Boney chest - now what?

jessiruthica
jessiruthica Posts: 412 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've lost about 70 pounds over the last year+ and have done some level of strength training the whole time. Annoyingly, while I've still got plenty of fat on my lower half (oh, if we could only spot reduce!), I now have a boney chest.

What can I do from an exercise perspective to get rid of the boney-ness? Is it possible? I NEVER thought I'd have what I've always thought of as a skinny girl problem, but there it is nonetheless.

Replies

  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    If you mean your breasts look smaller, there is no exercise to fix this. Breasts are mainly fat.
  • carlyp79
    carlyp79 Posts: 95 Member
    I have no suggestions, but I think I understand your issue. I get all boney around the sternum and you see ribcage bumps under my collarbone and down to my breasts. Yet my lower half is very overweight and squishy. Perhaps it is just genetics? Are you tall and solid\broad built? I am.
  • jessiruthica
    jessiruthica Posts: 412 Member
    aggelikik wrote: »
    If you mean your breasts look smaller, there is no exercise to fix this. Breasts are mainly fat.

    Well, my breasts ARE smaller (and droopier, so that's nice) but not what I meant.
    carlyp79 wrote: »
    I have no suggestions, but I think I understand your issue. I get all boney around the sternum and you see ribcage bumps under my collarbone and down to my breasts. Yet my lower half is very overweight and squishy. Perhaps it is just genetics? Are you tall and solid\broad built? I am.

    Yes, this is it exactly. I would always have said I was big-boned but really I was just fat :) I'm medium build but with broad shoulders. Apparently, I'm a "carrot" or "inverted triangle" shape now.

    I googled but found some conflicting information (as per usual). It seems to come down to chest-specific exercises but there is no muscle directly over your sternum. You know how guys get those lovely pec muscles? That's pretty much all you can hope for, if I'm reading things correctly.

    I was hoping others here might have some ideas.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    There just ain't a heck of a lot of subcutaneous fat on the sternum, so it is what it is. Since growing hair on your chest (how most guys hide a bony sternum) probably ain't an option, going for a nice set of chesticles is what you're looking at.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    Lift regularly. I had that problem when I first hit goal (because I didn't lift heavy enough while losing). My ribs were showing. Now I lift around 6 hours per week and no more bony chest.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    If you are still losing weight, this may be something that you have to just accept until you get to a point where you can eat at maintenance or a bit above and possibly put on a bit of fat. Of course, we can't pick where fat goes on anymore than we can pick where it comes off so it might still be a problem then.

    I am finding that I am going to have to get skinnier than I'd like in order to lose the fat in my midsection and that is going to take me into bony chest territory. Once that midsection fat is gone, I'll try slowly bulking in the hope that the fat I add doesn't just go straight to my midsection again.
  • mercy7889
    mercy7889 Posts: 17 Member
    Completely agree with you about the midsection-it's the last place to go. Right now I am 107lbs & 5'0". I still have a fat on my abdominal area. I've always wanted a flat stomach. I think my perfect weight would be between 100-105lbs. Keep it going. We just got to stay healthy & take in enough nutrients!
    jemhh wrote: »
    If you are still losing weight, this may be something that you have to just accept until you get to a point where you can eat at maintenance or a bit above and possibly put on a bit of fat. Of course, we can't pick where fat goes on anymore than we can pick where it comes off so it might still be a problem then.

    I am finding that I am going to have to get skinnier than I'd like in order to lose the fat in my midsection and that is going to take me into bony chest territory. Once that midsection fat is gone, I'll try slowly bulking in the hope that the fat I add doesn't just go straight to my midsection again.

  • Ioana_Dumi
    Ioana_Dumi Posts: 9 Member
    It also comes down to the shape of your sternum. I've always been a skinny girl (95 mostly, at 5'5") but never had a bony sternum. Bony everything else? Yes! But not the sternum (at least not the upper part). We're all just shaped differently :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Why are these old threads being brought up?
  • Ioana_Dumi
    Ioana_Dumi Posts: 9 Member
    I've no idea, lol! I thought it was new, didn't even look at the OP date.

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