It's often said swimming makes your shoulders wider, perhaps breaststroke and butterfly in particular? Are there any real swimmers here who can confirm this with their personal experience?
If true, what length of time and intensity of swimming did it take to result in such changes? I suspect this can happen only to competitive swimmers.
It's almost impossible to have a neck as wide as your head without either one of two other conditions:
1) microcephaly
2) steroids
I have not recently been accused of either of those conditions, but often was asked if I played football in college. I have a 19 inch neck to go with the big shoulders. Even XXL shirts have to be worn with the necks open.
I believe that the activity of swimming accelerates the definition and growth of the muscle groups around the shoulders to give them the appearance of being broadened. If we were to stop swimming or any related exercise, the shoulders would shrink down to a "normal" size and we would all look like pears.
I have the large skeletal shoulder structure from youth swimming but lost the muscle mass, even when I was lifting. I started swimming again in April and about a month ago noticed that none of my shirts fit!
Now I'm down to t-shirts or shirts that fit my shoulders and chest but make me look pregnant.
We need twins. One who grew up swimming and one who did not to solve this mystery.
I did not grow up swimming.* I danced ballet and modern. I was lithe. I do not have a neck the size of my head merci a dieu. I'm sorry, but I would quit swimming if that happened to me.
I do regular lifting for shoulder stability and I never used my arms in this way for dancing (i.e., constant resistance and constant motion through incredibly thick substance called water; sometimes called cement depending on energy level). I still believed I was lithe until I saw a picture of me holding a baby. Nope. Not lithe. Enormous arms and shoulders. My arms are truly as wide as my thighs from side view. Initially I was somewhat heartbroken. Then I accepted it and decided it meant I was strong. ALL of my shirts pull in that sexy swimmer's way now. I flaunt this. Well, not really. I can pretend it's a good look. Really I need some new shirts.
*Oh, wait. You need twins. I don't have one. Still, once I was lithe. Now I am not.
When you say "wide shoulders" what do you really mean?
I read it from many sources, so it's up to whoever made that conclusion to explain ;) I think they mean muscles, which over developed from swimming. But I doubt it could be that drastic. Could it be the other parts of the body become more slim (streamlined ;)) so shoulders look wider?
In fact, what I noticed during watching the Olympics was that the necks of many swimmers were very thick, some having the same width as their heads. :rolleyes:
Count me in. I was never petite to begin with, but my shoulders are definitely big from swimming. It's been a pain to buy dresses and shirts... it will never end. I'm huge.
When you say "wide shoulders" what do you really mean?
Do you mean broad shoulders - with a big upper body bone structure? Perhaps a big difference between chest size and waist size?
Or do you mean prominent deltoid muscles - the basic shoulder muscles?
I don't think someone who doesn't have broad shoulders (skeletal structure) by the time they are 18-20 can develop them later. Your bone structure is essentially finished development by that age. Deltoid and other muscle development can occur for a long time so I think an adult who starts wimming at 30 could develop big shoulder muscles. But their chest or shoulder width won't change.
I was born with big shoulders, so I never noticed any increase there from swimming; however, I do notice that my upper arms are larger when I swim. Like other fegirls out there, no blouses or blazers in my wardrobe.
