DGuy

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but the title says it all. I have been working out since September and I have noticed that my left arm (looks like both triceps and biceps brachii both) is bigger than my right arm. Anybody know why this would happen and what the heck I have to do to fix it. I am right handed, if it matters. Thanks. Oh and we aren't talking about a minor difference, you can easily notice quite a difference.

LW83

what do you do for aliving?

njc

Yeah and ditto for me with my lats. My right wingspan is far greater than that of my left. Its not my job or anything becuase i dont have one. Im a student.

"Today the practice of defending one of the cardinal virtues has all the extreme exhiliration of a vice"

DGuy

Nothing now, I'm still in highschool, although I do work at a grocery store on the weekend. I don't think that would be much of a factor though.

SPIKE1257

I would think if you're right handed your right arm would be bigger then your left.. Clearly your left side is doing most of the work, try implementing some dumbell work into your routine, this way each side has to do it's own share of the work.

DGuy

I actually have been doing that... this is why I am very confused.

SPIKE1257

How is your back ? Any pinched nerves ? Herniated discs ? I know pressure on the nerves can cause muscles to not contract the way they should, this could cause a muscle group to lag. Also remember both sides of your body may never be identical as far as size and shape.

DGuy

I would have to say I am healthy, as far as I know. Nothing wrong with my back. I just don't get how one side can make good progress while the other side makes none even though I am doing the same exercises for both, and can do the same amount of reps, sets and weight for both arms for every exercise.

SPIKE1257

Go figure !!

DGuy

I know, it doesn't make much sense. Maybe it is all in my head that one is bigger, but I doubt it. I can clearly see that the left is bigger.

SPIKE1257

May be genetics, be sure to use strict form with the movements. Don't go to heavy, sometimes with going heavy you compromise form.

DGuy

I don't think that too heavy is the problem, I make sure the form for both arms are the same.

DamnHardGainer

This is actually quite common. Your dominant body parts tend to grow faster and/or larger than the non-dominant parts due to variety of factors. Could be minute differences in strength, form, even mental connection. I know that for me, in some exercises I can get a better peak contraction out of certain muscles compared to their counterpart on the other side. I just feel a better mental connection in each rep...hard to explain.

Since bodybuilding is a constant process of sculpting your development, noticing weak points and targetting those areas, etc, you should adjust your routine accordingly. If you are developing one area faster than another despite using the same weight and reps and db's, then work in extra sets or reps or exercises for the lagging body part to make it catch up.

Example for me is my left forearm is about a centimeter smaller in diameter than my right one. So my forearm workouts only consist of my left arm -- I don't even bother training my right one which I am happy with. Now it's catching up. How could this happen? Well in my case, for all my life I've favored my dominant right arm for all physical activities so it's developed more. Plus for 10 years I look back and realize I usually pick up plates and heavy db's with my dominant hand, so naturally this is putting more stress every day on that arm. So now I even conciously use my left arm to move plates and db's to get extra work into that arm.

Btw, some muscles on different sides just develop differently. Example is all my right side muscles are dominant, but for some weird reason my left pec is fuller and larger than my right even though the latter feels stronger. Strange.

Minnesotaman

ok try this one, what do you do when the horse shoe one your left arm is bigger than your right, but on your right arm the tricep muscle below the horse shoe just above the elbow is bigger than your lefts.......i have tried working my right arms horse shoe but i cant becuase the muscle below it does most of the work and keeps gaining more muscle, and the horse shoe on my left arm just gets bigger as well

Gazhole

Considering this topic is 3 years old, i doubt he cares too much.

http://sdatrainingprograms.blogspot.com - Updated 25/04/08

Minnesotaman

Who said i want your opinion? now why dont u just go hop on a treadmill and loose some of that flab