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Are 19 inch shoulders broad? (for men and for women)

Are 19 inch shoulders broad? (for men and for women)

How broad are 19 inch shoulders? As you’ll soon learn, it depends on your height, gender, levels of muscle mass, and also how you’re measuring your shoulders.

Overall, 19 inches is around the average male shoulder width and thus a bit wider than normal for a woman. We’ll get into the specifics of having 19″ shoulders in just a sec.

See How Your Shoulders Compare:

Are 19 inch shoulders broad for a man?

A man with broad 19 inch shoulders

Are 19 inch shoulders broad for a male? No, 19 inch shoulders are not broad for a man. In fact, 19″ shoulders are a very normal size for an adult male.

Of course, if your 19 inch measurement is based purely on your bone structure (biacromial breadth), then that’s very broad indeed.

But in the more likely case that your 19 in shoulders are literally the width of your physical shoulders—deltoid to deltoid—then your measurement is very much normal and nothing to worry about.

Now, if a tall man and a short man both have 19 inch wide shoulders, then the short guy will likely look broader because his clavicles are much longer than his other bones. But in general, taller people tend to have wider shoulders than shorter people in absolute terms.

Are 19 inch shoulders broad for a woman?

A female with 19 inch shoulders

Are 19 inch shoulders broad for a woman? Yes, 19 inch shoulders are definitely broad for a woman. Specifically, 19″ shoulders are 3-4 inches wider than average for an adult female.

Of course, many women are concerned that their shoulders are too broad. But if you’re a tall woman, then your 19 in shoulders may actually be in proportion with the rest of your body and thus look aesthetically pleasing.

Still, 19 inch shoulders are definitely broader than normal for a woman. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you consider that a fair few women are also equal to men in height and other areas. So it’s not like having 19″ shoulders as a woman is completely abnormal, either.

How can you decrease your 19 inch shoulder width?

A woman running on the treadmill

Although you can’t alter your bone structure, you can definitely make your 19 inch shoulders smaller by losing body fat and muscle mass from around your deltoids and upper back.

Obviously, to do this, you’ll want to avoid exercises that train your shoulders and back muscles. Instead, focus on cardiovascular activity and lower body exercises. You can still train your back and shoulders (indeed, this will make them look more toned), but don’t go overboard.

Additionally, if you really want to reduce your 19 in shoulders, then losing body mass by eating in a calorie deficit is the way to go. When you lose weight, you’ll lose inches from everywhere, and that certainly includes your upper back.

Just note that you might not actually need to shrink your 19 inch shoulders to achieve the body that you desire. As mentioned, training your deltoids and back muscles with weights can help to make them look leaner and more toned—you don’t become bulky by lifting light weights.

How can you broaden your 19″ shoulders?

A man performing a lateral raise

As mentioned, you can’t alter your bone structure unless you’re still growing. But this doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with a 19 inch shoulder width for the rest of your life, not at all.

By developing your lats, traps, and deltoids, you can significantly expand your shoulders. Not only will your shoulders look more imposing when you fill out your frame, but they’ll also stretch the tape measure further and increase your measurement.

So make sure to do pull-ups and rows to work your lats and traps, respectively. You can, of course, do any kind of vertical pull to work the lats; pull-ups are just a convenient option for many people.

Additionally, make sure to work each of the three deltoid heads so that you can widen your shoulders. While building the deltoids alone won’t drastically broaden your 19″ shoulders, they definitely do contribute some size to your measurement and, therefore, shouldn’t be overlooked in favor of more popular body parts like the chest or biceps.

In terms of diet, consuming more calories than your body expends (it doesn’t need to be a lot more) will help you to slowly gain weight and add quality muscle to your frame.

Conclusion: Is it good to have 19 inch wide shoulders?

A man with a 19 inch shoulder width

Even though you might be insecure about your 19 inch shoulders, having 19″ shoulders is completely fine and normal for many people.

Yes, they’re obviously broader than normal for a woman, but you shouldn’t let a couple of inches hold you back.

By the same token, you shouldn’t worry about having 19 in shoulders if you’re a man because most men have 19 inch shoulders or a substantially similar measurement.

I’m a big proponent of building your body in the way that you see fit. But for your own wellbeing, don’t get too caught up on specific measurements. Instead, exercise to feel good and improve your body image.