Thread: Muscle Asymmetry

now mind you i am still a noob as well, and dont really know wtf i am doing yet... lol but i think if you focus on compound movements it should all balance out.

you can't possibly be THAT lopsided unless like your whole left side of your body was in a cast or some shit for like 6 months you know what i'm saying??

there are always going to be muscle imbalances

^^^agree. Unless you have some serious issues things will balance out in time.

Ive been fighting an imbalance on my arms forever. I completely fubared my left arm in a motorcycle accident and lost a ton of size. My strength is even but there is a noticable difference in tricep and brach size. I like to add in extra movements on the lagging side at the end, seems to be helping slowly.

Originally Posted by Nok

now mind you i am still a noob as well, and dont really know wtf i am doing yet... lol but i think if you focus on compound movements it should all balance out.

you can't possibly be THAT lopsided unless like your whole left side of your body was in a cast or some shit for like 6 months you know what i'm saying??

there are always going to be muscle imbalances

the problem with compound movements using barbells is load sharing. the dominate side can compensate for the smaller and usually weaker side even though there is no direct correlation between muscle size and strength it comes down to how the muscles are being broken down/traumatized with resistance training.

try adding some more machines and doing less on the larger side also stretching and flexing and obtaining more muscle control on the smaller side will bring some benefit.

Originally Posted by LAM

the problem with compound movements using barbells is load sharing. the dominate side can compensate for the smaller and usually weaker side even though there is no direct correlation between muscle size and strength it comes down to how the muscles are being broken down/traumatized with resistance training.

try adding some more machines and doing less on the larger side also stretching and flexing and obtaining more muscle control on the smaller side will bring some benefit.

That's why God put mirrors in the gym. So you can check your form

Originally Posted by Nok

That's why God put mirrors in the gym. So you can check your form

proper form does not change the kinematics of load sharing when using barbells

I got 2 issues like yours. My left leg feels like its compensation during squats on those last hard reps. And my left bicep is bigger, rounder but weaker. I've just been doing an extra set or two on the weak limb at the end of the workout.

If you are worried about load sharing, do more uni lateral than bi lateral movements - dumbells for upper body, single leg presses...etc for lower body. Most of the time, functionally you are only using one arm or one leg to move something anyway.