Suggestions with arms

T

toastythemosty

Cathlete
I grab a dumb bell with right arm and the 20's feel like 15's now. My left arm has a 20 too and it feels like 25's now. What is a girl to do????? I am getting alittle unbalanced here. I am starting to see a bicep vein in my right arm, but my left arm is waayyy behind.
Should I lift different dumb bells for each arm or keep using the same? Good news is that I am now using 10#'s for front raises and flyes so my shoulders are getting stronger.

Thanks!

Charlotte~~
 
Charlotte, I am much weaker on my left side than right. I'm don't have a solution for you on lifting different weights, I'll leave that to the people who know what they are talking about... LOL... I just wanted to let you know that I have this problem. I lift the same weight on each side though when I am lifting.
 
Well it is nice to know I am not the only lopsided person around. LOL
I just feel like my left arm is significantly weaker than the right.

Charlotte~~
 
I'm sure mine is probably due to being right-hand dominant. This may be true for most people. Are you right-handed? I find I have more strength and can balance better on the right than left. I've always noticed this about myself and it has never changed no matter how much exercise I have done. I am stronger overall but the left side has always lagged behind.
 
Sabrina,

The trip was nice, thanks for asking. Went to the beach once and was in protein heaven when we stopped to eat at Phillips Crab House in OC, Maryland. Yummy! Nice visit with family and friends thru the entire stay. Had brought all my weights and ate very clean. Hardest part was eating every few hours at times while away at the office and while visiting. Didn't get in much cardio, but got in alot of slow and heavy workouts. Went to the gym with my brother. Glad to be back home though. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed!


Charlotte~
 
Charlotte - there's a part in MM when Cathe is doing one armed rows with a dumbell, and she actually says that it's nice to do one arm and then the other because if you have a weaker side, you can do a few more repetitions on that side to help get it caught up to the stronger side. Maybe that would work?
 
I have the same problem too. Here I thought I was just weird.:p My left side is actually stronger then my right. I attribute that to carrying my son on my left side for the past 4 years.
 
OK, I'm even weirder. I'm very right-hand dominant but my right arm fatigues much more quickly than my left. I can usually handle the same weight for each arm, it just takes a lot more effort with the right.

ETA: You can wear a one-lb wrist weight on your weaker arm to challenge it more. I do this once in a while.

--Lois


"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning" - Mahatma Ghandi
 
My left arm is weaker than my right, and to make it worse I developed tendonitis in my left wrist 4 yrs ago. I can be doing flyes and my left will start swaying and not good form before my right.

Maybe we should try what shelley said.

kim
 
>I grab a dumb bell with right arm and the 20's feel like 15's
>now. My left arm has a 20 too and it feels like 25's now. What
>is a girl to do????? >Should I lift different dumb bells for each arm or keep using
>the same?
Definitely DON"T use diffenent weights, as that would only continue the imbalance. Instead, keep using dumbbells (rather than a barbell, which would allow the stronger side to take up some of the slack of the weaker side). You can work at strengthening the weaker side in several ways.

First, be sure to do the same number of sets and reps for both arms, or even some extra sets once in a while for the weaker arm to help it catch up (NEVER extra for the strong arm, which , again, would promote the imbalance.)

To help get out those last few reps that the left side will have a tough time with, do assisted reps and focus on the negative. What's nice about biceps is that you can assist yourself. If you do concentration curls, you can use your strong hand to help the weaker arm up after it fatiques, then slowly (about 1/2 speed) lower the weight under contro. You'll probably have some kickin' DOMS the next day, as negative work seems to bring that out more.

You could also work your weak side first, when you're a bit fresher, and keep the reps to what that side can do (even on the stronger side).

Most of all, "tell" that left side that it can do it!!
 
Kathryn,

Always love love your advice. Thanks!!!!

Midnight,

Never thought of using wrist weight. You are so clever!

Shelley,

Yup, Cathe does say that. Must have forgotten. Thanks for refreshing my memory. Great idea too.

Thanks everyone! Now lets go kick some butt!!!

Charlotte~~
 
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