Anybody would know why this happening to my chest?

[AdamCJX*]

My left chest is much bigger than my right side. I have tried many variation of excersises. I have tried doing only dumbell workouts like dumble chest press etc, to work the as iqually as possible, but ntohing seems to work. My left chest is just growing much faster. Mainly the lower outter edge, just bellow the niple. It's now very noticeble.
My theory is that as my right arm is much bigger than my left, specially the triceps and shoulder, that somehow the right shoulkder is doing most of the job for the right chest. Otherwise why would the left chest has been more worked out. Because you can really see that after a chest workout, the left side is more swallen and harder while the right one isn't so much. Do you think that could be the problem? I think it must be in the form somehow. I try my best but I don't have a spot to correct me. I was told that I should grab the barbell as open/wide as possible to obrigate my right chest do the work without relying on the shoulder. I think wen lifting, I involuntarily contract my right trap and use my shoulder to lift the right side of the bar or something. Anyway, has anybody experienced that? Anybody would know a good way to correct it? My right chest is not developing as my left. As I said the difference is mainly on the lower outter edge.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[AdamCJX*]

Is it a weird question by the way?

 

[supergaijin]

Quote[/b] (AdamCJX* @ June 13 2005,9:44)]My left chest is much bigger than my right side.... It's now very noticeble.

Noticable to whom?
1.You
2.Your girlfriend
3.Competition Judges
4.People walking in the street.
Personally I can see that my right leg is bigger than my left but I doubt anyone else sees a difference unless they're specifically looking for things the way a competition judge would.
A possible solution would be to change your chest workout to use dumbells so that each arm/pec would lift the same weight.

 

[McDee]

not a weird question at all, a weird question would be something like "so what end of the toilet does everyone usually use?"

so you're normal, look here:pec imbalance

 

[AdamCJX*]

Thanks for the replies. I checked the other thread. It didn't really helped. I already tried isolation exercises with dumbells and it didn't work. I'm almost sure the difference is not in the size of my muscles. It's how developed the left side is compared to the right side. You can see there's more muscles mass. When looked from the side, the left side sticks out way more. It's noticelble to me and my wife as well. I know it's not a difference in muscle size, but a difference in development levels because before , it wasn't like that. The first 2 years I worked out, it was balanced. The right side actually had a slight advantage. But then I took like a 2 years break and during this time I had a job where I used my right arm extensively. My right arm and specially shoulder grew like crazy. It's funny to look at pics from back then. I look like I had a cyborg right arm or something, so different it was. Now this is much better. But since my right shoulder got so big, my right chest stoped to respond as it did. Do you think grabing the barbell wider will obrigate my right chest work more? I'm doing dumbell presses for almost a year but it isn't working very well.

 

[Al and Hammer]

Try doing dips if u arent already. I have the same imbalance (not huge but noticeable). My left pec is larger than the right (fuller anyway). I noticed it as I started packing on the pounds. Its still imbalanced but I have noticed that as they both fill out, its harder to tell the difference. By the time they become bitch tits they should look pretty balanced

I guess just keep going at the exercises and when they get large enuff they should look ok.

 

[BIZ]

Ever had a pec tear? You'd probably know if you did, but thought I'd ask being your problem is a little unique. Other possibilities would be problems with innervation of the affected muscle, pinched nerve, longer tendon, etc... Could very well be exactly what you are thinking it is as well, so possible solutions would be to double up the frequency or volume on your left side only for a while. Sounds kinda goofy, but you could do your db flies and/or presses with a heavier db in the left hand than in the right...

You did say that it seemed to be localized though, right? Just in the area below and to the left of the nipple?

 

[AdamCJX*]

Hey BIZ. Yeah, it seems the problem is more obvious in the outter edge, left/under the niple of my left chest.

I got a little confused though. The bigger side is the left side. So should I double up the frequency or volume on my left side? Wouldn't it make it even bigger? Or did you mena to double it for the smaller side which is the right side?

I don't think I ever had pec tear as I don't even know what that is

Thanks for your reply.

 

[AdamCJX*]

Just bumping it so BIZ can see it

 

[Dood]

My guess is your over developed right arm and shoulder are taking the load off your right pec. Dips would take the shoulder out of the equation, as would decline presses. I'd try dips, and add a set of declines but only with the right hand. Maybe try flys with the right hand only during your 10's and 5's also.

I think Biz got his left and right mixed up

 

[AdamCJX*]

Thanks. I'll try decline presses. Could cable crosses work instead of flies?

 

[arcilite]

Your heart is under the left side. That is why it could be a bit bigger.

 

[BIZ]

Quote[/b] (AdamCJX* @ June 14 2005,3:27)]Hey BIZ. Yeah, it seems the problem is more obvious in the outter edge, left/under the niple of my left chest.
I got a little confused though. The bigger side is the left side. So should I double up the frequency or volume on my left side? Wouldn't it make it even bigger? Or did you mena to double it for the smaller side which is the right side?
I don't think I ever had  pec tear as I don't even know what that is
Thanks for your reply.

