T Nation

My Quads Are Different Sizes!

Bodybuilding
#1

Hey all,

I’ve been training seriously for about 4-5 months now and have noticed that my vastus medialis on my left leg is a lot more well developed than my right leg.

I don’t have a camera but when ‘flexed’ the size differences are pretty clear.

Firstly, performance-wise, this is an issue?

And secondly, what do you think is the best way to get the right one up to scratch?

It’s odd because I am right-handed and upper body wise I’m much stronger on my right side. For quads, I currently do back squats, leg press (only recently) and bulgarian split squats. I’ve been (sporadically) throwing in one-legged leg extensions for the right leg at the end of quad sessions lately, but am just wanting some other opinions on how to go about things.

Thank you.

#2

One-legged squats are money. Check out Mike Boyle’s article “The Case for Single Limb Training.” Good info in there.

#3

Have you played any sports? It’s not uncommon for a right handed athlete to be stronger/more developed/have better balance on the left side. This is usually due to jumping/planting with the left leg.

#4

[quote]rcsermas wrote:
One-legged squats are money. Check out Mike Boyle’s article “The Case for Single Limb Training.” Good info in there.[/quote]

Thats what I was gonna say. Start doing pistols.

#5

My left quad is bigger than my right also. I played basketball and ran track most of my life and my left leg was the leg I use to jump off and take off for running.

#6

Measure your standing vertical jump using just your left leg and just your right leg. If there’s a 10 percent difference in the distance you jump, then you’re fucked up.

No matter what you should be doing single-leg exercises and when you do them, start with your weakest side first so your strong side doesn’t progress any faster than your currently weaker side.

#7

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Measure your standing vertical jump using just your left leg and just your right leg. If there’s a 10 percent difference in the distance you jump, then you’re fucked up.

No matter what you should be doing single-leg exercises and when you do them, start with your weakest side first so your strong side doesn’t progress any faster than your currently weaker side. [/quote]

Same as above but also don’t do more reps or weight than your weak side.