4 Causes of UNEVEN MUSCLES (and how YOU can FIX them)
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Date: 2022-04-22
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Comments and reviews: 10
urmenior
Trained for 10 years and didn't know I had any major imbalance (there will always be some asymmetry, nothing wrong with that unless it's significant. Over the years I have used dumbbells for most upper body movements except for presses. Heavy dumbbells feel uncomfortable to get to the starting position. All my dumbbell movements felt balanced on both sides, so did the presses with the bar.
However, I strained my left labrum last week (going way too low on pullovers, and I'm doing some rehab work for my shoulder. Part of this was moderate weight one-arm dumbbell standing shoulder press. I am left handed, and I was surprised that I could do twice as many reps with my INJURED left shoulder than my healthy right arm, both sides full range of motion (I was checking it in the mirror. It made no sense, because the bar is still free weight and if you have such a significant imbalance it will show (which, for me, did not. It wasn't about uneven core strength, or even stabilizers, it was directly my upper right arm that felt weak. I do a lot of unilateral upper arm work, so I think it is only shoulder imbalance. It is weird because my right shoulder is not smaller, either.
But how could that be? Let's say I have a weaker right shoulder. I do a barbell pullover, the bar stays parallel to the floor. In that case, my weaker shoulder is under more stress to keep the bar parallel. Then why did my -stronger- shoulder get injured? My left shoulder could not have dominated the movement, because if it generated more power, my weaker arm could not have kept up with it and the bar would fall to the weaker side. In this case, my left lat and chest are not weaker either. It makes no sense.
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Trained for 10 years and didn't know I had any major imbalance (there will always be some asymmetry, nothing wrong with that unless it's significant. Over the years I have used dumbbells for most upper body movements except for presses. Heavy dumbbells feel uncomfortable to get to the starting position. All my dumbbell movements felt balanced on both sides, so did the presses with the bar.
However, I strained my left labrum last week (going way too low on pullovers, and I'm doing some rehab work for my shoulder. Part of this was moderate weight one-arm dumbbell standing shoulder press. I am left handed, and I was surprised that I could do twice as many reps with my INJURED left shoulder than my healthy right arm, both sides full range of motion (I was checking it in the mirror. It made no sense, because the bar is still free weight and if you have such a significant imbalance it will show (which, for me, did not. It wasn't about uneven core strength, or even stabilizers, it was directly my upper right arm that felt weak. I do a lot of unilateral upper arm work, so I think it is only shoulder imbalance. It is weird because my right shoulder is not smaller, either.
But how could that be? Let's say I have a weaker right shoulder. I do a barbell pullover, the bar stays parallel to the floor. In that case, my weaker shoulder is under more stress to keep the bar parallel. Then why did my -stronger- shoulder get injured? My left shoulder could not have dominated the movement, because if it generated more power, my weaker arm could not have kept up with it and the bar would fall to the weaker side. In this case, my left lat and chest are not weaker either. It makes no sense.
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abba
I think I am right handed, but broke my right arm as a toddler. My mother said that when I started using my left arm. I am now kind of left handed, did all chores with my left hand, writing, picking, swinging etc but not eating. But my right arm is more developed. My right arm has more muscle on it, I play around a lot in childhood trying to emulate action heroes in saw in films (van damme. So I anything heavier I can get my hand on, try push ups and shin ups, but in stopped as I get older and school stuff become more serious. But thanks to that playing, I gain some muscle even as a 8-9 year old boy. I used my right arm, the less dominant during my playing and lifting, so I had this huge bicep on my right arm even as a child, but never used the left much. By nature I am well build but a little chubby/fatter.
20 years later, I want to get into shape and the first thing I realise is this muscle in imbalance. Before it was kind of funny to me having one big bicep on a weak arm and having a small bicep on the stronger arm. But when I decided to shed some fat, and I hit the gym, I realise that I can do more muscle work with my big bicep weak right arm than my every day work, small bicep, strong left arm. The hand I am using for my everyday work is kind of a liability now in the gym.
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I think I am right handed, but broke my right arm as a toddler. My mother said that when I started using my left arm. I am now kind of left handed, did all chores with my left hand, writing, picking, swinging etc but not eating. But my right arm is more developed. My right arm has more muscle on it, I play around a lot in childhood trying to emulate action heroes in saw in films (van damme. So I anything heavier I can get my hand on, try push ups and shin ups, but in stopped as I get older and school stuff become more serious. But thanks to that playing, I gain some muscle even as a 8-9 year old boy. I used my right arm, the less dominant during my playing and lifting, so I had this huge bicep on my right arm even as a child, but never used the left much. By nature I am well build but a little chubby/fatter.
20 years later, I want to get into shape and the first thing I realise is this muscle in imbalance. Before it was kind of funny to me having one big bicep on a weak arm and having a small bicep on the stronger arm. But when I decided to shed some fat, and I hit the gym, I realise that I can do more muscle work with my big bicep weak right arm than my every day work, small bicep, strong left arm. The hand I am using for my everyday work is kind of a liability now in the gym.
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OlympicGing1
This video was certainly insightful. I've been dealing with trap muscle imbalances ever since I started college (that's when I seriously started working out, and it's so annoying. Every day, my left trap will constantly make it feel like I need to crack my neck (though I never can, and I'll be constantly windmilling (something I'm trying not to do now) my left arm for some relief. I have seen a physical therapist for this, and she has given me exercises and stretches to do in order to improve my right side, but I've been trying to figure out what else I can do to begin to correct this damn annoyance.
