Lifting WITHOUT broad shoulders
Options
berrydana7
Posts: 78 Member
Hi! i've been heavy lifting with an upper/lower split for over a year now and have of course, gained muscle and strength. My shoulders grew broader and bigger, which I was not too fond of so i stopped doing upper body training and shifted my focus to glute training and cardio. My shoulders did shrink, just slightly when i stopped training them every week but I would like them to be just a little bit smaller. Anyway, I am now getting back into training my upper body since while i don't want broad shoulders, I do want some nice back and arm muscles. I am worried that my shoulders will broaden again, so i will not be doing exercises that specifically target the shoulders like overhead press, shrugs, deltoid raises. My upper body days will comprise mainly of back and arm specific exercises like lat pulldowns, pull ups, rows, renegade rows, bicep curls, tricep push ups. What I'm worried about is that the back exercises like lat pulldowns, rows, pull ups are compound exercises, meaning that my shoulder muscles will be used in the movement and as a result, my shoulders might get bigger, which is what I want to avoid. Should I just not do upper body exercises or should I do higher reps? I want a toned upper body WITHOUT broad shoulders. Help would be appreciated
0
Replies
-
Huh?0
-
Are you measuring? If not it could all be in your head.0
-
If it were me, I would do as you have said, yes - there are some compound exercises here - but I think the size gain will be minimal so long as you aren't specifically focusing on shoulders or eating to gain muscle.
Looking at your picture though - for what it is worth - your shoulders aren't that big. Good luck0 -
Why do you not like slightly broader shoulders? Especially since you seem to like the muscular look in general. This is like wanting muscular legs but a flat butt.0
-
Muscles only get bulky in a calorie surplus, so the problem (if you want to call it a problem) is your diet, not your exercises.
To answer your question, pushing exercises use the shoulders more than pulling. So limit the tricep pushups and similar stuff. Pulling exercises ("back") don't work the shoulders much.0 -
Oh, dear. I really don't think you have to worry about "too big" anything. You are tiny.0
-
-
If it were me, I would do as you have said, yes - there are some compound exercises here - but I think the size gain will be minimal so long as you aren't specifically focusing on shoulders or eating to gain muscle.
Looking at your picture though - for what it is worth - your shoulders aren't that big. Good luck
thank you I will continue with my routine then0 -
Your shoulders won't be as big as you think they are. I think mine are huge and broad but no one else sees it unless I'm trying to show them off.0
-
berrydana7 wrote: »
Most of the time our muscles look bigger when the fat around them disappears. Might want to start measuring.0 -
BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »Why do you not like slightly broader shoulders? Especially since you seem to like the muscular look in general. This is like wanting muscular legs but a flat butt.
I guess it's just a personal preference0 -
Cherimoose wrote: »Muscles only get bulky in a calorie surplus, so the problem (if you want to call it a problem) is your diet, not your exercises.
To answer your question, pushing exercises use the shoulders more than pulling. So limit the tricep pushups and similar stuff. Pulling exercises ("back") don't work the shoulders much.
mmm understood but the thing is, i love doing tricep push ups since they place more emphasis on the triceps0 -
-
You crazy girl. I love my broad shoulders, they're my best feature. Love wearing tops to show them off. Though suit shopping sucks, cuz it's hard to find jackets that fit right and I usually have to buy jackets a size or two too big.0
-
SpecialSundae wrote: »Your shoulders won't be as big as you think they are. I think mine are huge and broad but no one else sees it unless I'm trying to show them off.
Yeah they aren't as big now as they were before since I stopped doing upper body training, increased cardio etc. but now that i'm getting back into upper body training, I am worried they might grow bigger0 -
berrydana7 wrote: »
Most of the time our muscles look bigger when the fat around them disappears. Might want to start measuring.
hmm alright, i think i'll still focus on back and arm specific exercises0 -
-
-
berrydana7 wrote: »
I doubt it. You aren't building muscle unless you are eating in a surplus. Are you? Otherwise you are sculpting what you have, not really making it bigger.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.9K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 403 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 999 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions