Will Weight Lifting Help Breast Shape?

Breast sag can affect a
women’s self esteem, self confidence and self image. Many women are motivated
to correct their breast sag, but are reluctant to proceed with surgery for a
variety of reasons. These reasons may include fear of anesthesia, fear of
scarring and possibly limited financial resources.

 

         For this group,
chest wall exercises may be an attractive alternative. Unfortunately, there are
no exercises that address breast tissue. When the underlying pectoralis muscle
is strengthened the breasts continue to sag. For this reason, the only viable
alternative is breast lift surgery.

The breasts sit over the pectoralis muscle but are not a part of it.  Weight liftinging has to effect on breast shape or size.  If the pectoralis gets bigger the chest might appear larger but the breast size does not change.

Hi there-
Unfortunately, there is no exercise amount, technique, or level of intensity that will lift your breasts if they have lost a bit of their pep...
The supporting tissues of the breast are independent of your chest muscles, and similarly, breast sagging has nothing to do with whether or not you are in shape.
The best way to achieve your desired breast contour is to locate a surgeon certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and visit them for a consultation.
Here's some help finding one you like and feel you can trust:
In a previous entry, I described how common it is for patients who contact my Orlando plastic surgery center to make the mistake of thinking that:
Anyone offering a plastic surgery procedure MUST be appropriately trained and certified to perform that procedure; this is, unfortunately, not the case.
All plastic surgery training is equal, and so shopping for the best price is the best way to choose a surgeon
In that previous entry, I explained how not all people offering plastic surgery are Board Certified Plastic Surgeons, and in fact, many are not even plastic surgeons! There are now many doctors in other specialties offering to perform plastic surgery procedures without the benefit of the years of training a plastic surgeon receives, convincing their patients that a few weeks of training is sufficient for them to learn what we learn in YEARS.
I explained the potentially dangerous error of choosing based on price.
Finally, I explained how to properly choose not only a surgeon, but also the importance of choosing the facility in which the procedure will be performed and also the anesthesia provider.
For today's entry, we'll assume a healthy understanding of these issues. Having done your homework, and ascertained that the surgeons you are considering are all plastic surgeons Board Certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery, the facilities in which they operate are all certified by the AAAASF or JCAHO, and the anesthesia providers are all well-qualified, how do you make the final decision?
Here are my recommendations:
Consider the relative quality of the surgeon's medical school educations. While it is true that most medical educations will cover the basics, there is a reason that some institutions grow international reputations and perpetually fight for the best students.
A medical school education among these "Best and Brightest" students and educators could reasonably be expected to produce (and historically has produced) America's finest doctors and surgeons. Ranking lists of medical schools take these things into consideration and are a useful resource. The most respected list, from US News and World Report, can be found here:
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/research-rankings
Find out where the surgeon completed his/her Plastic Surgery Residency. This is the critical and years long process of going from a medical student to a qualified plastic surgeon, where we learn to do plastic surgery by gradually taking on more responsibility under the watchful eyes of other, already trained and experienced surgeons. Just like medical schools, not all training programs are equal in the breadth, intensity and quality of training offered.
Generally speaking, those programs associated with the best medical schools also provide the best training, as they will be able to attract and retain the best, most experienced and reputable professors of plastic surgery- and the quality of our training will depend on the quality of those training us. For example, I completed my own Plastic Surgery training at Washington University in St. Louis, one of the top 5 medical schools in the United States- and it also happens to be the birthplace of American Plastic Surgery.
It bears repeating that you should be absolutely sure that the surgeon you are considering is Board Certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery. This is easily done at the Board's site:
https://www.abplsurg.org/ModDefault.aspx?section=PubFind
Know that surgeons who claim to be "Board Eligible" in plastic surgery are NOT board certified. This may be because they simply have not taken the examinations- but this is doubtfully the true explanation, as The American Board of Plastic Surgery specifically prohibits claiming ANY status with The Board until and unless you have passed all examinations. Much more concerning is the possibility that they were unable to pass the examinations (or simply never took them), but realize they may lose patients if they don't find a way to fool them into thinking they have status with The Board. Are you starting to understand that not all doctors have integrity?
Spend some time thinking about the interactions you have had with the surgeon and his/her staff. You should realize that having a plastic surgery procedure is NOT a singular interaction, like buying a new handbag, in which once the bag is purchased (or the surgery completed) the interaction can be considered to be complete. Rather, you are choosing to enter into a very important relationship with your surgeon, the critical portions of which should be expected to last at least a few months beyond the date of your surgery, as you recover and heal. This very important relationship should therefore be approached with the same care you would give any other... think about whether you think the surgeon will be responsive to your needs and concerns, whether your personalities will allow healthy interaction, the approachability of his/her staff, etc...
Remember- you don't only want to have achieved a great outcome when all is said and done... you want to have had an uplifting and positive experience you can look back on and smile! You can have this in the best practices.
Finally, never forget that what you are really looking for is the very best OUTCOME you can achieve. Sometimes when I'm asked by friends and family how to sort through all the claims some surgeons make of being the best choice because they (the surgeon in question) were voted "the best" by some magazine, or because the surgeon simply says they are "the best", I am reminded of the first Clinton presidential campaign, in which the slogan "It's the economy, stupid" helped Mr. Clinton win the White House. Once you've done the homework outlined above, it's all about the OUTCOME...
Ask to see photos of the surgeon's previous work- and ask yourself if you would be pleased if you looked like the photos they show you. Think about how many good photos they show you. Do most of the outcomes just look funny, with only a few that you think are attractive and natural, or are most of their results pleasing and attractive, even if every one may not be what you specifically want? If the surgeon can't show you at least a few outcomes you find attractive and pleasing, you should look elsewhere.
Be sure to ask directly whether the photos you are being shown are the surgeon's own work (believe it or not, some actually do try to attract patients by showing them the work of others!)
I also always recommend communicating with a few of the surgeon's prior patients who have had the same procedure they are recommending for you. You can ask the surgeon's staff for a list of patients who may have agreed to be called, or find testimonials online at one of the many plastic surgery websites now available. My favorite, because it is objective, free (surgeons cannot pay to be listed higher, so more credibility exists), and allows you to get a feel for the surgeon's manner and personality, is RealSelf:
www.RealSelf.com
I know it seems like a huge amount of work, but after you've read this (as well as my prior post) a few times, you'll have a great understanding of the best way to proceed, and it will feel very comfortable and natural to you. Use the resources I've outlined, and use your gut- there are many great surgeons out there- with these guidelines you should be able to attain the outcome and experience you desire.

