EUGENIZATION.

Muscle imbalance - if I hear that again today, I’ll probably armbar someone.

If you’re like most people, you favor one side of your body. This is nearly unavoidable as you perform many tasks daily that are unilateral (i.e., performed with one limb, such as writing), and movement patterns tend to reinforce themselves (for example, you “always” jump off of your right foot).

While in daily living so many things are clamoring for our attention that it’s hard to be mindful of these patterns. Within the context of a workout, however, we can focus on bringing the less dominant side up to speed with a little bit of focus.

Here are some methods that help to promote the development of your weaker side:

1) Train unilaterally.
One of the easiest methods to improve strength imbalances is to use equipment that loads both sides individually, such as dumbbells or Hammer Strength machines. Load both sides equally, and go only until the weaker side fatigues.

Yes, doing it this way will load the strong side sub-maximally. No, this isn’t ideal for the stronger side. But remember, it’s the weaker side we look to address with this method (scroll down to the last paragraph in this blog post for a typical Eugene rant about “stronger vs. weaker side”).

Q: Why shouldn’t you lift more for the weaker side than the stronger side? For example, do biceps curls with a 25 lb dumbbell on the left and a 20 lb dumbbell on the right? Or do 100% more volume on the weaker side (2 sets vs. 4 sets, etc)?

A: Because it is weaker. You shouldn’t be able to lift more weight with your weaker side - it’s weaker, remember? As for the volume issue, too much exercise for the weaker side will harm rather than help your efforts. Too much breakdown of muscle fibers, too much protein degradation; all in all, the muscle will be unable to recover sufficiently in time for the next training bout. Remember that consistent, progressive workouts are the key to progress.
2) Improve bilateral awareness.
Working bilaterally means that you use an implement that you wield with both sides of the body. The most common of these implements, of course, is a barbell, but exercise machines are bilateral as well.

When working bilaterally, the intent should be to “lead” with the weaker side. For example, if performing a leg curl, the trainee should place more focus on using the weaker leg to move the pad. As both legs tire, the stronger leg will progressively add more and more assistance until both are fully fatigued.

3) Train only the weak(er) side.
This application occurs mostly in physical therapy and deals with the rehab of an injured joint, but this may also be a consideration for an exercise program as well. A classic example of this is a person who has rotator cuff trouble only on one side. In this case, use a dumbbell or other implement (cable machine, etc.) and perform the necessary movements on the weaker side.

Of course, you could argue in our hypothetical rotator cuff case that this person should work both sets of rotator cuff muscles - and you’d be right.

Before you get the wrong idea, I want to underscore an important concept: Within the context of sports performance, it’s not always necessary nor desirable to promote symmetrical strength between both sides of the body. A primary example: tennis players. Do you think Maria Sharapova is concerned whether or not the muscles in her left forearm are just as strong as the muscles in her right one? More importantly, do you think it makes a lick of difference if they aren’t?

The concept of “functional training” is not necessarily about “fixing the broken machine”, but about “maximizing said machine’s function.”

Questions? Post to comments.