What Do 13 Inch Shoulders Look Like?

One thing’s for sure; 13 inch shoulders are definitely smaller than usual for an adult. But depending on how you got your 13 inch measurement, your shoulders may not actually be that much narrower than the average female shoulder width.

So if you want to learn about the specifics of having 13″ shoulders (and find out what that means for your body), you’re in the right place. I’ll answer some commonly asked questions and then, based on real-life anthropometric data, give you the lowdown on having 13 in shoulders.

How Do Your Shoulders Compare?

Table of Contents show

What do 13 inch shoulders look like?

What do 13 inch shoulders look like on a person? On a woman, 13 inch shoulders look slightly smaller than average. But for a man, 13″ shoulders will look very narrow indeed.

The specifics depend on your age and height.

For example, if you’re a growing child, then it’s completely normal to have 13 in shoulders at some point during your physical development.

Additionally, 13 inches isn’t that small in terms of biacromial breadth (where you measure between the bony points on your shoulder blade), but it is rather narrow if we’re talking about the physical width of your shoulder in their entirety.

Indeed, if you’re measuring acromion to acromion, then 13 inches is only an inch smaller than normal for a woman and around 3 inches smaller than usual for a man.

So, based on the data, there are likely a decent number of women with a 13 inch shoulder width but relatively few adult men with 13 inch wide shoulders.

Who has 13 inch shoulders?

In general, the two main categories of people who have 13 inch shoulders are growing children and people with really small builds (specifically, narrow clavicles).

It’s perfectly normal to have 13″ shoulders at some point during your physical development, so you shouldn’t worry about being too broad or too narrow if you’re still growing—providing that you’re consuming a nutritious diet.

To give a concrete example based on research, 13 inch shoulders are a typical measurement for boys and girls aged 11-12.

So, since many young children have 13 in shoulders, it’s rare that adults will have shoulders that are the same size.

Of course, there are bound to be some smaller-framed women who have a 13 inch shoulder width, but these women are the exception rather than the rule.

Should you try to widen your 13 inch shoulders?

A woman doing a shoulder press exercise at the gym

If you have 13 inch shoulders and you’re still growing, then your shoulders will widen by themselves. If you’re concerned that your child isn’t growing at the correct rate, you should start by talking to a doctor.

On the other hand, if you’re an adult with 13″ shoulders, then I can see why you’d want to make them wider, especially if you’re a man.

While there’s virtually nothing that you can do to widen your clavicles, you can certainly broaden your shoulders by adding muscle mass to your upper back and deltoids.

Exercises like pull-ups, rows, lateral raises, and shoulder presses are your best bet in this regard because, when performed consistently, they’ll help you to sculpt a wider upper body and a better v-taper.

In conclusion: Is it okay to have 13″ shoulders?

Unless your 13 inch shoulders are indicative of some kind of health problem, there’s nothing wrong with having shoulders that are, admittedly, quite narrow for an adult.

Just to be extra clear, all of this is in relation to biacromial breadth and not the physical width of your shoulders (13 inches would be very small for a complete shoulder measurement).

On the other hand, growing children will have 13 in shoulders at some point during their development, and that’s completely fine.

There are, of course, bound to be some adults with small frames who have 13 inch shoulders. Again, provided that you’re healthy, you should just embrace your body and be happy with it because you can’t change your bone structure once you’ve stopped growing.