Hi Guys. For some time now I’ve had an issue with my chest, one side is slightly differently shaped than the other. The left side is fuller in the lower and inner regions while the right is lacking in these areas. In an attempt to solve it I’ve switched to mainly dumbell excercises in my chest routine (to work each side individually), I’m also trying to emphasize the lower pecs in order to bring the right side up to speed.
This is my normal chest routine (though i mix it up slightly each week in terms of the excercises, perhaps substituting the crossovers for decline flyes)
I think the imbalance may have come about due to me previously neglecting D.B chest presses in favour of the B.B variety. I would like to equalize the development before I continue to add any more mass as this may just exacerbate the problem. Does anyone have any criticisms of my routine or suggestions as to what else I can try?
I have a simmilar problem to yours. My right is differntly shaped on the bottom right corner. I switched from barbell to dumbell presses and noticed that my right pec was becoming fuller and looking more symmetrical. Hope this helps.
You can’t change muscle SHAPE. You can only make a muscle larger or allow it to atrophy. Without seeing your chest, anyone responding would only be speculating about what you truly need to give the “illusion” of symmetry,
Ok maybe I should have said the right side is a different SIZE to the left, making it APPEAR to have a different shape. I wasn’t trying to suggest the muscle was a different shape I was merely trying to illustrate my point. Anyway I don’t need to now as I have a pic.
I have put arrows pointing to the areas where my right side seems to be lagging, but looking at it now, it just seems be the entire lower portion of the pec. Any more help would be greatly appreciated
From the picture it LOOKS like you have postural problems and imbalances with your shoulders which may be affecting the problem.
I have had similar issues lately, my imabalances don’t look as bad as yours but they sure feel like it (I can’t contract my right pec properly compared to my left) I think if i carried on training I would end up worse, so I’m trying to fix it before I carry on.
I agree, your lats look slightly off too(or it could be just the way you are standing. I don’t think there is an imbalance between your pecs, rather your chest and back or something else that has just been taking its toll over time.
It’s kinda tough to see if you have posteral problems though from a front shot…we would need side shots and rear shots(preferably relaxed).
Your entire right side looks bigger to me. Your shoulder and lat seems the most noticable but your arm seems a bit bigger too.
Check this out to fix the lat if it does turn out to be the problem http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1898377
I have been doing the stretch scott recommended and it seems to be helping maybe you could find similar stretches for the rest of your body to do also.
Ok, thanks for the advice. I would have never thought I had a postural problem but maybe thats the case, what exactly looks wrong with my posture? I wouldn’t imagine I have an imbalance between chest/back as I’ve always worked these two areas equally! I’ll post back and side shots later if that helps. I must admit I wasn’t standing up straight in that pic as I was trying to get the light to catch my chest so you could all see the difference between left and right.
[quote]MagicJohnson85 wrote:
Ok, thanks for the advice. I would have never thought I had a postural problem but maybe thats the case, what exactly looks wrong with my posture? I wouldn’t imagine I have an imbalance between chest/back as I’ve always worked these two areas equally! I’ll post back and side shots later if that helps. I must admit I wasn’t standing up straight in that pic as I was trying to get the light to catch my chest so you could all see the difference between left and right.[/quote]
Take all of these comments about your posture with a grain of salt. If you are worried, go see a doctor. You do happen to look asymmetrical, however, this does not mean you have a postural problem, especially one that could be diagnosed from one picture taken from the front and posted on the internet. Your left lat seems to connect a little lower as well. That may simply be how you are put together.
I don’t know many doctors who would diagnose someone over the internet like that. I know I wouldn’t in my own specialty. There are quite a few people who have read a few articles on posture and now go around the internet throwing out random diagnosis at anyone who posts a picture.
Ok here are the back, left and right shots. It’s hard to get the lighting right in my room, hopefully it doesn’t affect these pics too much. It’s difficult to get an idea of my overall shape in these pics but I wouldn’t say I was totally asymmetrical - apart from may chest and like pro x said, the insertion point of my left lat.
I have the same problem and I too have switched from barbell to dumbells and don’t think I’ll ever switch back. Next time someone asks me what I bench I’m gonna respond with “Who gives a shit?”
Anyway, so yeah, now I use dumbells and go almost to failure with my right side and to complete failure with my left. Just started like a month ago so no real progress yet. Just gotta wait and see.
All of your left side is definitely smaller than your right. Switch to dumbbells and try exercises where you train your left side only first, then your right side. It’ll take work but it’ll help a lot.
