[Bout2Lose]

Right now I am currently 5'7 with wide shoulders 165-170 lbs they are very broad for a woman to where I feel like its a deformity. I am very insecure about them and when my mother buys me clothes as a Holiday or birthday gift she acts as if my shoulders are so broad that I need an XL in a top, when I can fit in a medium quite comfortably. Makes me feel not very feminine

anyhow, once I lost weight and got down to 145lbs and my shoulders looked more normal, instead of broad they looked firm and medium sized. But it was so long ago. This time around I want to get down to 130 lbs I'm thinking thats contributing to my broad shoulders is the fat on top of my shoulders and upper arm area.

but I would like to know if I should be lifting light weights or just leave any type of weights alone because it will bulk me up

[bronzeager]

Hi! I have broad shoulders too, and you should be proud of them! They are the key to a classic feminine body shape, the hourglass figure, and a more modern feminine body shape, the "swimmer's body." Lots of actresses famous for their figures have had broad shoulders. Google Cindy Crawford. She was one of the first great supermodels and she STILL looks hot. Joan Crawford singlehandedly started a trend for padded shoulders in the 1930s when women tried to imitate her natural shoulders. OK, so they are both Crawfords. Ursula Andress, Raquel Welch both have shoulders wider than their hips. They appreciate our figures more in some decades than others...

It sounds like your mom might have some body image issues of her own that she is trying to lay on you, or maybe is stuck in an earlier time frame when only being "delicate" was feminine. Don't fall for it. (My mom had body image issues she tried to push on me too, but about my generous bosom, not my shoulders -- I later found out she was teased for being chubby when she was young.) Did she have her formative years when the waif/pixie look was in?

I do lots of upper body weights, both light and heavier. (30-35lb each arm right now for bent over rows, plus repeated 3-5lb hand weights for raises in Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.) When I lost weight my shoulders and upper arms did get smaller as the fat thinned out, but by the time I had reached my goal weight where my belly and hips were concerned, my shoulders were starting to look bony. Doing weights helps with that a lot. They also help add definition and make your upper arms look less flabby. They are also good for developing strong bones in your shoulders and back which are important as you age, to keep you from becoming a bent-over older lady. (Take your calcium now.)

There are different styles of tops and necklines you can choose to set your shoulders off to their best advantage. Maybe someone with better dress sense can chime in... Haltertops and deep V-necks look great, also crewneck T shirts. Boatnecks and round neck openings not so much. I can say from observation that broad-shouldered women look much better in skinny jeans than pear shapes do. The proportions work out much better. And nobody can rock a tight turtleneck like a woman with shoulders. Oh look, here's Diana Rigg....

Oooh, here's a great one. Tell your mom to buy you THIS next time. In the right size. The Diana Rigg Turtleneck Dress from the Neiman Marcus catalogue.

[bronzeager]

Just for reference, I am 31" around the waist, 39" around the widest part of the hips, and 17" across the shoulders, measured across the back (like they do for fitting a jacket). Which makes my shoulders appear at least 2" wider than my hips from the front. And the fit rugby players who use my gym seem to think I look pretty good.

I think I might get that dress.

[Bout2Lose]

Originally Posted by bronzeager

Hi! I have broad shoulders too, and you should be proud of them! They are the key to a classic feminine body shape, the hourglass figure, and a more modern feminine body shape, the "swimmer's body." Lots of actresses famous for their figures have had broad shoulders. Google Cindy Crawford. She was one of the first great supermodels and she STILL looks hot. Joan Crawford singlehandedly started a trend for padded shoulders in the 1930s when women tried to imitate her natural shoulders. OK, so they are both Crawfords. Ursula Andress, Raquel Welch both have shoulders wider than their hips. They appreciate our figures more in some decades than others...

It sounds like your mom might have some body image issues of her own that she is trying to lay on you, or maybe is stuck in an earlier time frame when only being "delicate" was feminine. Don't fall for it. (My mom had body image issues she tried to push on me too, but about my generous bosom, not my shoulders -- I later found out she was teased for being chubby when she was young.) Did she have her formative years when the waif/pixie look was in?

I do lots of upper body weights, both light and heavier. (30-35lb each arm right now for bent over rows, plus repeated 3-5lb hand weights for raises in Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.) When I lost weight my shoulders and upper arms did get smaller as the fat thinned out, but by the time I had reached my goal weight where my belly and hips were concerned, my shoulders were starting to look bony. Doing weights helps with that a lot. They also help add definition and make your upper arms look less flabby. They are also good for developing strong bones in your shoulders and back which are important as you age, to keep you from becoming a bent-over older lady. (Take your calcium now.)

There are different styles of tops and necklines you can choose to set your shoulders off to their best advantage. Maybe someone with better dress sense can chime in... Haltertops and deep V-necks look great, also crewneck T shirts. Boatnecks and round neck openings not so much. I can say from observation that broad-shouldered women look much better in skinny jeans than pear shapes do. The proportions work out much better. And nobody can rock a tight turtleneck like a woman with shoulders.

Oooh, here's a great one. Tell your mom to buy you THIS next time. In the right size.

Okay thanks for reassuring me that broad shoulders are not always masculine on a woman lol I do have shapely hips and a nice shaped behind so I do have some womanly features


So do you think I should lift some 8lb weights for working out or should I go heavier? I am around 170lbs right now and I want to get down to 130lbs by next year

[bronzeager]

It depends on what kind of exercises you feel like doing and what you have available. Do you think you would enjoy higher repetitions more (on your own or with an exercise video) or a shorter workout with higher weights? In my experience they both have a similar effect, so I do both so I don't get bored, depending on the time I have available.

I have some hand weights at home going up to 10lb that I use to do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video, which has a lot of upper body exercises with higher repetition. With higher reps you would probably use handweights between 2-10lb depending on the move.

If you have access to a gym or YMCA, they will have weights in a higher range and also machines like presses, curls, flys and pulldowns, and there you would definitely want to work up to more than 8lb per arm.
I get a lot of ideas for exercises on the about.com site, like this one for triceps: Exercises for your triceps.