BBC Sport Academy | Other Sport | Gymnastics

Got the perfect build for gymnastics?

Dr Kevin Thompson, physiologist at the EIS, explains the physical characteristics that make up the ultimate gymnast.

A small frame
Female gymnasts are small and light, while men are closer to average size.

Being light helps the gymnast to achieve a high strength-to-weight ratio, and being small helps with rotational skills (for example, somersaults).

For the same reason, gymnasts also tend to have short arms and legs.

Flexibility
Flexibility is vital to achieve certain movements, but it's not necessarily a pre-requisite.

That's because gymnasts often take up the sport at a very young age (nine-years-old or less), and undergo a stretching regime which trains them to be flexible.

Strength
Male gymnasts are very strong - their large shoulder muscles are very evident when they perform on, for example, the rings.

Female gymnasts have a light bodyweight but are very strong - and they have broad shoulders.

Their strength enables them to move, support and control their body through a range of positions - for example, in some of the slow moving hand-stand positions on the floor exercise.

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