apart from the ones spent rubbing arnica into her bruises..)

 

[aerialriver]

Broad shoulders stink! Square tanks look really good while cami's and regular tanks don't. I think someone needs to desing a line og gymnasts body clothes!

 

[mamaoftwo]

No suggestions here as we're in the beginning stages here, also. Just wanted to say I feel your pain. DD has some thighs and and a teeny tiny waist. Pants/shorts are a nightmare for us, and DD hates dresses. We just started shopping Justice and doing their roll-up sweats and she seems to think they're ok.

What about those cute little athletic-y cap-sleeve tops, or shirts that hit near the elbow? I think they're adorable on my DD. Granted, her shoulders aren't quite "there yet", but they're surely developing. But anything too delicate (like a cami or top with spaghetti straps) does look just a bit "off" on her budding shoulder muscles.

 

[bribri514]

I have a total gymnast body. I'm 20 now and barely 5 feet tall. I just had to quit gym but definitely have gymnast wide shoulders and big thighs, think ASac. Even though I was in the gym 20 hours a week, I was always kind of girly, waking up early to curl my hair and pick outfits out. I loved glitter and ribbons for meets.

My recommendations are avoid halter tops. Spaghetti straps too. Wider strap tank tops are best (but not the ones that are so wide they look like cut the sleeves right off a t-shirt, they also make wide shoulders look wider). The workout style tanks are pretty popular now and perfect for gymnast bodies. For girls my age it's popular to have guys style muscle tanks and a sports bra underneath but the fitted ones that are a bit more age appropriate are cute too. In the summer I actually wore a lot of skirts because it's easier to get them to fit. Pants/shorts that fit me in the waist were too tight in my thighs. Dresses with similar straps, or even smaller ones with a cover up are good summer clothes. Capris always make me look even shorter! (Even though when I was a middle schooler, those chunky platforms were still popular. I regret them in retrospect).

When it gets colder, sweaters are generally good and can be super cute. A more winter appropriate dress with leggings can be great too, same with longer tops and leggings. Leggings are in style now for girls my age/teens and they're always cute and age appropriate for younger girls IMO. My mom always had to hem my jeans! Levis seemed to fit better in the thighs than most. Longer sleeve shirts are hard. They're usually too tight then too long in the sleeves. The ones with a few buttons (not completely button up) seem to fit better. 3/4 length seem to work better too. Scoop necks are also pretty flattering (Especially if you layer a tank top underneath, a cami works good when you're layering). Someone mentioned the athletic style 3/4 sleeves for girls her age, very cute! I like to layer a lot, so a cute shirt with shorter sleeves, then some sort of zip up, then a jacket. In the fall, maybe no jacket. Even athletic girls generally like those zip up hoodies, which can be flattering if they're not the baggy unisex type.

And that's awful about what they say to you about your DD. They'll be jealous when they're teenagers and adults fighting growing figures and/or struggling with image disorders (not that I'd wish that on anybody of course! but generally it happens) and your DD is in shape and confident about her body!

Hope that helps!

 

[canadiangymnast_eh]

I think almost every gymnast has this problem with clothing not fitting right! For me, I am lucky to not be too muscular. I am quite thin (size 00 and I'm going into grade 11) but my calves and thighs are definitely bigger. I have the opposite problem of your daughter where i have very narrow shoulders so I tend to look like I'm swimming in some of my hoodies.
My recommendation would be to look for more fitted clothing. For bottoms, Leggings, jeggings and jeans with adjustable waists work well. When I was little I lived in leggings and adjustable jeans. You could also try the same styles in capris and shorts for summer. Dresses and skirts/skorts also work very well. As for tops, I agree with the above poster about the wider shoulder tank tops. A lot of girls also wear more fitted hoodies(zip up and pull over), and some even wear larger tees such as meet tees and use a hair elastic to secure the back in a more fitted style. You could also try shirts with a tie at the back of the waist. I think your best bet is to just try on a bunch of different styles and types of clothes to see what works best. Good luck! I know how big of a pain finding clothes can be!

 

[Bella's Mom]

Thank you for starting this thread. Dressing a gymnast can be frustrating! My daughter wears a size 5 in shorts. But that won't work in jeans because her thights are so muscular. So we go up to a 6X and have to cinch her waist to keep her pants on. LOL Needless to say, she wears a lot of shorts and skirts.

I would second BriBri's suggestion about tank tops. Bella looks awesome in tanks. I don't like her in spaghetti strap tanks but in a standard tank....yowza!

I am so jealous of her physique. I had always really liked the aesthetics of the "ballerina" body. I had high hopes that Bella would grow up to be a dancer. Little booger betrayed me but it worked out because she has one of those traditional gymnast bodies. Kid is rockin' a six pack, cut arms, and gets comments all the time about the size of her pecs. At seven, she thinks she has "boobs"! She doesn't understand that muscular pecs aren't the same as breast tissue.

