Ladies with broad shoulders
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Stew501
Posts: 65 Member
So I just started stronglift 5*5 about a month ago. I had some extra energy yesterday, so I did some upright rows with the bar-45lbs; my husband said I really need to limit my upper body lifting since I already have broad shoulders and more muscle in my shoulders, compared to average women. This pi$$ed me off, I’m I being over sensitive?
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Replies
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No, it would piss me off, too.9
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You're not over sensitive. That's really insensitive. I have broad shoulders too and a broad back. There's nothing wrong with that! What's so wrong with you having more muscle on your shoulders?7
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Thanks; I personally love my shoulders, it makes my waist look small. He went on an hour lecture; saying I’m gonna look bulky if I keep adding 5lbs every week. I tried to explain to him that I’m eating at a calorie deficit & there’s no way I’m gonna look bulky. We agreed to disagree10
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I'd be ticked off too - there's nothing wrong with broad shoulders on a woman! To be charitable, I guess it's possible he thought that you were or would be worried about it? But it's still an unkind comment.
ETA: Your second comment makes me think that I was being too charitable by being charitable and he doesn't understand how building muscles works, especially for women.11 -
I have fairly broad shoulders as well, and this would piss me off. I like that it makes my waist look smaller too, it can be annoying with clothing because clothing can be too loose on the waist and tight on the shoulders but a good seamstress fixes that issue. It sounds like his concern comes from a place of ignorance, not intentional meanness though. I'd just keep on doing your thing and let him eat his words as you reach your goals.6
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I would take broad shoulders as a compliment I have them and I think personally I look nicely balanced4
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As long as you can beat him up, it's all good LOL
I started off really pear shaped and have gained many inches to my shoulders and am proud of that. Haters gonna hate... even the ones we're stuck with. If you're happy, that's all that matters8 -
I have broad shoulders too and if my husband said that I would probably cry. My shoulders make me very insecure.5
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What an ignoramus!1
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Davidsdottir wrote: »As long as you can beat him up, it's all good LOL
I started off really pear shaped and have gained many inches to my shoulders and am proud of that. Haters gonna hate... even the ones we're stuck with. If you're happy, that's all that matters
Husbands can be really insensitive sometimes. Mine will make a remark about my back occasionally, then realize he shouldn't be saying anything and backtracks. I will say that he was afraid of me getting "boulder shoulders" (which I would love) at the beginning, but he's actually complimented me on my shoulders quite frequently.2 -
Get another husband. Jk. Not really, but... no yeah get another husband lol.10
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mom23mangos wrote: »Davidsdottir wrote: »As long as you can beat him up, it's all good LOL
I started off really pear shaped and have gained many inches to my shoulders and am proud of that. Haters gonna hate... even the ones we're stuck with. If you're happy, that's all that matters
Husbands can be really insensitive sometimes. Mine will make a remark about my back occasionally, then realize he shouldn't be saying anything and backtracks. I will say that he was afraid of me getting "boulder shoulders" (which I would love) at the beginning, but he's actually complimented me on my shoulders quite frequently.
My husband's nicknames for me are hulk and fat kid. He says them with love, though, and has honestly never made a real comment on my body aside from that I'm looking fit.1 -
I honestly don't know how I'd feel if my partner said that. Like I know I'd be really angry, and lose a lot of respect for him, but I don't know how angry/pissed off I'd be. I'd be tempted to say it would be finito for him, I'd be well turned off by someone with such a "gendered" outlook.
I've got a wide back and shoulders (used to be a swimmer). Personally I like it. It makes me feel athletic and strong. I only started lifting recently, but would bloody love it if I could get a bit more hench up top. Keep going, and do what makes you happy!
Do you think your husband is at all insecure? Some of my friends asked my partner if he was worried I would get stronger than him. My partner is very supportive, and very proud (as in, of me), and so of course isn't remotely worried about that. But the fact two of my (male) friends thought that, made me think it might be an issue for some insecure blokes...4 -
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that was rude tbh. No reason for him to say that at all honestly. Some women are just broad shouldered and there's nothing wrong with that at all and for me, it kinda sounds like he thinks women with broad shoulders aren't attractive or something. Either way, his opinion on that subject is invalid lol. You know your body, and you like how your body looks so he'll learn to deal with it. I'm petty though, so I'd bring up something on his body and see how he likes it lol.2 -
Also, I think your argument was totally focusing on the wrong things.
