Secrets About Professional Gymnastics That Show What Life Is Like Behind The Pristine Routines

An average of five million Americans participate in the sport of gymnastics each year, and a very small percentage of those go on to qualify as a professional. In other words, only a select few know what it’s really like to compete at the top level. But some of those elite athletes have now revealed their secrets, telling what it really takes to be a professional gymnast, as well as how the sport impacts your body.

20. All gymnasts deal with high beauty standards

Simone Biles stands as the most decorated American gymnast of all time with 30 medals from the World Championships and Olympics combined. She quite literally soars above her competitors to the point where judges have marked down her skillful moves to deter others from attempting them and hurting themselves.

It has nothing to do with performance

And yet, Biles has revealed that she finds gymnastics’ focus on physical beauty to be frustrating, to say the least. The four-time Olympic gold medalist wrote, “In gymnastics... there is a growing competition that has nothing to do with performance itself. I’m talking about beauty. I don’t know why but others feel as though they can define your own beauty based on their standards.”

19. Gymnastics practice in outfits much different than their competition leotards

Gymnasts slip into leotards to compete for a multitude of reasons. The close-fitting garments can’t get caught or snag on equipment, which makes them safe to wear. Plus, their coaches and judges can more easily see the lines of their body, which they use to assess how finely tuned a routine is.

Self-conscious in performance attire

But most gymnasts look different when they’re working out in the gym. Yes, they’ll wear shorts or tights along with their leotards – and some do so because they prefer to show off less skin. Once it’s competition time, though, athletes wear just the leotard to ensure peak performance and safety. Even so, some admit to feeling self-conscious about donning their short, clingy uniforms.