Muscle Imbalances… Why & How to Fix Them
Muscle Imbalances… Why & How to Fix Them
If your right arm has ever confidently banged out a set of bicep curls or rows at the gym while your left arm has struggled to keep up (or vice versa), you know what it feels like when one side of your body is stronger than the other. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with you - it happens to pretty much everyone.
It makes sense, when you think about it: Most everyone has a dominant side of the body, and for as many years as you've been able to move your body, the muscles on your dominant side have worked harder in everyday life to do things like lift bags off the ground, shut car doors, you name it. Beyond just having a dominant side, certain lifestyle habits such as sleeping on one side of your body consistently, crossing your legs the same way every day, or always carrying your tote bag on one side, can lead to imbalances on your right and left side over time.
These imbalances can also be caused by injuries or surgeries that result in you favoring one part of your body. Oftentimes even after physical therapy, your muscles still have a way to go to regain their strength and size.
While a slight difference in strength between the sides of your body isn't anything to worry about, if it's big enough to catch your attention in the gym or at home, it might be worth your time to seek professional guidance. This is because if you have a big imbalance, certain muscles will work harder to overcompensate, which can lead to pain and injury in either side - yes, even the stronger one.
To add insult to injury, the muscles on the stronger side of your body can actually end up hurt, too. Since they're stronger, they will work harder and ultimately end up overworking when there's no second side of muscles to share the load with.
There are a number of strategies you can use to correct muscle imbalances, and depending on the cause of the imbalance, should be handled in a fashion specific to your needs.
The following is a list of the most universal strategies:
Use unilateral exercises.
Start with the weaker side.
Let the weaker side set your workout volume.
Do additional work on the weaker and/or smaller side.
Fix the problem i.e. mobility and/or flexibility.
At the present time, I am working with 25 clients on a weekly basis. Every one of my clients has a muscle imbalance of some sort. Eight have had some sort of injury and subsequent surgery that has left them with their imbalance. One in particular is working not only with me, but also a structural therapist to correct his severe imbalances that are due to surgeries on his back and hip replacement on his left hip that has caused a noticeable difference in size and strength to his right leg and right side of his body. Since his right leg is an inch smaller that his left leg, we train the right leg only with single leg squats, one legged hip bridges and calf raises, just to name a few. For his upper body, we still train both sides, but we start out with the weaker less dominant side and add reps to this side first. (i.e. biceps curl - start with the right for 6-8 reps - continue with both for 10 more reps.) The goal is to maintain the muscle mass on the stronger side until you offset the imbalance, so even though that means your stronger side won't feel quite as challenged, your body will thank you in the long run … and it's about time your weak side got some attention, anyway.
Typically, with proper training and consistency, 6 weeks’ time duration is needed to see considerable change in strength and girth of a muscle.
For less severe imbalances, follow the strategies to improve strength and add a strong stretching routine to your workouts. Oftentimes, gaining flexibility will enable a more fluid mobility and be a great relief for all of your muscles.
Kim Duke is a certified personal trainer and owner of Core Performance Fitness and Training, 55 Bristol Lane, Ellicottville, NY. Kim resides in Ellicottville where she raised her two sons, Zach and Nik. For more information about her studio visit her Facebook page or www.coreperformancefitness.com. Kim can be reached at 716-698-1198.
