Muscle Imbalances (Pecs)

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I have a problem with my pectorals, Over the past month I have really struggled to feel any exercise on my right pec. However, it’s the opposite with my left one. It feels like i can feel every muscle fibre contracting on my left one, where as I dont really feel jack on my right.

Now both sides are of equal strength, i think this is due to me having a stronger tricep on my right arm. But my left pectoral is slowly increasing in size where as my right one is not.

It is very annoying, does anyone have any suggestions so i can rectify this?

summary:

  • left pectoral bigger than the right one.
  • have better feeling of exercises in left pectoral than the right one.
  • both sides are of same strength, right side is verrryy slightly stronger, due to tricep strengths.

idditional info:
I’m 5’7", 150lbs, low body fat, usually train with a body-part split

Since I have had the chest problems I have gained around 2lb of muscle in the past month, and I have been doing a lot of writing with my left hand lol

2

Do you do flys?

3

make sure your hands are even on the bar(left not further out than right). I had a similar problem but it eventually the pecs evened out. Try more DB work. Also, think about your back when performing chest exercises, my problem was that i was pinching my left trap but letting my right stay flat.

4

Have somebody record you while doing your lifts. I bet you are inadvertently shrugging your right side and thus over involving the front delt on that side.

5

No more bench press for you I think.

You want to go for unilateral exercises only, and maybe some single arm work on that side so you can get the mind muscle connection happening.

6

[quote]Hagar wrote:
Do you do flys?[/quote]

yes I always do some sort of fly varation, usually pec deck or cable flies (decline, flat or incline). I tend to shy away from dumbbell flies due to the lack of tension at the top of the movement

7

t-man & trib, I definitely think it might be something to do with my back muscles too. Previously before this pec problem the left side of my back used to irritate me alot, if I stood up for a long period of time my scapula & trap ached and it felt as if they were slumping down. Now I don’t feel the problem so much, since my left pec shot up in size (i even have a couple tiny stretch marks from the growth). The extra muscle added to the pec must of pulled my shoulder forward and thus pulling my scapula up a tad.

I think I shall just do nothing but uni-lateral exercises for my upper body for a while (except pull ups and deadlifts). I think I will also add in rotator cuff work, and train back twice a week, to see if i can fix any imbalances there.

This also may seem drastic, but on chest day, I was thinking of dropping half the volume on my left pec, and keeping the volume on the right pec the same.

example:

a. 1-arm smith machine flat bench press
left pec: 3 warm up sets (15,12,12), 1 work set (8 reps)
right pec: 3 warm up sets (15,12,12), 2 work sets (10-12 & 4-6)

b. incline dumbbell bench press
left pec: 1 warm up set (15), 1 work set (10 reps)
right pec: 1 warm up set (15), 2 work sets (12 & 8)

c. pec deck
left pec: 1 work set (12 reps)
right pec: 3 work sets (15,12,10)

d. bodyweight dips
both pecs: 1 warm up set (bodyweight minus 50lbs - 15 reps), 3 work sets (max reps, usually - 15,14,12)

I would never usually do smith machine, but I always have at least one bar exercise in my chest work-out…

So… what do you guys think? good idea? or stupid idea?

8

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
Hagar wrote:
Do you do flys?

yes I always do some sort of fly varation, usually pec deck or cable flies (decline, flat or incline). I tend to shy away from dumbbell flies due to the lack of tension at the top of the movement[/quote]

I mentioned these because DB flys make my pecs grow, despite there being less tension at the top. When done right I really feel them working the pecs. I’m thinking if you take the delts and tris out of the equation, you’ll be able to even up your chest. My right pec lags a little too, just the outer section and DB flys seem to even it up for me. I also make sure I get a good contraction at the top of the movement and a good stretch at the bottom.

