Uneven muscle gain in my legs. Help please?

CristinaL1983
CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I have traumatic osteoarthritis in my right ankle (I've already had a couple ankle surgeries). As a result I naturally overcompensate with my left leg. Since I intensified my strength training, the difference has become much more noticeable. It seems to me that even doing squats and other exercises with both legs, I'm still over using my left leg and under using my right.

It seems to me that if I do single leg workouts with the same weight for both (whatever I can tolerate with my right leg) that the left should stay about the same or get slightly less muscular and the right leg should gain muscle. Does that sound right?

Aside from split squats or single leg calf raises, what are some good exercises to work each leg separately?

Does anyone have any experience like this? Or a better idea?

Replies

  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    Anyone?
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    You can do lunges and step ups. Are you sure you are getting uneven development from doing your squats? It seems to me that, fi you are squatting with free weights, you would necessarily have to put the same amount of effort/force on both legs or you would fall over.
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    I'm pretty sure a lot of it is from years of overcompensating with my left leg but it's only been since I really started lifting more intensely that it's become so much more obvious. I'm not sure how much the squats actually have to do with it but it's not making my legs more even.
  • TrojanDr
    TrojanDr Posts: 2 Member
    Lunges, pistol squats, extensions, leg curls, cable exercises... basically anything that requires you to utilize one leg at a time as opposed to both.

    I was having the same problem in my chest, arms, and back through doing bench press and pullups (interestingly I had a larger left chest, right arm, and left back...), but progressed to the point where I'm now doing one-armed pushups and chin-ups instead of the weighted exercises, and my balance has improved.

    If one completes the same number of reps on each side (do the weaker side first), eventually they will even out.

    Good luck!
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    Lunges, pistol squats, extensions, leg curls, cable exercises... basically anything that requires you to utilize one leg at a time as opposed to both.

    I was having the same problem in my chest, arms, and back through doing bench press and pullups (interestingly I had a larger left chest, right arm, and left back...), but progressed to the point where I'm now doing one-armed pushups and chin-ups instead of the weighted exercises, and my balance has improved.

    If one completes the same number of reps on each side (do the weaker side first), eventually they will even out.

    Good luck!

    Thank you! I'm glad to hear that! My left calf is about 4 inches larger than the right, it is good to know that I can even them out eventually :)

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