HELP ME - One Arm/Bicep Smaller Than Other

by JAHANGIR KHAN
(PAKISTAN)

HELLO MY NAME IS JAHANGIR KHAN.I AM FROM PAKISTAN.I GO TO GYM AND WORKOUT 6 DAYS A WEEK.I HAVE GOT A VERY UNUSUAL PROBLEM.MY RIGHT BICEP IS A BIT SMALLER THAN THE LEFT ONE ...MY LEFT BICEP IS 14 INCHES IN SIZE AND MY RIGHT BICEP IS 13.8 OR 9 INCHES IN SIZE.IT IS UNNOTICEABLE TO OTHER BUT NOT TO ME.I HAVE GOT VERY CONSIOUS AND WORRIED ABOUT IT...PLZZZZZZ TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO TO CLEAR THIS DIFFERENCE .

Hello Jahangir,

This is possible if you are left handed. We tend to use our dominant arm more than the other and hence more bulk in the dominant arm.

Even if you are right handed, don't fret.

I suggest you perform dumbbell exercises and do more unilateral work with your smaller arm.

In 2-4 weeks, provided you eat as per muscle building diet prescribed at exercisegoals.com, your smaller arm should be equal to your bigger arm.

Then you can build them together. Right?

What are the Advantages of Unilateral one Arm/Leg Training?

Unilateral leg or arm training refers to training that involves one part instead of all the parts of the body during the exercise. During unilateral training, the exercises are done using one side of the body, and then done using the other side. For leg and arm exercises, you can start with the left arm or leg and then go to the right arm or leg to finish off.


The major advantage of unilateral exercises is that they permit you to focus on one part of the body while performing your exercises. In this way you are able to make greater increases in strength, form and performance as you work one side after the other.


The second advantage is that it is used as a means of prevention and correction of muscle imbalances that may occur when training both parts of the body simultaneously. This is common in squats and when using the barbell to perform lifts and pushes.

If the body is not held in correct form so that the weight becomes distributed equally to all parts involved in the exercise, one may end up training one part more than the other. It may lead to one muscle developing in strength than the other or even visible differences in muscle structure that will need more time and work in order to correct these differences.


Unilateral exercises can also be used as a means of increasing the intensity of exercises. It is commonly used by people that have reached a plateau in their training to break the tie and move on to the next level of your training.


Other advantages of Unilateral exercises


Unilateral exercises have also been known to be used for therapeutic purposes in people that have lost use or have some kind of impairment in one of their limbs. This is common in stroke victims and victims of trauma. This means that one part of the body will be essentially weaker than the other part and will need to be worked to come back to a similar level of fitness of the other part.


This can usually be achieved by using unilateral exercises with dumbbells that will permit a greater range of movement, and will allow for one part of the body to be worked without using the other arm as support that may reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.


Sometimes people may lose the use of one arm completely or may even find it difficult to do even the slightest exercises with one of their arms. A unilateral exercise on the other hand has been shown to show improvements on the other side in strength as well as muscle and motor activity. This reaction is known as the contralateral effect.


Hameed S
ExerciseGoals.com