Scooby's Home Bodybuilding Workouts Asymmetry

"My left pec is larger than my right, what should I do about it?"

I get many questions about asymmetry and what to do about it.  First, what do I mean by asymmetry?  What I mean is that a muscle on one side of the body is a different shape or size than the same muscle on the other side of  the body.  For example, the left bicep is smaller than the right bicep. Most people don't look but don't see. If you look carefully at anyone, you will notice that there are many differences between the left and right side - limbs different lengths, eyes in different positions, muscles different sizes, ears at different heights, hips tilted, etc.  Normally you don't see these things because people rarely stay sill long enough in a standing symmetrical stance so you can notice them.  What to do about this?  First, if you are having joint or back pain because of it, you need to see a doctor and work with a physical therapist!  If your concerns are cosmetic, read on.  It is not always possible to correct asymmetry so a big part of posing routines in bodybuilding is learning how to pose using your asymmetry to your advantage.  You always hear people joking before taking a picture, "wait, that's not my good side" while they turn their head.  Its true, almost everyone has angles and poses which flatter them the most and its your job to find out what those are.  Even if you never plan on entering a bodybuilding contest, it pays to know how to position yourself for maximum effect.

Now lets talk about correcting asymmetry.  Personally I dont bother trying to correct my asymmetry; however, I make sure that my workouts do not make it worse!  Here is an example for chest.  The bench press is a good exercise for symmetry because each pec must do exactly the same amount of work otherwise the bar will be crooked and the weights will slide off.  A bad exercise for chest is a machine where the left and right sides are connected together so that the dominant pec can lift more than the weaker pec and thus make the asymmetry worse - an old fashioned universal machine bench press is an example of this.  If you do want to correct your asymmetry, remember that the last thing you want to do is injure yourself trying to correct a cosmetic asymmetry.  Doing dumbbell flys with only one dumbbell is a recipe for disaster.  Some muscles can safely be worked one at a time but others apply dangerous torques to the skeletal system that are just not present in everyday life.  Safe would be doing single armed bicep curls on a preacher bench as no torques are being applied to the torso or shoulder.  Dangerous would be one legged leg exercises or one armed chest exercises.