I should also state that I have slight Congenital Scoliosis, so naturally, my body's somewhat unbalanced, but it's only very slight, and I'm making sure I do exercises to strengthen my back and abs. I really hope to be as free of this trap issue as I can someday, and this video has given me some idea as to what to try and work on. Great video. :)
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This video was certainly insightful. I've been dealing with trap muscle imbalances ever since I started college (that's when I seriously started working out, and it's so annoying. Every day, my left trap will constantly make it feel like I need to crack my neck (though I never can, and I'll be constantly windmilling (something I'm trying not to do now) my left arm for some relief. I have seen a physical therapist for this, and she has given me exercises and stretches to do in order to improve my right side, but I've been trying to figure out what else I can do to begin to correct this damn annoyance.
I should also state that I have slight Congenital Scoliosis, so naturally, my body's somewhat unbalanced, but it's only very slight, and I'm making sure I do exercises to strengthen my back and abs. I really hope to be as free of this trap issue as I can someday, and this video has given me some idea as to what to try and work on. Great video. :)
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Angela
Hi Jeff can you do another video showing what you have spoken about higher reps and using a heavier weight then back to your usual weight would I do that only on the side that needs to grow? for me personally its my right shoulder I am right handed though but my left is so much stronger and you can really see the difference: ( I will try what you have said and check out your program. Thanks so much for this video and all the others you put out: )
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Hi Jeff can you do another video showing what you have spoken about higher reps and using a heavier weight then back to your usual weight would I do that only on the side that needs to grow? for me personally its my right shoulder I am right handed though but my left is so much stronger and you can really see the difference: ( I will try what you have said and check out your program. Thanks so much for this video and all the others you put out: )
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Billy
so this very weird thing has happened to me where I just started working on my biceps again, and I did the exact same workout for each arm, the next day the left one was soar and the right one was just a little soar, but my left arm seemed huge, and it was way bigger than my right arm. The soarness has stopped now but the left arm is still huge and it only been 2 days, is this a torn bicep? And Should I be worried?
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so this very weird thing has happened to me where I just started working on my biceps again, and I did the exact same workout for each arm, the next day the left one was soar and the right one was just a little soar, but my left arm seemed huge, and it was way bigger than my right arm. The soarness has stopped now but the left arm is still huge and it only been 2 days, is this a torn bicep? And Should I be worried?
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Mason
ive been experiancing some of the imbalences. i was a left handed batter and a right handed pitcher and then i quit baseball my sophmore year and started lifting. just graduated now and after my first year of steady training its becoming noticable my right side is more dominant and contracts more efficiently. and i also had a shoulder injury which is when i pretty much stopped playing highschool ball.
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ive been experiancing some of the imbalences. i was a left handed batter and a right handed pitcher and then i quit baseball my sophmore year and started lifting. just graduated now and after my first year of steady training its becoming noticable my right side is more dominant and contracts more efficiently. and i also had a shoulder injury which is when i pretty much stopped playing highschool ball.
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seemykids99
I shattered my left wrist in a car wreck and now only have about 85% rotation. My left hand will no longer lay flat without kicking my elbow in about two inches. this makes working out a pain in the ass, and as a result, my left side is about 15% smaller than the right.
I try to compensate by throwing in an entire set of just the left side to compensate.
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I shattered my left wrist in a car wreck and now only have about 85% rotation. My left hand will no longer lay flat without kicking my elbow in about two inches. this makes working out a pain in the ass, and as a result, my left side is about 15% smaller than the right.
I try to compensate by throwing in an entire set of just the left side to compensate.
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Ben
In my case two surgerys to repair broken tendons in my left arm. (Distal triceps and long head biceps) Two separate surgeries a year apart and the accompanying atrophy caused by disuse. I'm over a year out from that and still can't make significant balance. So you are saying if neurological lift heavy small reps, If circulation lift light high reps. ?
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In my case two surgerys to repair broken tendons in my left arm. (Distal triceps and long head biceps) Two separate surgeries a year apart and the accompanying atrophy caused by disuse. I'm over a year out from that and still can't make significant balance. So you are saying if neurological lift heavy small reps, If circulation lift light high reps. ?
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thedude2000zify
Hi Jeff,
When I try to perform bicep curls with the left hand, for some reason, I feel a bit of strain on the back of my shoulder (left one. It feels like a joint/mechanical issue.
Is that due to a compensatory effect from the shoulders for the weakness in the left bicep?
Would appreciate if this is addressed.
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Hi Jeff,
When I try to perform bicep curls with the left hand, for some reason, I feel a bit of strain on the back of my shoulder (left one. It feels like a joint/mechanical issue.
Is that due to a compensatory effect from the shoulders for the weakness in the left bicep?
Would appreciate if this is addressed.
reply
Myname59
My left tricep is so much bigger, it looks like a different type of tricep, and my left bicep is a lot bigger. In public, or with a shirt off, i get so self conscious of the difference that im always looking in reflections to see the difference and i get very frustrated to the point that it affects my mood.
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My left tricep is so much bigger, it looks like a different type of tricep, and my left bicep is a lot bigger. In public, or with a shirt off, i get so self conscious of the difference that im always looking in reflections to see the difference and i get very frustrated to the point that it affects my mood.
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