 

[bornforbars]

My sister and I have the same problem. We are both very tiny (I'm 4'10" going into the eighth grade) and both really muscular. My sister is very solid and has very broad shoulders. She hated the fact that she couldn't fit into any tank tops, so my mom bought her tee shirts a size bigger than she normally wore, and the racerback tank tops fit her very well. Good luck

 

[cher062]

Well I'm no help as my DD doesn't have an issue with that yet - she's just not into that whole clothing thing (yet) and for me well I think she looks great in anything she wears. I don't have an issue with the gymnast shoulders at all. With that said she is a true gymnast as she loves her sweats and t-shirts the most but she has dressed up and been in a strapless and Spaghetti straps and looked fabulous. Of course being a size 00 to 0 she would look good in anything. We usually get seperates as her top is bigger than her bottom in dresses we get what fits her chest and then tailor the dress to fit the rest of her body its not that hard especially since I can sew and have been teaching my DD the same. She can hem, sew and do minor alterations at 14. She loves sewing things all the time.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

Its something you just have to get used to, out just sines to come with being a gymnast.I have problems finding jeans, I still don't have any that fit. I have more of a short muscular body, but the thighs ad calves are always ask small, amd the waist is huge. 00 waist is still to big but its tight in the legs. Belts have become my best friend.The other hard thing is finding coats to fit, or button up paid shirts a they are always too narrow through the shoulders.I have never really been self concious about my "gymnast" body, I have always been kind of proud of it I guess. Finding clothes can be challenging, but but I now I have my favourite stores that seem to be working out ok, the reality now is nothing fits properly. Spend a day at the mall, going into all the stores with her size and try some clothes on to get an idea of what works best for her. Soon enough she will be picking heown clothes and wanting to go shopping with friends.

 

[grizzoline]

Wait till they get older - if they ever get an office job, they're screwed

Nah, seriously, I'm currently equipping my work wardrobe and it's a massive pain. For normal clothes you can get around it (kind of) by getting stretchy fabrics and tank tops. Blouses are a massive no-no.
However, work clothes are a proper pain. I have to get like a 14 (UK sizes) for blazers and blouses at times (and they will still look awful cos they're huge everywhere else) and then get an 8 for the skirt. It doesnt even look that bad when you look at me, so I've had people commenting on it at checkout.

Once I'm rich, I'm gonna have my stuff tailored.

 

[CoachTodd]

I'm not a mom but I am a dad and my DD was a gymnast for a long time before going to cheer in high school. For the question of what should a 4'8" 97lb girl with about a 19" waist wear to look good goes, what ever she seems to like at the time. She used to be partial to T-shirts. Not what she's quit doing gymnastics, her shoulders have narrowed and she's lot about 7lbs so she looks a little more "normal"
From what I've seen, the only things you'll have trouble making look right are jackets and coats and such. I have the same issue since my chest and shoulders seem to stay about twice the size of my waist.

On a side note, my DD is 16 and still wears a US size 4 shoe. You should try finding cheer shoes in the right size for her .

Good Luck

 

[jen1957]

My DD is 8 and we had a terrible time finding jeans for her last year. She had to try on lots of pairs before finding any that weren't too tight for her thighs. It doesn't help that the style last year was "skinny" jeans (she can't stand those) which made it even harder to find some that fit properly. I've also noticed that she can't wear the form fitting type t-shirts, they are just too tight in her shoulders and upper arms. Most of the time, she likes to wear shorts and tank tops. If she has to dress up we look for things that compliment her, but for everyday wear I just let her go with what she likes. We'll see what happens as she gets older!

 

[3stars]

Oh, I know what you are talking about. We recently had to find a flower girl's dress for my 7yo DD. That proved to be quite the challenge as her chest was 5 inches wider than waist. Formal-style dresses for little girls are not cut that way. Casual clothes aren't as much of an issue for her, because she is very tall for her age (about 10 inches taller than the average 7yo) so we are already buying bigger to accomodate her long legs. It also helps that she is still likes to wear t-shirts or sundresses. The waists are absolutely huge though. Since she made level 4 team, her waist has gone down 3 sizes. Her school uniforms have proved interesting. I had to buy bigger sizes and tailor them in to fit her. I also learned how to cut the bottom binding on the sleeves of her polo shirts to make more room for her biceps. It should be interesting as she gets older on what else we will need to do.

 

[CreateMagic]

I don't have any good suggestions for tops (sorry!), but for the teens/adults out there--look for "curvy" style jeans/pants. They are designed to be roomier through the butt/thighs compared to other styles of the same size. Its the only style that fits me right.

 

[cher062]

Once I'm rich, I'm gonna have my stuff tailored.

A tailor isn't that expensive actually especially if you have some nice work clothes or clothes for an evening out you want altered. Check around and see where the tailors are in your area (there won't be many) but once you find a good one he/she will be your new best friend.

 

[Dezi]

Lol! I am laughing because just this week my dd who is 8 came into the room and her shirt was so tight across her shoulders in the back I thought I had shrunk the shirt! I can only imagine how much harder it is going to be to buy her clothes in the future!

 

[CoachGoofy]

Oh I feel the pain in this thread.

I've got wide-ish shoulders & muscly thighs, but am of a fairly slight build.

Tank tops & halter tops look absolutely AWESOME on me, if I do say so myself, but then I am not 10. I hate cap sleeves with a passion, they just don't work. I have grown to appreciate skirts & to a lesser extent dresses bc they fit my waist, nonexistant hips, AND thighs. Oh man, do I wish I could get away with wearing workout shorts all the time, but it doesn't work that way.

When I was a kid my mom could sew, so she altered 90% of what I wore.

 

[serenity's Momma]

There is no one way to dress a gymnast. I have a similar problem. I have two girls. The older, tller and thinner of the two quit gymnastics after 2 years of recreational, and my younger, shorter and more muscular girl is in her second year of competition. The funny thing is they both wear the same size clothes. Some things run big on my oldest and run small on my youngest but in general they wear the same thing. I have found that fitted t-shirts look the best on the younger one with some really cute shorts. If you really want to get her tank tops opt for the ones that are cut like her leo's. Leo's are made for gymnast's bodies and the tops that are cut like them seem to flatter perfectly.