How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

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andrewjohns
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How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by andrewjohns »

Hello everyone,

I just want to get some opinions for this problem of mine.
I have been working out with weights for almost a year now, and I just noticed recently that right arm (dominant arm) is smaller than left arm.
Maybe because that left arm strains more on work outs that it develops muscles faster? I dont know..
From what i read from other articles, its the other way around, its the non dominant arm that is smaller.
Should increase work on right arm to catch up with the size of left arm? I dont know if thats okay.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Boss Man
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by Boss Man »

Hi Andrew, good to talk to you.

Is the size difference something that occurred before you started working out, or has it occurred since you started working out?
andrewjohns
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by andrewjohns »

Boss Man wrote:Hi Andrew, good to talk to you.

Is the size difference something that occurred before you started working out, or has it occurred since you started working out?
I believe since I started working out. Because from what I see, the difference is in the muscles. left arm is bulkier, feels harder when I touch it and even has more defined cuts, while right arm is less bulky and softer. But I know that right arm is stronger.
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by Boss Man »

Have you been doing any barbell exercises for the arms or have you been using dumbbells and / or machines?
andrewjohns
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by andrewjohns »

Boss Man wrote:Have you been doing any barbell exercises for the arms or have you been using dumbbells and / or machines?
I've been working with both dumbell and barbell exercises. Not much with machines, i only use machines when i go to the nearby gym when I feel like going there, but that rarely happens.
I have a workout bench that inclines with a built in barbell stand in our house, so I do most of workouts with that.
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by Boss Man »

I would avoid the barbells then and stick to dumbbell exercises, as you may be getting a lazy arm, where one arm just becomes dependent on the other one and doesn't work as hard. This can happen with exercises like bench press and dumbbells would force the arm in question to work harder.

However because a barbell may well load bear in the middle a little bit, to simply do a dumbbell variant of such an exercise and use dumbbells that are 50% less in weight than the barbell, would potentially cause you to struggle a bit, because on a barbell exercise you may be loading less than 50%% of the used weight into each arm and the rest loads into the centre of the bar, including some of the bar weight itself, which may be having a milder impact on the arms than the remaining bar weight.

You should therefore consider dumbbells that are about 45% of the barbell weight, so divide the barbell weight by 50%, then knock off 4-5lbs and use dumbbells that are that weight and if they are a bit too light increase them slightly.

However in the initial instance this will just preserve the issue you're getting, as you'll be stimulating an equal growth rate in the muscles in both arms, so initially use a slightly lighter dumbbell where the stronger arm is concerned, I:E: 4-5lbs lighter than the other dumbbell, so that you reduce or stagnate the growth rate of the muscles in the stronger arm on all exercises you are using dumbbells on, so as to allow the other arm to potentially catch up.

When the arms are more equal in size, then use the same size dumbbells on both arms.

Hopefully that makes sense.
andrewjohns
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by andrewjohns »

Boss Man wrote:I would avoid the barbells then and stick to dumbbell exercises, as you may be getting a lazy arm, where one arm just becomes dependent on the other one and doesn't work as hard. This can happen with exercises like bench press and dumbbells would force the arm in question to work harder.

However because a barbell may well load bear in the middle a little bit, to simply do a dumbbell variant of such an exercise and use dumbbells that are 50% less in weight than the barbell, would potentially cause you to struggle a bit, because on a barbell exercise you may be loading less than 50%% of the used weight into each arm and the rest loads into the centre of the bar, including some of the bar weight itself, which may be having a milder impact on the arms than the remaining bar weight.

You should therefore consider dumbbells that are about 45% of the barbell weight, so divide the barbell weight by 50%, then knock off 4-5lbs and use dumbbells that are that weight and if they are a bit too light increase them slightly.

However in the initial instance this will just preserve the issue you're getting, as you'll be stimulating an equal growth rate in the muscles in both arms, so initially use a slightly lighter dumbbell where the stronger arm is concerned, I:E: 4-5lbs lighter than the other dumbbell, so that you reduce or stagnate the growth rate of the muscles in the stronger arm on all exercises you are using dumbbells on, so as to allow the other arm to potentially catch up.

When the arms are more equal in size, then use the same size dumbbells on both arms.

Hopefully that makes sense.
So its okay to increase the weight in right arm(dominant, smaller arm) when I do dumbell exercises?
Because what i do ever since i started is, i have the same dumbell weight for both arms and also do the same amount of reps. ALTHOUGH I know that right arm can do more reps, i just dont do it because I wanted to have equal strength for both arms. But that, i guess, just resulted for having less work for right arm thus less strain and decreasing its potential to grow.

Did I get it right?
Just to respectfully remind you, stronger arm (right arm) is smaller than the weaker arm (left arm).
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by Boss Man »

This is why I suggested you slightly cut down on the weight used on the stronger arm and keep the weight the same on the weaker arm, to try and help it catch up, assuming it can to any extent, then when they are more equal in size, if they are able to be, then use the same weight of dumbbell on both arms.
andrewjohns
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Re: How do I balance the size of both arms (dominant arm is smaller)

Post by andrewjohns »

Boss Man wrote:This is why I suggested you slightly cut down on the weight used on the stronger arm and keep the weight the same on the weaker arm, to try and help it catch up, assuming it can to any extent, then when they are more equal in size, if they are able to be, then use the same weight of dumbbell on both arms.
Okay will try to do that.
Thank you so much! Will post an update here if there are changes.
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