Breasts are under the skin but above the muscle. Exercising will improve your muscle tone, but will not effect the shape of the breasts.  It is not possible to lift breasts just by weight lifting. 

Weight lifting is great to help build and define upper body tone. It will also aid you in losing total body fat, which may include reduction of fat within the breasts. However, weight lifting will not increase breast size, nor will it correct sagging breast skin.

Unfortunately, as a plastic surgeon, I am biased. I see the patients who have tried this and failed. So, in my opinion, it does not achieve sufficient or adequate correction of the breast shape. However, to be fair, I also don't see the patients who may have had a satsifactory outcome from this intervention.

Weight lifting should be expected to increase the volume of
the underlying chest wall muscle. Weight lifting by itself should not be expected to have any
change in the appearance of the breast itself. Regular weight lifting can lead to a decrease in percent of
body fat. This can lead to a
diminished breast size. In
general, moderate weight lifting intending to tone the chest wall muscles would
very likely lead to an enhancement of one’s overall chest appearance. If breast volume diminishes secondary
to decrease in body fat, then a breast augmentation can be performed to improve
the appearance.

When you are physically fit, your pectoralis major muscle hypertrophies (becomes larger and more well-defined).

The overlying tissue, including your chest skin, fat and some of your breasts, may become slightly more prominent.

However, the breast droops with age, time and having children because of loss of tone of collagen and elastin, suspensory ligaments that hold the breast, nipple and areola to the chest wall.

There is nothing that can be done to prevent this natural droop to the breasts, known as "ptosis".

Wearing a bra, including at night, will also not prevent breast ptosis.

Lifting weights is good for your overall health, and can enhance the effects of a breast lift, but will not obviate the need for a proper mastopexy!

Exercise will improve on your muscle ton and muscle size. It has NO effect on the breast or the skin.
If your breast is ptotic, droopy and the skin has lost its elasticity the only way to repair is surgery.

Weight lifting will not have any significant effect on the shape of the breasts. It will help make the pectoralis muscle more defined. Sorry to disappoint.