21
votes
Accepted
If a child scooters everyday, does it make one leg of him/her larger than the other?
Unilateral training does indeed lead to a difference between the size and strength of the muscles on each side. However, most active individuals have discrepancies between their dominant and non-...
- 6,151
10
votes
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Reasons to train lower body
It's important to keep one's legs in good working order for anyone who wants to retain the ability to get out of bed, climb stairs, stand up off the toilet, walk around a hilly neighborhood, run away ...
- 24.8k
7
votes
Do handstand push-ups hit all the three shoulder heads?
No, it doesn't hit all three shoulder heads (assuming you mean the anterior, lateral and posterior deltoids.) Breakdown of handstand push-ups.
Mechanically I don't see how you can work all of the ...
- 956
5
votes
Accepted
Totally ditching chest training
You will always want to keep a balance between antagonist musclegroups. This means a strong latissimus with weak pectoralis will lead to imbalances which might negatively affect your movement and ...
- 272
3
votes
Is planking with a weightlifting belt beneficial?
The purpose of a weightlifting belt is to boost the effect of a valsalva maneuver in increasing intrathoracic pressure during heavy lifts, where that pressure is used to keep the torso rigid. You take ...
- 13.5k
2
votes
Accepted
How to stop relying on dominant leg in squat?
Unilateral work will assist you in making sure you train both sides equally. And do make sure you train them equally. Training one side more than the other will only lead to another set of imbalances.
...
- 17.9k
2
votes
Safe use of minitramp to develop hip and lower leg/for mobility in older deconditioned subjects
The question as to whether it is "worthwhile" is very subjective. As for safety issues and how to mollify them:
Most exercises you do on the mini trampoline require you to maintain your balance. If ...
- 8,943
2
votes
Accepted
Best isolation exercises for general routine
Continuing the theme of free-weight work you could try the following (for 3-5 sets of 8-15 reps, tracking and increasing weight slowly over time), those in bold are strongly recommended.
Outside of ...
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2
votes
Accepted
Can knee flexion exercises improve hip extension strength?
From https://www.strengthandconditioningresearch.com/muscles/hamstrings/
The hamstrings are a group of four muscles on the back of the thigh.
Three of them are two-joint muscles (performing both ...
- 222
2
votes
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Train hamstrings unilateral?
Actually, deadlifts do have a unilateral equivalent: the one legged deadlift, usually done with a Kettlebell. If you google it, you'll get a bunch of pictures. At my gym, it is a common exercise, ...
- 1,358
2
votes
Accepted
How much back work is required to counter-act high volumes pressing
The rule of thumb is to balance pressing work with pulling volume (so, 1:1), or if working to correct a postural issue, then double the pulling volume (1:2).
But this is just a guide, and we have to ...
- 24.8k
2
votes
One butt muscle is getting bigger
Bret Contreras, aka "The Glute Guy" who is known as the world's glute training expert (he literally wrote his PhD thesis on glute exercise activation) talks about how glute imbalances are very common –...
- 367
1
vote
Pull up imbalance
It could very likely be a spinal alignment issue.
I get occasional adjustments at the chiropractor. Often when I get an adjustment, they will find that one leg is longer than the other. After the ...
- 1,094
1
vote
Muscle imbalance at latissimus dorsi
I had a similar issue with lat pull downs. My right bicep was stronger than my left, so my left lat did the heavy lifting paired with my right arm. I'm fairly new to gym but I've been training with ...
- 111
1
vote
Accepted
I can row more than I can squat. Am I doing something wrong?
Yes. It's possible to have big imbalances like this. Particularly as a beginner. There are a few reasons that can cause it.
You're over compensating in some way on the stronger lift. In the case of ...
- 7,659
1
vote
Can knee flexion exercises improve hip extension strength?
I would adapt the lens you're viewing this through.
Going muscle by muscle, while it has merit, is much harder than viewing the movement you're trying to correct. You're already seeing that with your ...
- 1,667
1
vote
Identifying weak muscles in a muscular imbalance
Weak middle and lower trapezius relative to pecs and front delts is a common problem that causes rounded shoulders, hunchback posture and pain in shoulders.
The solution is to strengthen the middle ...
- 3,685
1
vote
Focus on 1 muscle group or not
A few things you should understand:
Muscle imbalance can indeed cause long term pain or injuries so if you work out, you want to work on your entire body (and work on mental health is as important in ...
- 4,151
1
vote
Lifting heavier weights with my right arm
Everyone has a more dominant side than another, and after a few years of good living most people have picked up random injuries. My left hip adductor, as an example, has some damage in it so I can ...
- 14.8k
1
vote
Best isolation exercises for general routine
When following a strength routine, like yours (the three big lifts), you should include some optional excersices in order to have balance. Especially when you train for bodybuilding. It's prefered to ...
- 330
1
vote
Shoulder strength imbalance after injury
I am not a doctor, but here's my advice: Since you have no pain in your previously-injured right shoulder during exercise, and it's simply weaker than your other shoulder, then, yes: reduce your work-...
- 1,801
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