I've been doing weight machines off and on since January of this year. On Monday, I did an upper body free weight workout, and I really pushed it. I looked at my shoulders last night - and all of the sudden I have a set of stretchmarks on the top of each shoulder! :mad:

I'm kind of stuck somewhere between being pissed off that I'm getting stretchmarks this soon (I mean, I'm planning on sticking with free weights, so am I to expect a lot more of these?) and being happy that that means I'm developing muscle on my shoulders. I mean, it's not fat for sure.

I have quite a few stretchmarks left over from my pregnancy, but I can honestly say I really wasn't expecting to get them on my shoulders from lifting. Other than rubbing in cocoa butter lotion daily, is there anything else I can do to keep these little buggers from popping up?

Drink a lot of water. It helps retain elasticity in the skin. If you are trying to lose fat, then slow your cut loss down. That will help the skin recover easier.

Stretch marks are inevitable, and depending on the person, they can come very easily. I have them on my upper thighs because I gain/lose weight there very fast, and I've never been overweight. I can add new ones each week if I want.

(sorry to venture into this verboten forum)

What exercises did you do?

The top of the shoulder is a really weird place to get stretch marks and a much more common place to get other marks and bruises while lifting. (I'm responding because this happened to me just the other day; I got those deep, red marks across my shoulders after doing squats this week). I'd say it's the #1 place where people get things they think are stretch marks that aren't stretch marks.

There really isn't a lot of muscle contracting and expanding at the top of the shoulder - you'd need some fierce anterior deltoids or something to get stretch marks there from lifting.

yeah i was gonna ask if your sure its stretchmarks. But reading as youve already have stretchmarks, i was sure you'd know what theyd look like.
As PeteBDawg pointed out, it could just be burst blood vessels. Which is my guess on what it is.

Wow, I didn't know you could get stretchmarks on your shoulders. Is that from your muscles growing or what? I have a few on my hips, but that is about it. I was lucky, I didn't get any on my stomach, and I have had 3 kids. Everyone is different with different amounts of elasticity in their skin, but I have never seen strech marks on someone's shoulders. I guess you can though!

Wow, I didn't know you could get stretchmarks on your shoulders. Is that from your muscles growing or what? I have a few on my hips, but that is about it. I was lucky, I didn't get any on my stomach, and I have had 3 kids. Everyone is different with different amounts of elasticity in their skin, but I have never seen strech marks on someone's shoulders. I guess you can though!

Shoulders and chest are my two most worked and greatest expanded (over time) areas from lifting. They have serious stretchmarks from this growth, and I am a 21 yr old male.

the 'stretchmarks' gradually disappeared over the next few days, and then, after my next LB workout, came back. so, i guess they are broken capillaries from the weight borne on my shoulders on the evil leg press machine that i use for about half my lower body workout (calves, quads, etc).

is that normal? anything i can do to stop getting these marks? because i swear, they really do look like fresh stretch marks and are very noticeable on my pale skin.

the 'stretchmarks' gradually disappeared over the next few days, and then, after my next LB workout, came back. so, i guess they are broken capillaries from the weight borne on my shoulders on the evil leg press machine that i use for about half my lower body workout (calves, quads, etc).

is that normal? anything i can do to stop getting these marks? because i swear, they really do look like fresh stretch marks and are very noticeable on my pale skin.

Yep, that is normal. I get those also. I think they look more like bruises than stretch marks though. I have gotten them from doing calf raises on a machine. Today I did the leg press machine and noticed I have some of those broken capillary striations on my shoulders. They will go away in a couple of days. The thing I would suggest, is just stay off the machines that cause these problems. Opt for free weights instead to do step- ups, traveling lunges, squats etc and calf raises. Then you can eliminate the bruise marks if they bother you.

Stretchmarks...ehhhh I'm 16 years old and I have them all over my body..

Shoulders, upper inner thighs, upper inner arms, stomach, hips, in the crease of my knees, sides of my ribcage, on my chest(I'm quite...ummm, what's a polite word? for my age) and just under my chest...It's really quite gross, and I don't know what to do about them...And also, I'm so worried that if I *do* manage to achieve my weight loss goals, that I'll be stuck with all this stretched out skin! Gross!

the 'stretchmarks' gradually disappeared over the next few days, and then, after my next LB workout, came back. so, i guess they are broken capillaries from the weight borne on my shoulders on the evil leg press machine that i use for about half my lower body workout (calves, quads, etc).

is that normal? anything i can do to stop getting these marks? because i swear, they really do look like fresh stretch marks and are very noticeable on my pale skin.

If you were doing barbell work, I'd say use a towel to cushion the bar on your shoulders. Presumably this machine already has padding that just isn't thick, broad, or soft enough. You could still fold up a small towel on each shoulder and see if that makes a difference.

If there's a sit-down leg press, that would help, but I imagine there isn't, or you'd use it.