Simone Biles Debunks Every Gymnastics Myth

Our Digital Cover star and Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles responds to popular misconceptions and assumptions about gymnastics and the athletes who participate in the sport.

Do gymnastics really stunt your growth?

Do gymnasts constantly have wedgies in their uniforms?

Find out what myths are false and which ones ring true as Simone sets out clear the air.

- I've heard gymnasticsstunted your growth.Still don't know if that's true or not,but here I am at fourfoot eight, so possibly.[upbeat music]Hi, I'm Olympic goldmedalist, Simone Biles,and I'm debunking some misconceptionsyou guys have about gymnasts.We asked on Instagram aboutmisconceptions and assumptionsI broke them down into three categories,sport,lifestyle,and the physique."So gymnastics is not a sport."I hear this a lot, but Ifeel like every four years,everybody tunes in to watch gymnastics.So it's gotta be a sport at least.Out of all the sports,gymnastics is probablythe most competitive.Right now I train 32 to 34hours a week just to competefor about three or four minutes.It's all sports combined in one.You can't just be fast.You have to have like agility.You have to be able to jump.You have to be able toflip, memorize routines.It's kind of all-in-one."Gymnasts usually retire at an early ageand gymnasts have a short career."That's not technically truebecause we can do it wheneverwe go to college and getlike NCAA scholarships.So I guess we all kindof retire around 22, 23."You have to be richto get into the sport.Are lessons expensive?"It actually is a very expensive sportand it has to do with it's also year long.We don't have a season andthen we can take a break.And you kind of have to trainyour whole entire life for it.So yes, it does get to be expensive."You can't startgymnastics later in life."I was six years old, almost seven.And that's already, typically late,because usually you startin Mommy and Me classesor as soon as you can walk."You can't be afraid ofheights as gymnasts."You actually can,but it doesn't affect you inthe gym when you're flipping,because you don't notice how high you are.So I feel like that one's kind of a myth."They can never growabove a certain height."Some gymnasts are like 5'6", 5'8",which is really tall for agymnast, not for a normal person,but for a gymnast.If you walk into the gym,the tallest person on theteam is probably 5'4".Think it's different now.Everybody thought bar swingerswere a little bit taller,leaner and then if you're like a tumbler,you're a little bit shorter and thicker,but now it's been proven that you can kindof have both body types and do all of it.So it's,doesn't really make a difference any more.But let me tell you,you gain three pounds,it's a little harder to swing on the bars."They're very flexible."No, not all gymnasts are flexible.Me and Aly Raisman wereactually not that flexiblefor gymnast because ourmuscles kind of overlap that,but we're flexible enoughto do what we have to do.I'm Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles.Thank you.