- 10/22/08: Newsletter
- Strengthening Your Legs
- Working Out on Empty Stomachs
- Making Cardio Less Painful
- Avoid Crashing
- Coping With Sweets
- Increasing Metabolism
- Organize Your Training
- Eating Habits
- Visceral Belly Fat
- The Best Running Shoe
- Strength or Aerobic Capacity?
- Toning Legs with Cardio
- My Doctor's Scale is Off
- More Reps and their Effects
- 04/24/08: Newsletter
- 1-08-08: Newsletter
- 11-08-07: Newsletter
- 10-03-07: Newsletter
- 8-29-07: Newsletter
- 6-20-07: Weight Loss
- 6-13-07: Back Injury
- 5-08-07: Friendly Pressure
- 4-27-07: Running Routines
- 4-20-07: Cycling Cardio
- 4-10-07: Back Injury
- 4-03-07: Lunges Quads Butt
- 3-27-07: Running Off Fat
- 3-27-07: Runners Diet
- 3-23-07: Eating Late
- 3-13-07: Abs for the Obese
- 3-07-07: Supplements
- 2-21-07: Carbs Weight Gain
- 2-14-07: Accurate Bodyweight
- 2-07-07: Weight Fluctuations
- 1-30-07: Best Oatmeal
- 1-21-07: Winter Cardio
- 1-14-07: Training Children
- 1-10-07: Sick Bay
- 1-03-07: Shin Splints
- 2006: Archives
- 2005: Archives
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08-29-07//Training Weak Side
How do I train if one side of my body is weaker than the other?
Chris:
Last February I injured my left bicep lifting a latter at work. At first I though I could continue to train but soon realized I was hurt much worse than I originally thought. After a disappointing visit to my doctor it was clear that I needed to take a break from lifting for a while.
After two months of rest and a little physical therapy I was given clearance to start lifting again. The good news is the pain is gone and I feel pretty good. The bad news is my left bicep is extremely weak and has a lot of trouble keeping up with the right bicep. How do you suggest I correct this problem? Will my weak bicep ever be equal with my right bicep? Is there anything I can do to try to makes my body equal again?
Doug
Doug,
You are suffering from what I like to call a muscle imbalance. Your left bicep is obviously weaker because it was injured. Therefore you must slowly strengthen it without causing further injury.
My first suggestion would be to make sure you are following the doctor’s orders. Don’t do anything without getting permission first. However once you have cleared all exercises with the doctor you may want to take the following suggestions into consideration.
Prioritize your weakness. If you have an imbalance or weakness it’s very important to focus all of your energy on fixing it. Train it first when you are physically and mentally fresh. If your bicep is weak make it’s the first body part you train at the beginning of your workout. It just wouldn’t make sense to train it at the end of a workout when you are tired and more likely to get injured.
Use unilateral movements. Unilateral movements are exercises that work one side of the body at a time. If your left bicep is weak and you are doing barbell curls that allow both arms to lift the weight together you will never correct the problem because you body will shift and use the strong side to do most of the work. Instead use exercises that force each side of the body to lift the weight independently. Dumbell bicep curls would be a much better choice because both biceps are forced to lift the weight equally.
Do not increase the weight until both sides of the body are capable of handling the workload. In my opinion the biggest mistake people make when trying to recover from an injury is trying to lift too much weight. For example if its left bicep that’s weak and you are doing dumbbell curls to strengthen it, don’t add weight until both arm are capable of handling the work load. You may have to hold back a little with the strong arm until the weak arm catches up but the end result will be a stronger more balanced body.
Remember correcting a muscle imbalance will take a little patience. Take it slow and be sure to get permission from your doctor before you resume weight training.