Gymnastics

Strangely enough, my high school physics professor explained it best:  Angular Momentum.

Younger girls haven't developed through puberty as much and, therefore, aren't susceptible to the additional weight displacement and inertial forces of developed breasts.  It also explains why gymnasts tend to be short.

Not a gymnast, but with dance, which tortures your body in similar ways, your career is over by 30, if you make it that far. The human body was NOT created for the stuff that those girls do. Running and swimming are much more "natural" activities, though of course, injuries can occur. But unlike swimming, a 30-something year old can't just "pick up" gymnastics. That stuff HAS to be ingrained into your body mechanics at an early age. Their bodies develop to adapt to those movements, and it really wreaks havoc on your joints, your muscles, your bones, etc.

If you've ever watched a baby kick its legs, you will notice how unbelieveably flexible they are. Babies can also sit up perfectly straight, with their legs out in front of them. Most adults will slouch unless they "try" to straighten up. Our body loses this ability very, very quickly  (Google 'Alexander technique' for more info about this), and it's very hard to "relearn". If you watch the gymnasts simply walk around, you will notice how much 'straighter' they hold their bodies compared to the average adult. It's the same with dancers - you can always pick out a dancer by the way they walk and hold themselves.

Yes, Olympic swimmers, runners, etc get injured, train from a young age and develop their bodies in ways that seem super-human. But gymnastics is much more severe.

To add - when girls hit puberty, their center of gravity drops. That throws things off for awhile until the body readjusts.

Really?  I always thought it was part of their "parade" stature when they are at a meet.  Granted, I haven't met too many active gymnasts when they aren't at a meet, but that is pretty interesting.

Well, yes, when they are parading around, they are trying to look poised. But when you watch them just standing around, etc, they're the same. Just notice how open and lifted their chests are. Same with dancer chicks. Maybe it's harder to see if you're not used to seeing it, because it is subtle. But I definitely notice it.

To add, I'm NOT talking about all the crazy hyperextending of their backs that they do in between passes on the floor routine, or when they stick landings. That's a "performance" thing and I think it looks weird.

My daughter (age 5) just started taking gymnastics at a local gym and I've noticed exactly what you're talking about with all the girls there (all the way up to the coaches).  Their casual walking around has a definitely different look to it.  I found your information really interesting. 

Hehe, no prob. It's such a far cry from running/biking/swimming that I sometimes feel like a weirdo going off about this kind of stuff.

There is a book called "Body Learning" which is an introduction to Alexander technique, which goes into more detail on the points I've mentioned. It's really interesting. Just a different way of thinking about body mechanics.

you are a weirdo, but you're our weirdo   kidding, kidding.

i had to google the alexander technique, very interesting.  is that what the theory is behind teaching dancers/gymnasts?  i've always been a very flexible person and i get comments about the way i stand a lot (that i stand very straight).  i wonder if that's a left over remnant from the bit of time in dance/gymnastics that i didn't even realize. 

Can't say specifically if they use Alexander in gymnastics, but the same principles can be found in pilates work, etc. so it's the same type of stuff regardless. You'd be surprised how much flexibility you can gain as an adult by working on those techniques and principles.

Cool stuff, thanks for the insight.   

Now if only any of it actually helped with triathlon... Though I'm willing to argue that it's the only reason I'm a decent swimmer - good technique, stemming from your core. not necessarily having rock-solid abs, but knowing that movement of your limbs begins at your core.

from what i've been told - flexibility helps a LOT with swimming.  and since it's so technique driven, being aware of your body lines would be helpful.  having flexibility in the hips helps with running too.  when i started focusing on stretching my gluteus medius more, my knee pain lessened.  so at least for injury prevention, it's probably a good thing.  you'll be able to do this when you are 90 and the rest of us will be sherpas  

Don't forget though, if it's not running/biking/swimming, it's useless. And also, stretching has no bearing on injury prevention

You're a trouble maker. 

It's actually pretty interesting.  I wish I had better posture and flexibility like dancers and gymnasts.  Sorely lacking for me.