Is it common?

[Skyliner]

Is it common to find bodybuilders with one side of their Lat bigger than the other? Cause my right hand is stronger, and whenever performing pulling movements like Chins, pulldowns, etc, I can feel that the right side seems to be doing more work. To make things worse, my right side of the Lat gets more sore than the other during the post Back workout soreness.

If it is common, are there any ways we can balance up the Lats? Or is this a kind of thing we must live with it?

 

[gopro]

Sky...this is not all that uncommon a problem. Many people have one arm bigger than the other, or one leg, or, as in your case, a lat. This situation can occur for several reasons...the lack of coordination on one side of your body may impair your ability to perform single arm movements equally as well on each side...if one side of your body is stronger than the other and you perform too many bi-lateral movements, the stronger arm will "take more of the weight" than the weak side, leading to more development on the stronger side...also, some people have slightly impaired nerve transmission to one side of their bodies or to individual muscles.This will result in less muscle fiber recruitment, and therefore, less hypertrophy in that muscle.

My suggestions...(1) focus extra hard mentally in feeling every exercise in the smaller lat. Extra focus can lead to better fiber recruitment (2) use some uni-lateral movements in you training. Single arm rows, single arm pulldowns, and dumbell rows(and perhaps perform an extra set or two with the weaker side to give it extra work). Muscles trained this way will receive more stimulation (3) at the end of your lat workout, stretch out the smaller lat vigorously...this will help it recover, and will stretch the surrounding fascia.

Try these things and you just may equal your lats out in a few months.

 

[Skyliner]

Thanks gopro... I'll combine all your suggestions, can't wait for the next Back workout!

 

[gopro]

 

[Arnold]

No one is perfectly symmetrical. Even though I am right handed, my left side is bigger.

 

[Tank316]

i had a job in a factory once where i was always twisting back to my left with a loaded box,and empty handed back,so a person could do a alot of repitious movements without knowing it sorta like racking leaves,and cause yourself to overdevelop oneside or the next.

 

[TrackManDave]

One of my lats is a little bigger and rounder than my other, which is more like a triangle. no biggie though.

 

[mrbig]

yeah its fairly common my left arm is 1/2 inch smaller but isstronger than my right in both the tris and bis

 

[Fredog]

My right lat is a bit bigger than my left. I've played baseball all my life and am right-handed so I think that all that throwing and stretching focused on the right side may have had something to do with it.

I can't say that it has a noticeable effect in the gym though.