What about when you finish your deficit. You're going to carry on lifting then, right? What if you decide you WOULD like to gain some upper body mass? Is that going to be a problem? I think you need to make your husband see how it's your body and what you're doing is healthy and good for you (!). He might be grateful in the future, as you manage to maintain strength for functional stuff into your old age which many people lose. Also, as someone else said, he obviously doesn't understand how building muscle works for women (and how hard it is)- but it's almost irrelevant to his attitude.
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Well. I sorta' agree with gamesandgains. get another husband. lol.
Anyhow, all of our husbands/partners can be insensitive and brusk; it's a man thing, I think.
I am lucky mine is not, at least in that dept.
He always says that anything I can do, to help myself, is good, and supports my various and sundry attempts at getting my pre-botched surgery (2010) body, back.
He has other really bad traits, like inflexibility, control-issues, and a mind like a sieve, so none of our husbands are perfect.
He has taken a LOT of training to realize that comments about my body, my goals and my art (which includes body sculpturing), are out of bounds, because if he forgets that one, he gets a punch in the arm, and a giant "HEY, WATCH IT BUDDY'. It has taken awhile (12-15 years), but he has learned...........lmao.
I would sit yours down and tell him how you felt when he said that and to make it clear that your goals, strengths, and body, are generally off topic, for him, as they are really no one else's business, and that includes him.
If he loves you, he will at least try and remember..........good luck!0 -
It is VERY hard for men to gain muscle and even harder for women because of their naturally lower testosterone levels.
A common misconception is that women will become overly muscular from lifting weights. The only way this could happen is if the woman is taking steroids like the high level women bodybulders.
The odds of you over-developing your shoulders are slim to none.
Lift those weights!
Upright rows are a good developer of the shoulders and strength builder.. Some people have impingement problems if they use a narrow grip. If you have this issue use a wider grip. This is what I do.1 -
Add me to the broad shoulders group.
Thing is, even with weight lifting, and being as "bulky" as I'll ever get (not a body builder) my shoulders provide balance to my waist and give the illusion of curves (of which, I have none - even overweight I'm still just a plump round apple).
Finding clothes that fit can be a pain, but like someone else mentioned, that's what seamstresses are for!
As to your DH's comment - if you've complained about your shoulders a lot, or go on a rant every time you go clothes shopping, then I could see the comment coming from the angle of "hey, you already complain about this, why are you making it worse?"
On the flip side, if it was just a random comment, it seems pretty insensitive. Granted, I'd just tell him to piss off, and keep on with my workout since having a strong, well rounded body that can do everything I want it to is my priority.0 -
So I just started stronglift 5*5 about a month ago. I had some extra energy yesterday, so I did some upright rows with the bar-45lbs; my husband said I really need to limit my upper body lifting since I already have broad shoulders and more muscle in my shoulders, compared to average women. This pi$$ed me off, I’m I being over sensitive?
You're right to be upset, but for the wrong reason. Kindly explain to your husband that women produce 15 to 70 ng/dL of testosterone, whereas men produce 270 to 1070 ng/dL, the average number being somewhere in the middle. To really put this in perspective, a man who produces under 500 ng/dl will not look like a man, no matter how hard he tries.2 -
speedingticket wrote: »I honestly don't know how I'd feel if my partner said that. Like I know I'd be really angry, and lose a lot of respect for him, but I don't know how angry/pissed off I'd be. I'd be tempted to say it would be finito for him, I'd be well turned off by someone with such a "gendered" outlook.
I've got a wide back and shoulders (used to be a swimmer). Personally I like it. It makes me feel athletic and strong. I only started lifting recently, but would bloody love it if I could get a bit more hench up top. Keep going, and do what makes you happy!
Do you think your husband is at all insecure? Some of my friends asked my partner if he was worried I would get stronger than him. My partner is very supportive, and very proud (as in, of me), and so of course isn't remotely worried about that. But the fact two of my (male) friends thought that, made me think it might be an issue for some insecure blokes...
That's very insightful. A while back I was at the gym stretching after a workout and the guys next to me started saying how they saw me busting out pullups and were impressed. They asked if my husband worked out. When I told them no, he doesn't do anything physical, one guys remarked "And he doesn't care that you are all GI Jane?" So, yeah, that male thought pattern may be more common than we realize.5
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