Knowing Your Muscle Imbalances And Why It Is Important

Published: 2024-05-09

Have you heard of muscle imbalances? Maybe you think you have muscle imbalances but don't know what to do to fix them? In this article, I will break down what muscle imbalances mean and suggestions as to what you can do about them.

What Muscle Imbalances Are

Muscle imbalances are when different muscles are unevenly strong, tight, or otherwise working at different capacities. For example, you might be much tighter in your muscles on one side of your body than the other or you are stronger on one side. Muscle imbalances can cause your movement patterns to be inefficient which can lead to injuries. The problem is that most people don't realize that they have a muscle imbalance until they are injured or it is pointed out to them by someone else.

How To Identify Common Muscle Imbalances

There are a few common muscle imbalances. Most people people tend to be loser on one side of their body because they favor that side constantly. This usually results in one stronger and one weaker side, as well as one side that has better balance over the other. For example, I played soccer for years and I have much better balance on my left side because I prioritized my right foot when kicking the ball. My left side was usually the planted one and therefore the one I balanced on the most. Unless I do single-side exercises, I would probably not notice that imbalance. Therefore, I often encourage clients to do single arm and single leg exercises as well as side planks and similar movements to see if each side of their body moves evenly.

Poor posture is another common muscle imbalance. This can be common if you are a desk worker sitting in front of a computer screen all day as it is common to round your shoulders forward instead of sitting up straight. Posture deviations are fairly easy to recognize on your own, but understanding what to do to fix them can be a little trickier. If you are interested in learning more about posture deviations, make sure to check one out my other articles:

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How To Fix Common Muscle Imbalances

A few of the very noticeable muscle imbalances can be easy to identify while others might be harder. If you have a shoulder that is higher than the other, you most likely are aware of it. But if some of your smaller muscles are weaker it might be harder to identify. The best way to figure this out is to talk to a fitness professional and get a program figured out for you. For example, if you do have rounded shoulders, chances are that your anterior muscles of your upper body (e.g. chest muscles) are tight, while your posterior muscles (e.g. back muscles) are lose and needs strengthening. A fitness professional could give you appropriate exercises for how to target these areas.

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