The Left Arm...

timg760

I am right handed. I started lifting a couple years ago. Within the last few months, I noticed what was not obvious to me before (but perhaps should have been) – my left arm is noticeably weaker than my right. It is also noticeably smaller than my right arm. Not freakishly so, but I notice it, even if others don’t.

I am wondering what I can do to remedy this. I don’t really want to stop what I am doing; I like my current program and am making good progress so far… will assistance lifts using JUST the left arm help? Which ones might help? (I am currently doing Madcow with NO assistance lifts... i'm short on time at the moment.)

Also, has anyone had any issues with chronic soreness of the “top” (posterior?) of the forearm, near the elbow?

Thanks!

TG

DopeItUp

I'm pretty sure this is the case with just about everyone. Only in left-handed people does there seem to be better balance (maybe because left-handed people are required to use their right hands sometimes?). I honestly don't let it bother me, unless I was a top-level bodybuilder trying to build perfect symmetry or something. Using DBs instead of BBs may help but honestly I never noticed any changes there either.

Top of the forearm is tennis elbow (underside is golfer's), pretty common. I have a fairly nasty case of Golfer's elbow in my right arm. Does it hurt on pushing movements?

timg760

Based on the OHP i did today, it does not hurt on pushing, but pulling.

DopeItUp

Interesting, my golfer's elbow hurts only on pulling movements (pull-ups, rows, etc). But it's on the underside of my forearm right near the elbow. If I have my arms at my sides, the rear (posterior) side. Weird.

awinner_au

my dexa scan tells me that my right arm has 0.5kg (1.1Lbs) more lean mass than my left arm. Ive been working on balancing this out by doing extra reps on the left with dumbbells, not because of any aesthetics but because it does affect my barbell lifts.

icrushit

Left field opinion - imbalances tend to be easily ironed out handily enough with unilateral work when you're doing bodyweight strength programs, ie single legged squatting variations and one handed pullups and pushups and the like, as you just let your weaker limb be the guide for how many reps you do with both limbs, and it catches up.

I'm not sure what the answer would be for weights, as all the weighted compound movements involve both limbs. I suppose you could throw together a regime of single arm non-compound movements, probably with dumbells as mentioned, but that would seem quite onerous.

On the plus side, given all your weighted movements involve both arms, you shouldn't be widening any imbalance between the two arms any further

Sarauk2sf

iloseityes wrote: »

Left field opinion - imbalances tend to be easily ironed out handily enough with unilateral work when you're doing bodyweight strength programs, ie single legged squatting variations and one handed pullups and pushups and the like, as you just let your weaker limb be the guide for how many reps you do with both limbs, and it catches up.

I'm not sure what the answer would be for weights, as all the weighted compound movements involve both limbs. I suppose you could throw together a regime of single arm non-compound movements, probably with dumbells as mentioned, but that would seem quite onerous.

On the plus side, given all your weighted movements involve both arms, you shouldn't be widening any imbalance between the two arms any further

I not that onerous if you have DBs - just use DBs for the assistance work. Compounds refer lifts that use two or more joints, so many weighted compounds can use DBs.

You can add a few reps in for the weaker arm to try to bring it closer to the stronger arm,

icrushit

Sarauk2sf wrote: »

I not that onerous if you have DBs - just use DBs for the assistance work. Compounds refer lifts that use two or more joints, so many weighted compounds can use DBs.

You can add a few reps in for the weaker arm to try to bring it closer to the stronger arm,

Yes, was just a flashing thought. I know you can do compounds with dumbells, but just figured if you were used to doing heavy barbell compounds, it might not be so easy to replicate the weight with dumbells. Thus my suspicion that you might need to lean towards a variety of accessory movements instead, which probably would be onerous.

At least that was my line of thinking, but I'm out of my depth when it comes to weighted movements these days, as it's probably a good 15 years or so since I stepped foot in a gym, and even then I was quite stupid back then, lol

Sarauk2sf

iloseityes wrote: »

Sarauk2sf wrote: »

I not that onerous if you have DBs - just use DBs for the assistance work. Compounds refer lifts that use two or more joints, so many weighted compounds can use DBs.

You can add a few reps in for the weaker arm to try to bring it closer to the stronger arm,

Yes, was just a flashing thought. I know you can do compounds with dumbells, but just figured if you were used to doing heavy barbell compounds, it might not be so easy to replicate the weight with dumbells. Thus my suspicion that you might need to lean towards a variety of accessory movements instead, which probably would be onerous.

At least that was my line of thinking, but I'm out of my depth when it comes to weighted movements these days, as it's probably a good 15 years or so since I stepped foot in a gym, and even then I was quite stupid back then, lol

I would have them as an assist. Most programs other than those for beginners (where you really do not need them) have assistance work. So, you do your BB compounds and then for your assistance work, use DBs e.g. DB presses.

timg760

oooh that's just gonna make me even more sore... ok NSAIDs and ice it is.