Will lifting help or hurt broad shoulders/big chest?

Coupongrl79

Hi guys, I’m 5’2 with broad shoulders and I’m top heavy. I’m down 177 lbs with cardio only. I would still like to drop another 40 lbs. It’s been about 13 months and the loss has slowed. I’ve been thinking about changing it up and adding resistance training. I dislike my broad shoulders and being so too heavy. Will lifting make my broad shoulders look toned/smaller or will it make them appear bigger? I’d like a smaller chest as well. Will lifting help with that? Any tips on what I should do? Thank you!

MaltedTea

Kudos on your progress! I don't think you're top heavy but you want what you want so...

Have you considered working on overall body aesthetics?

For example, I'd reduce focus on upper body work and start lower body/core work.

Panthers89

You won't get big - it will tone you up. And you'll see the effects in your arms and upper torso as well. Everything I read is positive about resistance training as an adult - I'm guessing by your picture avatar that you are one. Good luck!!! And keep up the great work!!!

goal06082021

Seconding what @MaltedTea said, you'll probably get results closer to what you want proportion-wise if you focus more on growing your hips/butt/legs than trying to shrink your shoulders and chest.

Resistance training is so important for women - it keeps our bones strong and healthy, protects against osteoporosis! So please do look into it, I hope you can find a program you like. Bret Contreras puts out a lot of booty-focused strength programming aimed at women, maybe look into his stuff?

ninerbuff

Lifting works on muscle and not fat. Broad shoulders are usually genetic and you can't really reduce their width, but with very moderate resistance, you can still train the muscle without increasing size. And your chest size is dependent on fat stored in the breast and that's NOT affected by weight training either.
Lift to condition your muscles so they become firmer and "harder". Also, keeping muscle conditioned helps to alleviate joint pain due to the stress of weight on them being reduced.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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deputy_randolph

I don't think you look "top heavy." Your legs look slim, which makes your top look a bit "wider."

"Broad shoulders" is a combination of your bone structure, muscle size...and fat. You won't develop massive muscles from lifting. Believe me, I've been trying.

Some of your "broadness" maybe fat (since you still want to lose 40lbs). Building muscle will give you more shape and firmness as you lose more weight. Adding lifting will help you retain the muscle you do have if you are eating at a deficit.

springlering62

Lifting will shape you up. It’s emphasized my shoulders but that’s because it’s helped trim my waist and legs, making shoulders look proportionally bigger, not in a bad way.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I see nothing wrong with your shoulders. You're not a twig. If you have good shoulder strength, try swimming, if you don't do it already. Hidden talent.

Coupongrl79

Thank you everyone for the feedback. I really appreciate it. @ninerbuff the explanation you provided was super helpful. @Jthanmyfitnesspal Just got some new swimsuits for the gym! 🙂

Chieflrg

It will depend on a few things.

One being your programming and how sensitive you respond to it specifically. If you eating in a deficit, I wouldn't expect a significant amount of hypertrophy to take place. More of a retention of the muscle you do have. Which may or may not lead to a more "toned" look.

Two being what you consider toned or bigger as a individual. With the info you given, I don't have a clear idea what either "looks" you are setting for the goal posts.

I certainly wouldn't advice avoiding training your upper body.

Backtrack to your training...how sensitive you are to certain programming could elicit a different response.

I would suggest find programming or a experienced coach that can guide you after gathering more info like equipement, days available, etc... There are many of us who do online extremely fair prices who can help you.

DancingMoosie

My friend has a similar build. We lifted together quite regularly while she lost weight. She kept her overall shape, but reduced her size overall. We did full body lifting, similar to strong lifts 5x5.