Overcoming left/right strength imbalance

incisor71

Hi all,

I've recently returned to using the flat bench press exercise (with a free barbell - I used to use an incline barbell press on the Smith machine, so let's call it a "graduation" ).

However, I find that my right arm is weaker than my left, which is a little peculiar as I'm right handed. My experience of the flat bench press is that muscle failure is quite sudden, so while my left arm is able for 10 reps, my right arm fails at rep no. 7. It's more than a little dangerous too, because I've gotten caught under a bar that I suddenly can't lift, with no helpers in sight. :mad: (Please don't ask what weight I'm lifting ... let's just say it's embarrassingly light, but then I am only starting out).

This imbalance can be a problem with some other exercises too, but most noticeably with the bench press.

One of the trainers was spotting me this morning and I asked him how I might address the imbalance in strength, and he said to put a heavier weight, not lighter weight, on the weaker side.....!!

Surely this is totally contrary to logic? Or what would you good folks do in my situation?

Suggestions and advice are, as always, very welcome! Thank you in advance!

g'em

having one side weaker than the otehr is very common- my left is weaker than my right, but as logic would have it I'm a total right hander, rarely use the left at all (except when I'm executing the perfect chicken dance routine..)

Your left overcompensating for the right when you use the bar, and by having higher weights on your weaker side it will cause the right to have to work more and increase the strength on that side. The alternative is to use dumbells. Because there's no stabilising bar to hold your muscles work that extra bit harder to keep you balanced. At the end of a normal set you can do a couple of extra reps on the weak side to get it on teh same level as teh strong.

Oh and as an aside, now that you've graduated to barbells try and leave teh smith machine alone.. it has a tendency to encourage bad form

incisor71

Thanks for the reply g'em!

Must say, though, the logic of weighing down the weaker arm with even heavier weights continues to elude me. I thought both arms would have to work equally hard during a barbell bench press just to stop the bar from tipping to one side? Can you provide an alternative explanation pls?

[As an aside, I precede the bench press with four sets of incline dumbbell presses, so the general chest area is pretty well warmed-up before I move to the horizontal....]

joejoem

Its worse when one side is bigger than the other.