How to address chest imbalance

[enwar3]

So my left pec is definitely bigger than my right pec. All I do are bench presses, pullovers, and dips, and I do them all symmetrically. Should I start doing one-sided bench presses or something?

 

[irishScott]

As long as your form is good, they should even out eventually size-wise. If you're noticing a difference in strength, then there's probably a problem with your form.

 

[enwar3]

I definitely have a tendency to lift my left shoulder on presses and upright rows, but my spotter says that hasn't carried over to my bench. I've been working out for a couple months and while both sides have gained mass they're both still uneven. Should I bother taking further action?

 

[KoolDrew]

I've been working out for a couple months and while both sides have gained mass they're both still uneven. Should I bother taking further action?

You've only been working out for a couple months and worrying about such a small detail? Continue lifting heavy, gain more muscle mass, and then start worrying about stuff like that.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

I've been working out for a couple months and while both sides have gained mass they're both still uneven. Should I bother taking further action?

You've only been working out for a couple months and worrying about such a small detail? Continue lifting heavy, gain more muscle mass, and then start worrying about stuff like that.

Agreed. You might also try dumbbell bench presses if the problem persists.

Also keep in mind that most people's bodies aren't perfectly symmetrical, and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't change the actual shape of your muscles. My pecs have never been even, and if you look at pictures of some of the pros, you can see size/shape differences in theirs as well.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

I've been working out for a couple months and while both sides have gained mass they're both still uneven. Should I bother taking further action?

You've only been working out for a couple months and worrying about such a small detail? Continue lifting heavy, gain more muscle mass, and then start worrying about stuff like that.

Agreed. You might also try dumbbell bench presses if the problem persists.

Also keep in mind that most people's bodies aren't perfectly symmetrical, and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't change the actual shape of your muscles. My pecs have never been even, and if you look at pictures of some of the pros, you can see size/shape differences in theirs as well.

Dumbbell presses, if anything, would make the problem worse. It takes a good deal of experience and knowledge of your body to make sure the ROM is even on both sides of your body, especially if you already have an imbalance.

Stick with the bar. Keep your shoulders against the bench and everything will even out.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

i only have experience with forearm imbalances.

 

[enwar3]

I actually do dumbbell bench presses. I JUST (as in one workout ago) switched everything over to barbells. I'll be on barbells for a while and I'll see what happens.

 

[chess9]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

I've been working out for a couple months and while both sides have gained mass they're both still uneven. Should I bother taking further action?

You've only been working out for a couple months and worrying about such a small detail? Continue lifting heavy, gain more muscle mass, and then start worrying about stuff like that.

Agreed. You might also try dumbbell bench presses if the problem persists.

Also keep in mind that most people's bodies aren't perfectly symmetrical, and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't change the actual shape of your muscles. My pecs have never been even, and if you look at pictures of some of the pros, you can see size/shape differences in theirs as well.

Yup. Almost every woman who doesn't have implants has asymetrical breasts. We are bilateral critters, but we have a dominant side. If you've done a lot of swimming, lifting, rowing, or gymnastics chances are better that your dominant side is not as noticeable. However, even swimmers have a dominant side and in freestyle you can see it with their loping stroke. Phelps has a huge lope. Almost a cantalope. 😉

-Robert

 

[enwar3]

Alright, so it's been a couple months, I've been doing bb bench and I see absolutely no improvement whatsoever regarding the imbalance. It's starting to worry me and I want to take some kind of active approach (as opposed to waiting for dumbbells to even them out, which hasn't worked for me in the past).

If I have an A/B workout routine and the only thing I do for my chest is flat bench on A days, can I afford to add several (say, 3) sets of decline bench on one of the machines for my weaker side? Or should I maybe even add extra sets for my weaker side on both days?

 

[presidentender]

I think this is a persistent form issue. You might be able to correct it. If you haven't been able to do it yourself, it might help to have someone else work with you.

If you train one side without training the other, things get weird. Don't do it.

 

[crt1530]

Every muscle has slightly different origin and insertion points. Nobody's body is perfectly symmetrical. Just make sure you are using correct form and aren't favoring one side over the other on your lifts and that you're getting stronger. You are likely worrying about something that you cannot do anything about.

 

[eddiebravo]

basically no one is perfectly symmetrical. some people have more asymmetry than others, and some areas of your body may be more asymmetrical than others. my left pec is a little bigger than my right, my right lat is a little bigger than my left, my left hip is a tiny bit higher than my right hip, etc. its not very noticeable stuff, but it is my body so i do see those minor differences.

you can try using dumbbells and unilateral machines instead, but its probably not going to make a difference. thats just how you were made.

 

[SearchMaster]

Can you post pics? Sometimes we are very critical of ourselves...the rest of us might not even be able to tell a difference.