Parents ask this question for a simple reason: many gymnasts look petite. You see it on TV, you see it at meets, and it’s easy to assume the sport must be “making kids short.”
The research tells a more nuanced story. Gymnastics training, by itself, has not been proven to permanently stunt a child’s final adult height. In most studies, the more consistent explanation is selection + genetics (kids who are naturally smaller and later-maturing often do well and stay in the sport), plus a few modifiable factors that can temporarily affect growth during heavy training years.
What researchers generally agree on
- Elite gymnasts tend to be shorter than average, but this is not the same thing as proving gymnastics causes short stature.
Some athletes can show slower growth velocity or later puberty timing during intense training years, yet many demonstrate catch-up growth, and adult height is often not reduced compared with what would be expected from family height patterns.
So the best “honest” statement is:
Gymnastics does not appear to permanently stunt growth for most kids, but intense training combined with low energy intake (or other stressors) can temporarily influence growth and maturation.
Why So Many Gymnasts Are Short (Without Blaming the Sport)
1) Selection Is Powerful
Gymnastics rewards strength-to-bodyweight, fast rotation, control in the air, and clean landings. A shorter, lighter build can be a real advantage for many skills, especially at higher levels.
Over time, athletes with those natural traits are more likely to progress, succeed, and remain in the sport. That’s why researchers consistently emphasize that gymnastics tends to select a certain body type rather than create it.
2) Many Gymnasts Are Later-Maturing
Some gymnasts, especially in competitive programs, show later timing of puberty markers compared with peers. Later maturation can make a child look “small for their age” during middle school or early high school, even if they eventually reach a normal adult height.
This can be unsettling for parents watching growth charts year to year, but it often reflects timing, not a permanent growth problem.
3) Training Load + Fueling Matters More Than “Impact”
When growth concerns appear in the literature, they’re rarely discussed in isolation. They’re usually linked to energy availability, whether a growing athlete is eating enough to support both training demands and normal growth.
The International Olympic Committee’s consensus on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) explains how chronically low energy availability can affect multiple body systems in athletes of any gender, including growth, puberty, and bone development.
This does not mean gymnastics is harmful.
It means the risk combination is:
high training volume + insufficient fuel + inadequate recovery.
Can Gymnastics “Damage” Growth Plates and Stop Height Gains?
This is one of the biggest myths.
Growth plates (epiphyseal plates) are areas of developing cartilage near the ends of long bones in children and teens. They do determine how much a bone can grow in length, and severe injuries to them can affect growth locally.
However, the idea that regular gymnastics training automatically damages growth plates and prevents a child from reaching their adult height is not supported by scientific evidence in the way people often think.
Here’s what research and expert guidance actually show:
1) Gymnastics training itself doesn’t inherently harm growth plates
Large reviews of the scientific literature show that intensive gymnastics training does not appear to reduce adult height or permanently slow growth in most athletes. Shorter average stature in gymnasts is better explained by selection and maturation patterns, not by growth plates “closing early.”
2) Temporary growth changes can occur during heavy training
Some studies following elite gymnasts report that during very intense training periods, particularly before or during puberty, athletes may show slower growth velocity or delayed skeletal maturation.
Crucially, this pattern has often been observed alongside later catch-up growth or normal adult height, which does not support the idea of permanent stunting.
3) Growth plate injuries can happen, but not simply from training
Growth plate injuries are a recognized risk in all youth sports, including gymnastics, because these structures are more vulnerable in growing bodies. These injuries are typically linked to specific trauma or repetitive overuse at a single site, not to the general act of training itself.
4) Strength training and physical activity don’t harm growth plates
Contrary to popular belief, pediatric sports medicine consistently finds that well-supervised strength training, bodyweight loading, and impact activity do not damage growth plates or impair linear growth. In fact, appropriate physical loading supports healthy bone development.
What Research Suggests Can Happen During Heavy Training Years
1) Temporary Slower Growth Velocity (and Possible Catch-Up Later)
When people say “gymnastics stunts growth,” what they’re often noticing is growth timing, not a permanently “shorter adult height.”
Some studies and clinical reports in elite or very heavily trained gymnasts describe a pattern like this:
- During intense training years, height increases can look slower than expected for age (attenuated growth velocity).
- When training volume drops (off-season, injury time, reduced hours, or retirement), some athletes show catch-up growth.several years before catching up.
Why this can look dramatic in the teen years:
Gymnastics attracts (and selects for) athletes who often mature later. Later-maturing kids can look “behind” on height in middle school and early high school, then surge later. The FIG-commissioned review explains that gymnasts’ growth/maturity patterns often resemble those of naturally shorter, later-maturing youth who aren’t athletes.
2) Later Puberty Timing (in Some Groups)
Research does show later maturation patterns in certain elite populations—but it’s not a simple “gymnastics delays puberty” story.
- Artistic gymnastics (WAG/MAG): Later skeletal maturation and puberty markers are observed in some athletes, but adult or near-adult height generally remains within expected ranges.
- Rhythmic gymnastics and other lean aesthetic sports: Studies report delayed skeletal maturation and later menarche, often associated with training intensity, lower body fat, and bone age differences, while still concluding that adult height is not necessarily reduced.
In short: later puberty does not automatically mean shorter adult height.
3) The Real Red Flag: Low Energy Availability (RED-S)
If there’s one major takeaway for parents, it’s this:
Training volume isn’t the main problem, chronic under-fueling is.
A practical adolescent RED-S review spells this out clearly: adolescence has very high nutritional needs, and if total energy intake falls below what’s required, it may cause growth stunting, pubertal delay, and reduced bone mass accrual.
How to connect this back to “gymnastics and growth”:
If a gymnast is eating enough, sleeping enough, and recovering well, the research does not support the idea that training automatically reduces final height. But if an athlete is chronically under-fueled during key growth years, that’s when growth and puberty can be affected.
A Useful Reality Check: Gymnastics Can Be Good for Growing Bodies
While growth concerns get the most attention, there’s an important counterbalance:
Gymnastics is one of the most osteogenic (bone-stimulating) youth sports.
1) Higher Bone Mineral Density and Content
Multiple studies show that gymnasts often have higher bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) than non-gymnasts, even after accounting for body size.
High-impact loading from jumping, tumbling, and landings stimulates bone formation, especially during critical growth windows.
2. Bone Benefits Occur Across the Skeleton
Research shows that gymnasts often develop stronger bones in several areas, including:
- Distal radius (wrist)
- Lumbar spine and femoral neck (hip area)
- Whole-body bone measures
Both competitive and recreational gymnastics have been linked to improved bone strength compared with non-participants.
3. Benefits May Last Beyond Gymnastics Participation
Some studies suggest these skeletal advantages may persist even after athletes stop training, potentially lowering fracture risk later in life. Early mechanical loading appears to leave a lasting imprint on bone structure.
Bottom Line
Gymnastics does not appear to permanently stunt growth in most kids. What matters far more than the sport itself is how training is structured, fueled, and recovered from.
When gymnastics is done thoughtfully, it can support strength, coordination, confidence, and even bone health during critical growth years.
