BACKGROUND
I use to post here quite a bit and I had a log on here when I was much younger. I stopped logging before I took a hiatus from lifting. My previous best lifts were:
405x1 low bar squat
405x1 deadlift
245x1 close grip bench
170x1 overhead press
bodyweight x30 pullups
@ 175lbs bodyweight
age: around 18
I stopped lifting 3 years ago in order to pursue goals I had in Muay Thai and to focus on University once I graduated from highschool. I lost a lot of weight in order to fight and trained purely Thai boxing for 2 years with no weight lifting and then focused primarily on school for the last year.
I recently started lifting again with some friends 5 weeks ago. In the 5 weeks I have been lifting again I managed to achieve:
325x1 high bar squat
375x1 deadlift
215x1 close grip bench
150x1 overhead press
bodyweight x21 pullups @175lbs bodyweight
age: almost 21
MY PROBLEM
While deadlifting recently, my friends noticed that the right side of my mid/lower back is a noticeable amount larger than my left side. They also noticed my right shoulder seems slightly depressed in comparison to my left side. I will upload some pictures for all of you to see.
I will post what I do in the gym below. In case it matters, I foam roll and stretch every day.
This seems more like an observation than a problem. Is the problem that, because of this, you are experiencing some sort of pain/dysfunction, or is it limiting your ability to lift, or is it something else?
EDIT: Also, that other dude in the lockerroom looks pretty creeped out that you’re taking photos of him. Did you have his consent? Otherwise, you might want to blur his face or something.
I don’t feel any pain per se, but I do feel more tightness on the larger side after deadlifting. I am worried that it may become painful in the future or affect my ability to lift, even though it isn’t a serious problem right now.
Also, he is one of my gym partners, I have his consent and now my friends and I make memes with his face from that photo.
I feel like you don’t have a problem to solve at the moment. It may become painful in the future, or it may not (as those are the only two possible outcomes in the universe), but the big thing to remember is that no human is symmetrical. It’s actually why we find those who get closer to perfect symmetry more attractive than those who are asymmetrical; they are outliers. Bodybuilders go through a TON of effort to ensure symmetry when it comes to getting on stage.
If it’s a really big deal, during your daily pull-ups, you could try to emphasize pulling with the weaker side and building a better mind/muscle connection, but otherwise it sounds like everything is going well.
Good to know about the guy in the photo. We had a guy in the Rate My Physique section that would constantly snap photos in the locker room with guys walking out of the shower and stuff. It was pretty creepy, haha.
