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How to regain your symmetry.

Observation:
It is often difficult to obtain body symmetry.
Many years of bodybuilding training are often required to regain a balance between the left and right sides, to the great dismay of budding bodybuilders.
The pectoral muscles are often clearly dissymmetric, as well as the arms and legs.

For right-handed people, generally, the right arm is the longer, making the shoulder, the pectoral and the dorsals on the same side longer.
Still for right-handed people, for the lower limbs, the left leg will be stronger, the supporting leg, that used to take off when jumping.

For left-handed people, simply reverse what I have just said.


How can we correct this dissymmetry?


There are various solutions, which are more or less suitable:

Use different weights.
Do more series with the weaker side.
Use identical weights.
Use barbells.
Use machines.
Use different weights.
This solution must be dismissed completely.
It would simply keep or even increase the difference in strength and volume between the two sides.
It would have the opposite effect to that required.
Do more series with the weaker side.
This solution must not be dismissed.
It is quite possible to dedicate some of the session, preferably at the end, to doing a few simple basic exercises with a dumbbell or a pulley handle to carry out a few extra series with the weaker side.
Single handle.
Click on the image.

Use identical weights.
This is the solution I would prefer.
The stronger side adapts to the weaker side. Subconsciously, it will act as a guide both for the movement and for the speed of execution. Obviously, while doing this work you must concentrate on the weaker side.
Dumbbell bench press.

Use barbells.
I am not against this solution.
Doing a bench press, with the knees brought up towards the chest and trying to keep your balance is an exercise which will force the weaker side to adapt to the stronger side.
Make sure that the bar goes up horizontally.
The same applies for the other exercises with a bar.
For the dorsals, rear pulldowns can be checked by a partner or by standing in front of a mirror.
We often tend to think that we are pulling horizontally whereas in fact this is far from being the case.
Wide grip rear pulldowns.

Use machines.
Two possibilities.
  1. Traditional basic machine.
    Definitely not!
    Your stronger side will do all the work. The weaker side will follow as it can. You will have no idea of the difference in force which will then be supplied by the two sides.
    You increase the difference between the two sides.
    Do not justify choosing such machines by the fact that you are a beginner.
    You will find it even harder
    afterwards to start using the barbells!
    After 30 years working in a gym, I know what customers are like.

  2. Convergent machines or machines with independent sides. Although I am not at all in favour of "machines", I must admit that, in this case, they present no particular disadvantage.
    It is similar to working with dumbbells.

    Shoulder machine.               Shoulder convergent machine.
Smith bench press.
NO!



WHAT YOU MUST NEVER DO:

Use different weights for each side.
Work on machines with the two sides together.
For additional information, read:

BARBELLS OR MACHINES?