Another posture thread here... I am looking for responses from someone who knows a lot (with experience) about posture and/or working out and know how to fix imbalances and what exercises will fix it.
This is how I figured out I have an imbalance between my right side and my left side. You can measure by taking one dumbbell and put it in your right hand and look in the mirror. If you are standing up nice and tall without tilting to that side in any way, then you are fine on that side. Now change hands by holding the dumbbell with your left hand. Are you still standing up nice and tall without tilting to that side in any way? If so, then you have no imbalances on either side. If one side you are leaning/tilting, then the opposite side needs the work. For me even without using any dumbbells, my body tilts slightly to the left. When I did what I explained above, I tilted to the right side with holding a dumbbell with my right hand; therefore, my left side is weaker. Because I was not aware of this imbalance or thinking about it until I took a picture of myself standing up tall (I was not aware of my anterior pelvic tilt either), all the exercises I have been doing standing up had a tilt to one side. When I squat with weight, I notice my weight shifts more towards the right side.
I am right handed, but I should be training one side at a time at least for the first set with my left arm/left leg/left side to see what weight I should be using for that exercise for the day. If one side is lacking form and the other has good form (hard to notice imbalances unless you are squatting or doing one leg or arm or side and knowing that you cannot do as many reps on one side that you can on the other), then the one side that is lacking good form is the weaker side and will keep getting weaker, and the stronger side will keep getting stronger.
Anyone else have this problem or have had this problem in the past?
Here are my questions:
What is the best exercises to fix this kind of imbalance? Is it the external obliques? Is there anything I am not understanding correctly on this? What good test can I take myself that will tell me how much more weight one side is than the other side? Before I start weightraining again (with weight), I need to figure out how to fix this imbalance. I want to do single leg work, but my right leg has problems with balance. When I try to use weight on my right leg (single leg only) for king deadlifts or RDL with dumbbells in both hands, I really notice a difference and my weight wants to go towards my left side; therefore, I lose my balance. Even without any weight, I have this problem with my right leg. I am not sure if just balancing everyday will make it better because no weight is being used, but probably not because my left side needs weight added to the muscles to get me balanced.
- Another question I have is what movements (quad/hip dominant, upper body horizontal push/pull, upper body vertical push/pull, serratus anterior, scapular retractors/depresson/elevators, external rotation) are affected by this? I am not sure if push ups, bench press (laying down), inverted rows, lat pulldowns, and pull ups are affected by this imbalance because I am not standing up. I know standing up bent over rows and all the standing exercises are most likely affected.
Also, before I can get my anterior pelvic tilt fixed, I have to get my side imbalance fixed and the muscles that the imbalance created. I used to do a lot of single joint exercises and be in the weightroom about 2 hours a day or so 2 years ago and doing different exercises everyday and not knowing anything about training. I have never gotten serious about it until half of last year and now. I am really serious more now the more I think about my imbalances and the more I want it fixed.
The only few exercises I can really think of to help me with this imbalances that do not involve any weight holding in my upper body is single leg squat off a bench and making it lower each time I can do about 10-15 reps evenly on both legs for Quad Dominant. I don't know about Hip Dominant. For the external obliques (sides), Hip Thrusts/Side Planks/Side Planks & Reach.
With weight - For Rotation, high/low chops (cannot do these until in the middle of Feb when I go back to school for Spring semester and can use the gym).
I can't think of anything else that would help. Until I get an answer from you guys, I am going to stay away from the weights right now and any exercise standing up. I cannot work on my balance and single leg work because of my right side losing balance and stuff. I am limited right now until I find out whats going on and how I can fix this imbalance. I cannot afford a physical therapist or anything with money, but I am planning on finding a job soon and hopefully a gym one so I can hopefully get on a program that I can trust and stick with. I have to not change exercises all the time like I used to and I have to stick to a schedule that uses movements and not single joint and a few compounds, etc. Changing exercises all the time and not knowing what the heck I am doing is what screws things up and makes it worse. I can make weightraining routines myself as many times as I want and then do it once and change it all around after, but if its not by movements, then I can screw up my body even more. That has been my problem. Right now I need to get my imbalance fixed and once thats fixed, I can just train by movements and can switch up the exercises if I want to for that movement every session if I wanted to (example - bench press monday, incline press wednesday, push up friday for the upper body horizontal push). That will not harm me, but changing exercises and not including all the movements (one exercise per movement), then that will harm me.
I am hoping that this thread will not just help me and that it will help you guys too if anyone is going through the same problem. If you have dumbbells at home right now or anything object that weighs not too light and not too heavy, put the object in one of your hands first and then the other and see if you have an imbalance on one side. If you do, then get help with it and people on here that are kind to offer free advice will help. Do not be afraid to ask questions either. I know I should of knew about this imbalance long ago and do movement training instead of changing my workout all the time, but sometimes it takes a while to realize something once you find out a problem has occured. You guys know that I have made threads in the past about weightraining workouts and changing them all the time. I am not going to do that anymore because I am following my movements and movements only to prevent that from happening. I am not experienced enough to seperete movements and do 2-3 exercises for that same movement or single joint and can end up forgetting movements/muscles. I learned a big lesson here.
