i just got outta the shower after coming back from the gym when i was noticed a major pec imabalane between my right and left pec in the mirror. my right pec happens to be getting substantially bigger than my left. after kinda looking at myself at different angles, i noticed that the division in my breast bone seems to be kinda uneven. i know it sounds weird but you guys gotta believe when i say this. anyway, i’m not sure if my right pec is bigger because i’m right handed or what but this is kinda strange. is there any possible way to “fill out” my left pec before this really becomes a problem. i do dumbbell presses and i try to really concentrate on my left pec by just working that side but i’m not sure if it’s helping.
The sternum seperation description sounds familiar and is something I’ve seen before but can’t reccomend anything offhand to remedy it. You might check out some of King’s stuff, he has lots of ideas for fixing muscular imbalances.
*Imbalances such as above are common but are also commonly imagined. You said you noticed it shortly after a workout? Check again in the morning and see if the imbalance still appears.
*Your being right handed shouldn’t cause too much of an imbalance. I’m right handed and have very close right and left side measurements, even chest, although forearms are a tad off.
*If you do indeed have an imbalance defenitely tend to it asap.
Possibly try some extended negatives and judge whether one side indeed gives out quicker.
Sometimes it only look that way. Make sure the lighting is in line with your body, if the light comes a bit from the side, shadows will make one side look bigger.
i can say for sure it’s not a lighting/angular/vanity/whatever issue… it is definitely a difference in size… i can actually feel the difference if i sort of fondle my own pecs and i took a ruler… there is a difference…
Agathos: i know who ian king is but where do i find his stuff online? matter of fact, when people refer to westside styles of training and what have you, where are they getting this info?
You do know that you are on Testosterone magazine right? TMag has been around for years now, updates weekly, and has thousands of articles in their archives from top name coaches, nutritionists, and doctors. Ian King, Chad Waterburry, Christina Thibadeau, John Berardi, Lonnie Lowery, Defranco, Davies, and on, and on.
I didn’t realize until a few weeks back that some lurkers on the board didn’t even know there was a magazine here.
Just click on the Previous Issues link and do a search for Ian King.
Just about every one in the world is asymetrical to some degree. If this is really noticeable concentrate on doing lots of dumbel lifts, both single arm and at the same time. Getting the two sides to be equal in strength is the best you can hope for, as far as conventional means go.
I’m very asymetrical and believe part of the reason was due to a broken clavicle at a young age. I’ve also dislocated my shoulder and a couple vertebrae in my upper back/neck. I should have had better physical therapy while healing but didn’t and now fear I’m paying the price for it. I’m not a freak by any means but can feel each side of my body working differently and have to constantly focus on these differences to try and overcome them. For example, when benching, my left arm used to kind of pull away from my body and back starting at the shoulder, a little on the concentric phase. I’m still working on fixing this but making progress all the time. Some of this may be in my head and I wish I had someone with the knowledge to actually prove me right or wrong but your not alone by any means.
Check your posture and make sure both of your shoulders are in line. If you have a posture/structure problem this may cause this. I had a problem with my one shoulder coming forward due to a variety of reasons and I noticed once it was corrected my pecs looked more even. You may have a problem with one of your shoulders/clavicles that is causing the different look.
I also have a similar problem, but in my case its not the pec muscles that are assimetrical. The bones from my left pec are higher than the right ones (how are those bones called? ribs? English is my 2nd language)This occurs just in the middle of my pecs and it?s about a 1/2 inch difference in height.
You might have an instability in the shoulder of the smaller pec. The body will not allow a muscle to get bigger if it senses an instability in the joint the muscle works on. This is a protective mechanisim used by the body to protect the joint. Don Alessi wrote about this awhile back with reguards to bicep strength and shoulder stability.