How to Measure Your Gymnast at Home (Girth, Chest, Waist & Hip)

Getting a leotard size right comes down to four numbers, and one of them matters far more than the rest. Grab a soft tape measure and five minutes, and you'll never have to guess a size again.

This guide covers all four measurements, the order to take them in, and the small mistakes that quietly push you into the wrong size.

What you'll need

• A soft tape measure, the dressmaking kind. A builder's tape won't work. If you don't have one, a piece of string measured against a ruler will do.
• Close-fitting clothing, a singlet and briefs, or underwear. Not a jumper, not leggings.
• Someone to help. It's very hard to measure your own girth accurately.

Have your gymnast stand up straight, feet together, arms relaxed by her sides. No sucking in, no standing on tiptoes.

1. Girth, the most important measurement

Girth is the full loop around the torso, and it's the measurement that determines a leotard size. If you only take one measurement, take this one.

1. Start the tape at the top of one shoulder.
2. Run it straight down the front of the body.
3. Bring it through the legs.
4. Run it up the back to the same shoulder you started at.

Keep the tape snug against the body but not pulling. Read the number in centimetres and round up to the next full centimetre.

Why girth and not height? Because a leotard has to travel that whole loop while a gymnast arches, pikes and swings on the bars. Two athletes the same height can have very different torso lengths, and it's torso length, not height, that decides whether a leotard rides up or digs into the shoulders.

2. Chest

Run the tape around the fullest part of the chest, sitting close up under the armpits. Keep it level all the way around. It's easy to let it drop at the back.

3. Waist

Measure around the narrowest part of the body, roughly level with the belly button.

Can't find the natural waist? Ask her to bend gently to one side. The crease that forms is the natural waist. Measure there.

4. Hip

Measure around the fullest part of the buttocks, keeping the tape level and parallel to the floor.

Now match the numbers to a size

Take your girth measurement to our size chart and find the row it falls into. That's your size. Use chest, waist and hip as a sanity check. If girth says AXS but chest and hip are sitting firmly in ASML, size up.

We publish separate core charts for girls leotards (CSML 24" through AXXL 42") and boys leotards and unitards (CXS through ALA), so make sure you're reading the right one.

Important: some products, especially club uniforms and specialty competition ranges, carry their own size chart on the product page. That chart always wins over the general one.

Six mistakes that cause the wrong size

Measuring over clothes. A hoodie or thick leggings can add real centimetres to girth and hip. Measure over skin or a thin singlet.

Pulling the tape tight. A tape that digs in gives you a smaller number and a leotard that's uncomfortable through the shoulders. Snug, not tight.

Rounding down. Always round up to the next full centimetre. It's the difference between a leotard that fits and one that pulls.

Finishing girth at the opposite shoulder. The tape must return to the shoulder it started on, or the loop is wrong.

Measuring while she's slouching. Standing straight changes girth noticeably. Get her to stand tall.

Using last year's measurements. Gymnasts in the 8 to 13 age range can grow through a whole size in a single term. Re-measure before every order.

How often should you re-measure?

We recommend re-measuring at the start of each term, and always before a club or squad order goes in. Club orders are produced in a single run, so a measurement taken six months ago can leave an athlete in a uniform that no longer fits, and there's no swapping once production starts.

For club coordinators

If you're collecting measurements for a whole squad, ask families for girth first and make it a required field. It's the single biggest driver of accurate club orders, and it dramatically reduces the "can we swap this one?" emails after delivery.

We can also supply a sizing set, a physical run of sample sizes your athletes can try on before you place the order. Get in touch and we'll organise it.

Keep reading

• What size leotard for a 10 year old?
• Do gymnastics leotards shrink?
• A guide to the fabrics we use

View the full size chart