This is how I figured out I have an imbalance between my right side and my left side. You can measure by taking one dumbbell and put it in your right hand and look in the mirror. If you are standing up nice and tall without tilting to that side in any way, then you are fine on that side. Now change hands by holding the dumbbell with your left hand. Are you still standing up nice and tall without tilting to that side in any way? If so, then you have no imbalances on either side. If one side you are leaning/tilting, then the opposite side needs the work. For me even without using any dumbbells, my body tilts slightly to the left. When I did what I explained above, I tilted to the right side with holding a dumbbell with my right hand; therefore, my left side is weaker. Because I was not aware of this imbalance or thinking about it until I took a picture of myself standing up tall (I was not aware of my anterior pelvic tilt either), all the exercises I have been doing standing up had a tilt to one side. When I squat with weight, I notice my weight shifts more towards the right side.
I am right handed, but I should be training one side at a time at least for the first set with my left arm/left leg/left side to see what weight I should be using for that exercise for the day. If one side is lacking form and the other has good form (hard to notice imbalances unless you are squatting or doing one leg or arm or side and knowing that you cannot do as many reps on one side that you can on the other), then the one side that is lacking good form is the weaker side and will keep getting weaker, and the stronger side will keep getting stronger.
Anyone else have this problem or have had this problem in the past?
Here are my questions:
What is the best exercises to fix this kind of imbalance? Is it the external obliques? Is there anything I am not understanding correctly on this? What good test can I take myself that will tell me how much more weight one side is than the other side? Before I start weightraining again (with weight), I need to figure out how to fix this imbalance. I want to do single leg work, but my right leg has problems with balance. When I try to use weight on my right leg (single leg only) for king deadlifts or RDL with dumbbells in both hands, I really notice a difference and my weight wants to go towards my left side; therefore, I lose my balance. Even without any weight, I have this problem with my right leg. I am not sure if just balancing everyday will make it better because no weight is being used, but probably not because my left side needs weight added to the muscles to get me balanced.
- Another question I have is what movements (quad/hip dominant, upper body horizontal push/pull, upper body vertical push/pull, serratus anterior, scapular retractors/depresson/elevators, external rotation) are affected by this? I am not sure if push ups, bench press (laying down), inverted rows, lat pulldowns, and pull ups are affected by this imbalance because I am not standing up. I know standing up bent over rows and all the standing exercises are most likely affected.
Also, before I can get my anterior pelvic tilt fixed, I have to get my side imbalance fixed and the muscles that the imbalance created. I used to do a lot of single joint exercises and be in the weightroom about 2 hours a day or so 2 years ago and doing different exercises everyday and not knowing anything about training. I have never gotten serious about it until half of last year and now. I am really serious more now the more I think about my imbalances and the more I want it fixed.
The only few exercises I can really think of to help me with this imbalances that do not involve any weight holding in my upper body is single leg squat off a bench and making it lower each time I can do about 10-15 reps evenly on both legs for Quad Dominant. I don't know about Hip Dominant. For the external obliques (sides), Hip Thrusts/Side Planks/Side Planks & Reach.
With weight - For Rotation, high/low chops (cannot do these until in the middle of Feb when I go back to school for Spring semester and can use the gym).
I can't think of anything else that would help. Until I get an answer from you guys, I am going to stay away from the weights right now and any exercise standing up. I cannot work on my balance and single leg work because of my right side losing balance and stuff. I am limited right now until I find out whats going on and how I can fix this imbalance. I cannot afford a physical therapist or anything with money, but I am planning on finding a job soon and hopefully a gym one so I can hopefully get on a program that I can trust and stick with. I have to not change exercises all the time like I used to and I have to stick to a schedule that uses movements and not single joint and a few compounds, etc. Changing exercises all the time and not knowing what the heck I am doing is what screws things up and makes it worse. I can make weightraining routines myself as many times as I want and then do it once and change it all around after, but if its not by movements, then I can screw up my body even more. That has been my problem. Right now I need to get my imbalance fixed and once thats fixed, I can just train by movements and can switch up the exercises if I want to for that movement every session if I wanted to (example - bench press monday, incline press wednesday, push up friday for the upper body horizontal push). That will not harm me, but changing exercises and not including all the movements (one exercise per movement), then that will harm me.
I am hoping that this thread will not just help me and that it will help you guys too if anyone is going through the same problem. If you have dumbbells at home right now or anything object that weighs not too light and not too heavy, put the object in one of your hands first and then the other and see if you have an imbalance on one side. If you do, then get help with it and people on here that are kind to offer free advice will help. Do not be afraid to ask questions either. I know I should of knew about this imbalance long ago and do movement training instead of changing my workout all the time, but sometimes it takes a while to realize something once you find out a problem has occured. You guys know that I have made threads in the past about weightraining workouts and changing them all the time. I am not going to do that anymore because I am following my movements and movements only to prevent that from happening. I am not experienced enough to seperete movements and do 2-3 exercises for that same movement or single joint and can end up forgetting movements/muscles. I learned a big lesson here.