Sorry, I guess I missed the part where you said your right pec was underdeveloped in comparison to your left. So, your right shoulder and arm are bigger, stronger, and probably are taking over the load when you press, so your pec is not receiving the stimulus it should. Your left pec on the other hand is receiving an ideal amount of stimulus being it is growing. So, the obvious is out of the way. Why you have the little dip on your lower left pec is probably more to do with genetics. The sternal pec major can look a bit different from person to person, especially when it starts to grow beyond average. In essence, the shape is largely dictated by genetics, and the bigger you get the muscle, the more pronounced the shape will be. If you were to develop the right pec to same degree, there is a good chance it will also have the little dip on the outside edge. It may help to do one arm cable crossovers with just the right arm before any pressing movements. This will prefatigue the right pec and cause it to fail before your right shoulder and arm which have become the dominant muscle groups in your pressing movements. Make sense? Also, when pressing, be sure you are pinching your shoulder blades together on both sides. For some reason I can retract my left shoulder without thinking about it when pressing, but my right one wants to protract unless I really focus on keeping it back. I fought south paw in martial arts for the longest time, even though I am right handed, so I can relate to your having one side overly-developed.

 

[BIZ]

By the way, a good test to see if you are retracting the right shoulder blade the same or as much as needed:
Do dumbbell flyes and pick a weight that causes a pretty good pull in the pecs in the lower position. If you feel the stretch quite a bit on your left pec, but not your right, there is a pretty good chance your right shoulder blade is protracted and keeping most of the stretch in your anterior delt. Really focus on pulling your right shoulder blade back and try it again. Should feel an increase in the stretch. Let me know what you find out.

 

[BoSox]

Quote[/b] (AdamCJX* @ June 14 2005,5:53)]look like I had a cyborg right arm or something, so different it was.

haha Yoda?

 

[Dood]

Quote[/b] (BIZ @ June 17 2005,4:48)]It may help to do one arm cable crossovers with just the right arm before any pressing movements. This will prefatigue the right pec and cause it to fail before your right shoulder and arm which have become the dominant muscle groups in your pressing movements. Make sense?

I'm not sure about that. It seems that his arm and shoulder are already taking too much of the load, if you pre-fatigue the pec the arm and shoulder take even more of the load. If anything I would think you'd want to pre-fatigue the arm and shoulder to put more load on the pec, though I don't even know if that would work. I'm not a big fan of pre-fatigue in general.

 

[BIZ]

Quote[/b] (Dood @ June 18 2005,12:01)]

Quote[/b] (BIZ @ June 17 2005,4:48)]It may help to do one arm cable crossovers with just the right arm before any pressing movements.  This will prefatigue the right pec and cause it to fail before your right shoulder and arm which have become the dominant muscle groups in your pressing movements.  Make sense?

I'm not sure about that.  It seems that his arm and shoulder are already taking too much of the load, if you pre-fatigue the pec the arm and shoulder take even more of the load.  If anything I would think you'd want to pre-fatigue the arm and shoulder to put more load on the pec, though I don't even know if that would work.  I'm not a big fan of pre-fatigue in general.

Hmmmm, well, pre-exhaustion works in the opposite of what you described. Briefly, when your shoulder and arm are dominant in the press, they will take most of the loading, therefore giving out before the pecs have been sufficiently stimulated. Pre-exhausting the pecs doesn't guarantee it, but will go a long way towards causing the pecs to fail first or at least at the same time, as well as causing the trainee to feel more of the load in the target muscle. If you pre-fatigue the arm and shoulder then try to press the set will be terminated way before the pecs have even begun to fatigue.

 

[Dood]

But what you are describing is following the fatigue=hypertrophy model, not the load=hypertrophy model, isn't it?

If the pec is pre-exhausted with a lighter load, say a fly, it won't be able to handle the greater load during a press, so either you fail at the press or the arm and shoulder take over, which seems to be what they are doing anyway. Either way, the pec is exposed to less actual load/strain and therefore less hypertrophy signaling.

I agree that pre-fatiguing the arm and shoulder might not work that well, but since they seem to be doing more than their share of work in this case, making them "weaker" might help.

 

[BIZ]

Quote[/b] (Dood @ June 20 2005,3:39)]But what you are describing is following the fatigue=hypertrophy model, not the load=hypertrophy model, isn't it?
If the pec is pre-exhausted with a lighter load, say a fly, it won't be able to handle the greater load during a press, so either you fail at the press or the arm and shoulder take over, which seems to be what they are doing anyway.  Either way, the pec is exposed to less actual load/strain and therefore less hypertrophy signaling.
I agree that pre-fatiguing the arm and shoulder might not work that well, but since they seem to be doing more than their share of work in this case, making them "weaker" might help.

I never said the load would change in the press following a pre-exhaustion exercise (for the right pec only). The load would be the same, but feel like more on the right than it usually would. It's like doing leg extensions immediately before squats. You aren't necessarily weaker, but feel the quads more during squats, and the fast twitch oxidative and glycolytic kick in sooner than normal.

 

[Dood]

Quote[/b] (BIZ @ June 21 2005,6:53)]The load would be the same, but feel like more on the right than it usually would.

Hmmm, but if the load is the same, how is it going to put more strain on the target muscle, (pec)? I mean the sarcolemma doesn't care how tired the muscle feels, it just needs to be stretched with an unaccustomed load to cause micro trauma, right?

Our theory, in this case, is that his over developed arm and shoulder are taking the load off the pec, therefore the pec is not being put under strain by the weight, or at least not as much strain as is needed for hypertrophy. (I'm not sure this is correct but lets go with it for now.)

Pre-exhaustion will increase the metabolic response but does nothing to actually increase the load on the target muscle and therefore will not cause microtrauma, or at least I dont' see how it would. Am I missing something?