A Cross-sectional And Longitudinal Growth Study In Gymnastics

Introduction
In artistic gymnastics (AG), some transversal studies describe the relationship between anthropometry and performance
[1]. Very few longitudinal studies [5;6;8] describe the growth of gymnasts from childhood to adulthood. Some of them
use a mixed longitudinal-transversal method between 7 and 24 years of age in males and from 6 to 17 in females [4].
Through mixed longitudinal data (height and weight), the present study describes the growth evolution in elite Spanish
gymnasts from childhood to adulthood and compares the results with previous studies.

Methods
The results of other studies have been used to reflect the evolution of height and weight,: 1) Normal values of spanish
population. 2) Gymnastic values of other authors in males (MAG) [1] and females (WAG) [1;2;5]. 3) Growth values in
a control population accepted by the international community (Tanner & Whitehouse). 4) Gymnastic data from the elite
training center -CAR of San Cugat- since 1991 (n=150), and from a mixed cross-longitudinal Spanish gymnastics study
(n= 387) [4].

Results
Height and weight increases until the age of 20 in MAG and until the age of 16 in WAG. In both genders a clear plateau
in the height but not in the weight is observed between the age of 9 and 11, which increases very linearly. Both genders
have a similar evolution until the age of 11. From then onwards males have a higher increase in height and weight. All
gymnasts have a smaller height and weight than the mean values of the reference group, and even than some data of
other gymnastic studies. The Bottom Height Velocity (BHV) is observed at the age of 11 in females and the age of 12
in males, whereas the PHV is observed at the age of 12 in females and at the age of 14 in males. A second burst in
height, but smaller than the first one, is observed at the age of 17 in both genders. The weight increase in females has a
similar profile to the height profile and is much more progressive than in males.

Discussion
The data shows smaller values than the ones described in previous studies [1;2;5], possibly because the first references
were taken more than 15 years ago. This is long enough for 4 new progressively more demanding FIG code versions,
favoring smaller and lighter gymnasts. Therefore, an elite selection process may be one of the most important factors to
explain the smaller gymnasts’ height and weight from a very young age. Contrary to other studies [8], the spanish
gymnasts show a PHV at the age of 12, in females, and at the age of 13-14, in males, which is considered within a
normal age range [3]. A second burst at the age of 17 in MAG must be highlighted. This could be due to an extensive
strength-training program in MAG, accompanied by hormonal factors, which favor higher muscle mass. The plateau in
weight verified at the age of 14 in a control Spanish female population is delayed 2 years in WAG, because at the age of
14 their weight increase is still concomitant with the increase in height. This may be explained by more strict nutritional
control and by more demanding training at prepuberal ages countersigned by the higher weight variation in relation to
the training period in females, in comparison to males [6;7]. Our results confirm a slight anticipation of the PHV with
respect to the PWV.

References
[1]. Calderone G. et al. (1986). J. Sports Medicine, 26: 263-273.
[2]. Claessens AL. et al. (1992). Med Sci Sports Exerc, 24: 755-63.
[3]. Malina R.M. (1994). Med Sci Sports Exerc, 26: 759-66.
[4]. Marina, M. & Rodríguez, F. A. (2001). ECSS. Cologne, Germany, 520.
[5]. Peltenburg A.L. et al. (1984). Int J Sports Med, 5: 36-42.
[6]. Salmela J.H. (1979). Can J Appl Sport Sci, 4: 219-22.
[7]. Sands WA et al. (1995). Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 9: 110-115.
[8]. Theintz G.E. et al. (1993). J Pediatr, 122: 306-13.

NOTA: O texto com a iconografia está no anexo.

Arquivo