Good luck

9

your shoulder is slumping down? i had the same thing happen two years ago, it was a rotator cuff problem. initially i had frozen shoulder, then it just continually got worse. Its the subscapularis muscle(or at least it was for me) try laying down on a thirty degree angel bench and do a lateral raise only until roughly parallel, maybe a litle higher, lift slow, hold in the top position and lower slow. I did it before every workout for varying reps and sets only with the bad side. It was at the piint where i could barely lift now its fine. Anyway this obviously might not be what it is, but the slumping shoulder reminded me exactly of what happened to mine, either way look at rotator cuff weakness, compare the strength between sides. good luck, shoulder problems can be a biach

10

well believe it or not, i have found the problem:

handwriting.

since I have gone back to college i have had to do a shit load of handwriting. I never really thought about it, but today while writing an essay i got a killer pump in my left pec, it was ridiculous. So i don’t know what to do with this.

11

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
well believe it or not, i have found the problem:

handwriting.

since I have gone back to college i have had to do a shit load of handwriting. I never really thought about it, but today while writing an essay i got a killer pump in my left pec, it was ridiculous. So i don’t know what to do with this.

[/quote]

do u write with a chisel and stone slabs?

12

If your strength is even, then just keep lifting and add single armed dumbell lift for your right hand only to add some volume to that pec.

13

Apply a better shoulder movement if it is sore try proplotherapy

14

[quote]vitaminburst wrote:
Apply a better shoulder movement if it is sore try proplotherapy[/quote]

prolotherapy involves going to a Dr. and getting injections, it is a tendon/join rehabilitation therapy. I don’t think it will help, unless hes experiencing pain.

15

[quote]HunterKiller wrote:
If your strength is even, then just keep lifting and add single armed dumbell lift for your right hand only to add some volume to that pec.[/quote]

i’ll try this i think. Today i didn’t feel like training, but i wasn’t doing anything so went to the gym. I fucked around with light weights just rotating between flat dumbbell presses, incline presses and shoulder presses trying to focus on my smaller pec. It worked, after about 5 sets i was really starting to feel it over the other.

I will try this before my chest, shoulder and possibly tricep workouts (where I always get a pump in my left pec) to improve my mind muscle connection, maybe with a bit more weight too to get it a bit of extra volume.

One question though: Do you think it would be sensible to increase the volume on the right (smaller) pec, or lower the volume on the left (bigger) pec?

16

[quote]HotCarl28 wrote:
Goodfellow wrote:
well believe it or not, i have found the problem:

handwriting.

since I have gone back to college i have had to do a shit load of handwriting. I never really thought about it, but today while writing an essay i got a killer pump in my left pec, it was ridiculous. So i don’t know what to do with this.

do u write with a chisel and stone slabs?[/quote]

lol no, I just have an obsessive personality, and because of this I just think about the imbalance all the time (even though it is quite minor). and because I am always aware of my left pec it takes over on everything.

with the handwriting I was just inadvertantly twitching the pec on every hand motion which resulted in the pump.

17

ok i just noticed something quite important (i guess):

i’m walking around topless in my house because it’s really hot, and my dad just looks at me and goes ‘what the fuck is wrong with your shoulder?’

And apparently my right shoulder (right side - where my pec is smaller) is sloping down very noticeably. I don’t know how i missed this, it felt if anything my left side was sloping down.

Anyway i know the cause for my right shoulder sloping down, I have been carrying about a 15kg bag around for college over my right shoulder.

So now i have most probably found out the cause, can anyone help me?

18

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
ok i just noticed something quite important (i guess):

i’m walking around topless in my house because it’s really hot, and my dad just looks at me and goes ‘what the fuck is wrong with your shoulder?’

And apparently my right shoulder (right side - where my pec is smaller) is sloping down very noticeably. I don’t know how i missed this, it felt if anything my left side was sloping down.

Anyway i know the cause for my right shoulder sloping down, I have been carrying about a 15kg bag around for college over my right shoulder.

So now i have most probably found out the cause, can anyone help me? [/quote]

Buy a backpack??

19

Get a nerd to carry your books?

20

[quote]sawadeekrob wrote:
Get a nerd to carry your books?[/quote]

yes of course i will.

but AFTER I have the nerd carrying my books, what do I do (weight training wise) to bring my pec up to size, and get my shoulders back in-line?