The World of Gymnastics

Posts Tagged ‘gymnastics leotard’

Time after time I have seen my gymnasts come into our gymnastics academy wearing a brand new leotard.  There is just one problem, it doesn’t look like a new gymnastics leotard. I see many new leotards that are super faded, have rhinestones missing and colors that bled together. This is very disappointing when a parent spends their hard earned money on a new gymnastics leotard and it gets ruined after one wash. To ensure sure this doesn’t happen to you and your new gymnastics leotard you need to follow the washing instructions on the tag. One problem is many gymnast say the tag is itchy so their parents cut it out. This means mom and dad no longer have the washing instructions and this usually leads to a disaster leotard. If this happens you should follow theses washing guidelines….

• Make sure you wash it with a very mild liquid detergent. Usually Woolite or baby detergent (baby magic, dreft, baby all) work the best.
• Always was the gymnastics leotard in cold water. Using hot water will make the colors bleed more
• It is always best to wash gymnastics leos by hand. If you decided not to wash them by hand you need to wash them in a gentle cycle with like items. This will eliminate pulls, snags, and bleeding from other clothes.
• Turn your gymnastics leotard inside out when you wash it. This will help the special finish on your leo to last much longer.
• When it comes to drying a gymnastics leotard it always best to hang dry it. If needed you can throw the gymnastics leo in the dryer for a bit on super low heat.

Follow these instructions and you will have a gymnastics leotard that will not lose its color or shine and will look brand new all the time.

Once gymnasts start to hit the pre-teen years they may start feeling uncomfortable in a gymnastics leotard. When gymnasts hit this stage, many parents buy their gymnasts gymnastics shorts. Is this helpful or harmful for your gymnast in the long run?

Gymnastics shorts are just like bike shorts (AKA mini bike shorts) but much shorter and usually much cuter; they usually come in a verity of colors. They also come in two types of material: lyrca and velvet. Gymnastics shorts are even decorative; they sometimes have rhinestones down the side or across the booty. These mini bike shorts may be cute and comfy BUT there are both positive and negative effects when it comes to wearing them.

First, I will start with the positives. Many girls who wear shorts feel like they need them; wearing them can give them more confidence and make them feel more comfortable with their body. The shorts keep the gymnastics leo in place which helps prevent wedgie picking.

Now for the negatives, shorts are NOT technically part of the gymnastics attire. When working out, the gymnastics shorts tend to twist from side to side. This causes the gymnast to have to stop what they are doing and fix them every time they twist (which is A LOT). Many gymnasts tend to hide behind their shorts. They can’t do gymnastics without them (so they believe). They rely on their mini bike shorts way too much and get very uncomfortable if they are made to take them off. But worst of all, once they are off the wedgie picking doesn’t stop. Without shorts their gymnastics leotards “ride up” even more. For this reason you may think shorts are great because they stop this problem but this IS NOT THE CASE! At gymnastics meets or gymnastics competitions your gymnast CANNOT wear shorts. Since they are NOT use to this, they may forget and pick their wedgies in their routines which will cause them to get a 0.05 deduction for each and every time they do it. This can add up and cost them their placement for an award!

I do not believe gymnastics shorts benefit a gymnast in any way. When my gymnasts ask me about wearing shorts I ask in return, “do you wear shorts over your swim suit when you go swimming”? Of course the answer is always “NO!” Then I tell them, “There is no reason to wear them here either.”

Keep in mind, you should practice the way you compete; this means No gymnastics shorts; at least not for those that participate in gymnastics competitions or gymnastics meets. They can be more harmful then helpful! If you have a correct fitting gymnastics leotard you shouldn’t have problems with picking wedgies anyway.

Gymnastics leotards not only have a great verity of fabric, colors, patterns, cuts, and styles, but they also have many different sizes. After your gymnast picks out the perfect gymnastics leotard, all you have left to do is measure her to ensure you get the right size.

Keep in mind gymnastics leotards and dance leotards have different purposes and are made to fit different. Gymnastics leotards are made to fit much tighter. To ensure the perfect fit that all gymnasts desire, once again, make sure you measure before you buy, DO NOT GUESS WHAT SIZE!

Measuring is extremely important when purchasing a new girls gymnastics leotard. If you buy one that is to big your gymnast won’t be able to wear it due to the bagginess and improper fit. If you buy one too small they also will not be able to wear it. It will be very uncomfortable and will ride up their whole gymnastics class. To avoid wasting your money on the wrong size gymnastics leotard here are some guidelines for measuring your gymnast for the perfect fitting leotard.

The Way to Measure for a Gymnastics Leotard

1. Girth- Take your measuring tape and measure from the top of one shoulder, down the chest, between the legs, up the back to the top of the same shoulder you started at. This will give you your girth measurement.

2. Bust- Take your tape measure and wrap it around the chest at the biggest and fullest part.

3. Waist- Use your measuring tape and wrap it around the narrowest part of your torso. Make sure you do not to this over your pants or shirt (this will give a false reading)

4. Hips- Measure around the largest and widest part of your lower body, where your booty is.

All of these measurements are in inches. To get the best result make sure you do not measure over thick or baggy clothes!

Many parents wonder if one gymnastics leotard is enough or if they need more. This is a great question! The first thing to keep in mind is gymnastics leotards can get expensive. Not everyone can afford an excessive amount of leotards. Some gymnasts have one gymnastics leotard while other gymnasts have forty-five! Both of these are extremes. My general rule of thumb for the amount of leotards you should have is based on the amount of days you go to gymnastics. If you go two days a week then I think two gymnastics leotards are a perfect amount. If you go to gymnastics class six days a week then I think you should have six leotards for gymnastics. This amount should not include your team leotard. This is only the workout leotard I am talking about.

There are several reasons I think this is a good rule of thumb. First, this will keep a gymnast from wearing a sweaty, smelly, dirty leotard to class without being washed. Having a few different ones will allow parents (or gymnasts) more time to wash the previously used ones. This will cut down on washing gymnastic leotards non stop. It is also nice to have extra so you can keep a second in your gymnastics bag at all times just incase something happens and you need a back up.

Whether you can afford it or not, having many leotards for gymnastics can be a waste of money. What is the point of having this many gymnastics leotards when the only place you can wear them to is gymnastics class. You can take the money you would spend on these extra leotards and spend it on a private lesson or an extra gymnastics class. This would be MUCH more beneficial for your gymnast!