Imbalance Between Legs

Hi everybody. I think that I have a pretty bad imbalance between my two legs. That is, I feel like I put more weight on one leg. Also, it feels like my right hip is a bit higher than my left. If I lift my left knee up to 90 degrees and hold it, everything is ok. But if I do this with my right, I can not hold it there. I can only hold it if I rotate my knee and my torso a bit to the left, or alternatively dip my hip out to the left.

I am not just holding my knees up for fun; I have been told that my feet are not aligned horizontally when I squat (one foot is behind the other) and that, on the way up, the bar is very much tipped down on the left. I can also see this if I squat in front of a mirror; the bar is not even close to horizontal on the way up, but tips a lot to the left. Also, while I squat, I feel like I am dipping down towards the left, rather than in between my legs.

How can I fix this? I recently tweaked my lower back (left side), and I think that it was something to do with this. The lower back injury is minor and I will be fine soon. I have tweaked it before and it ended up fine in the end. But I want to fix this imbalance. Thanks for any help.

The imbalance is probably the source of your back issues.

As you squat, you’ll favor one side. The imbalance will just get worse and worse.

You’ve got to stop using the big compound moves for awhile, and get into tons and tons of single leg work.

1 Leg Extension
1 Leg Curl
1 Leg Press
Lunges
1 Leg Calf Raise

Not being able to raise your legs symmetrical shows that your abs/obliques/lower back/hip/glute muscles are not working together properly. The two sides or your body are moving differently, that’s why your feet don’t line up correctly. You’ve got to get those glutes/adductors/abductors/psoas working properly, 1 side at a time.

Clam Shells
Seated Psoas Hold
Peterson Step Ups
Terminal Knee Extensions
Standing 1 Leg Calf Raise

It’s even possible that you are walking around with 1 shoulder higher than the other. You need to work those lats/rhomboids/traps working correctly on both sides. Try

Cuban Press
ScareCrows
Rear Delt Raises
1 Arm Shrug
1 Arm Row
1 Arm pulldown

Also, don’t forget 1 arm farmer’s walk and sidebends. Basically any lift you can work one side at a time. Use the weak side for all sets and reps first, then do the strong side.

Check out this great article by Chris Colucci about training for symmetry

And this one, on a “different” way to structure core workouts