Muscle Imbalance??

crystalsizer96

I have a muscular imbalance within my quads which I can't seem to improve. For leg day I squat and do single leg press and leg extension. I can't lift as much with the right as I can left. What other isolation exercises will help this as I've spent ages trying to correct this and still haven't made much progress? Thanks

crystalsizer96

jdog022

Yeah I don’t see it and a small strength difference is totally natural But you could do some lunges and Bulgarian split squats to try and even it up.

bobshuckleberry

Do step ups only using the lead leg, do not push from the ground leg. We did 20" ones at crossfit to strength each leg independently. Start with the weak leg, step up lean forward a little, you will feel your weight shifting forward, push up through your heel, stand up bringing your back let up onto the box.

cqbkaju

You do squats, leg presses, AND leg extensions on the same day?
Have you considered trying to squat heavier?

Expecting them to be identical seems pretty unrealistic.

If you want to know what an imbalance looks like try my left leg after having my Achilles tendon artificially replaced. Twice.

cwolfman13

I don't see it. It's also pretty normal to have a dominant side...that's not really an imbalance. When people talk about an imbalance, it's more like doing a lot of chest work and not enough back work causing your chest to pull your shoulders forward leading to a lot of back and neck discomfort...stuff like that.

Maxxitt

Your left leg seems to have a little more muscle definition that I can see. I have a similar issue with biceps - left is a lot more defined - but weaker, go figure. We aren't symmetrical.

lorrpb

The pic is not taken from a symmetrical angle so everything looks skewed. You right foot looks about 2 inches smaller than your left foot, but I assume that's not correct, right?

1BlueAurora

I think it's natural to be asymmetrical. One of my boobs is bigger than the other, my dominant hip and biceps and forearm are slightly more toned looking. I guess I'm lazy, but I'm the only person that notices this so I've decided to accept how this old body looks. I've shown my husband the differences and he thinks it's silly to worry about it. Maybe this is more important to you, though, but it's really helped me relax!

SCoil123

I have muscle imbalances in my lower body and am likely getting referred back to PT next week but what my last PT told me was to do single leg exercises to balance letting the weaker leg be my guide doing the same exact weight and reps on each side until it felt equal. It had gotten better doing this but not substantially, I’ve been on crutches twice in 3yr for multiple weeks at a time for the same leg so my imbalances are substantial

Some examples of what I do - same weight, number of sets, and reps for each leg

Single leg lunge with one leg on a bench so 100% is the lead leg work

Single leg hamstring curls

Single leg extensions

I was advised that doing things like squatting heavier was a bad idea until my muscle development balanced out more because my body will overcompensate with the stronger side and it’s actually a set up for injury of a more dramatic imbalance. I didn’t listen initially and this may be why I’m having more problems now. I’ve had to completely revamp how I train and what I do to try and correct it. I’d strongly recommend seeing a PT if you haven’t already. Also doing isolations for the supporting muscles is important too