How to properly train your weaker muscle group

[Mr P]

Let's face it fellas, we all want that balance symmetry, it is easier at times to focus on our stronger muscle groups & to neglect the weaker ones.
We have all seen those at the gym with a big back & very weak lower body, they have focused on their "stronger muscle groups" instead of balancing their routines to really train & grow the weaker areas.

Some tips we should follow to really hit the areas that need the most work:

Train weak muscle areas first in your routine. Training weak areas later in your workout may result in not training them at the intensity needed to grow. You want to make sure you are your strongest when u hit these areas.


Make sure you "change things up" It's all about "stimulating" & "challanging" that muscle, so For example, if your weak area is your biceps and you normally train them with barbell curls, add incline dumbbell curls and preacher curls to your routine.



Do additional sets, increase from three sets to four or five sets per exercise... or do one set of 50 reps (moderate) weight, u will feel a great burn and an amazing pump & you will get a lot of blood flow into that muscle, allowing it to grow.

I train my weaker areas 4 X a week, I know this not the "standard" or "conventional" way but after many years doing this & learning what has worked for me I've gotten excellent results doing this...

 

[JabBrah]

Mr P,

My weak area is chest, I'm happy with my arms+shoulders, back is great, legs are great it is just my chest that lacks.

Do you recommend training chest more than once a week? Or increasing chest volume on chest day?
Currently my routine is along the lines of:
3-4 sets of Flat DB Bench 8-12rep range
3-4 sets of incline DB Bench 8-12rep range
2-3 sets of decline BB 6-8 rep range
2-3 sets of dips till failure
3-4 sets of cable flys

anything i should add/take out?

thanks

 

[jdavis1]

ill try it

 

[Walgreens]

solid post... my upper chest is terrible

 

[jrader]

You mentioned having a weak lower body. I have been to the doctor about lower back spasms and he said the small muscles around my spine are weak which causes the issues. I have cycled before (years ago). I have performed the exercises that were suggested with no luck. My thinking is that if the issue is weak muscles, wouldn't it be beneficial to cycle some test and work diligently to improve lower back strength while of course improving everything else as well? Does anyone have any input on that idea? My main objective is to stop the muscle spasms.

 

[katelly]

I always train my weakest muscles out first. Just feel as though I get more out of it.

 

[ava350]

I will start to impliment this, you are right, i usually work my weaker muscles later in my workouts and 80% of the time just dont get to them. Good reminder

 

[KingBeastMode]

Better forn

 

[kfairhurst]

Great advise Mr P, well said.

 

[paladoo]

what would be the best way to become more symmetrical from one side to the other? My left arm is a little smaller than my right, my bicep is what really bugs me, and also my left pec and lat are a little smaller and shaped differently than my right. The muscles on my left are not weaker than the right just a little smaller, maybe its that they dont look as full. I have a physical job and im right handed so thats why i think this has happened so ive been trying to teach myself to be ambidextrous. Either way any advice anyone might have that could help me out would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SicVic]

awesome

 

[bubblegum]

geat post for sure

 

[Alpha India]

great post, ill try it.

 

[MattyIce]

solid post... my upper chest is terrible

pushups ftw.

 

[maplestring]

try training the stregth of your chest. i sudgest you try doing this

3 sets
barbell bench press at 50% max (10)
dumbell butterflies press inclined at 50% max (10)
regular push up,converted after to tricep push up with arms lower then your chest (10)

this will allow you to see some serious muscle stregth gains gradually, you can test yoru limits and go the distance in places you could not reach before.after you have repeated this process for your chest 3 times ex bbp,dbpi,rpu/tpu:X3 ... move on to this part of your excersize

bench press at 90% strength, controlled, slow, effective up to 8-10 reps till failure. 3 sets

then move to machines. if in 6 months you do not see results in strength gain along with cut and tone then continue for 1 year and you will definitly see results.
remember that the 90% strength bench press is the most importand because it will measure as a calculator how much youve gained in strength and how much pomp youve made. it will also increase muscle size once you decide to go to machines make sure you use controll and do not give up !!!

 

[Bundy1991]

Great post. Gonna give it a shot

 

[bigpoppapump33]

what would be the best way to become more symmetrical from one side to the other? My left arm is a little smaller than my right, my bicep is what really bugs me, and also my left pec and lat are a little smaller and shaped differently than my right. The muscles on my left are not weaker than the right just a little smaller, maybe its that they dont look as full. I have a physical job and im right handed so thats why i think this has happened so ive been trying to teach myself to be ambidextrous. Either way any advice anyone might have that could help me out would be greatly appreciated.

I had that problem for a bit and fixed it relatively fast. Say you're doing alternating db curls, instead of doing say 10 with both push the weaker one to do an extra one or 2 reps. Obviously this only works with DB so you may have to incorporate more db exercises into your routine. Just keep measuring and make sure your weaker side doesn't take over.

 

[2Strange2Live-2Rare2Die]

I'd like to start by thanking MrP for the great post. I like your answer to cosmetic imbalances, and I agree that alot of people focus too much on their strengths while ignoring their weak areas. I was definately guilty of this early on in my training endeavors. Then I sprained a muscle in my rotator cuff and was forced to become more aware and informed. That being said, I think it's important that we cover the difference between cosmetic and functional muscle imbalances. I'm referring to muscle strength across a joint, for example, the quadriceps to hamstrings strength ratio is 2/3. When there is an imbalance, often a joint is not as strong and stable through it's range of motion as it could be. This kind of imbalance and misuses of the muscles can lead to further imbalances.. So, perhaps the first type of imbalance or weakness to be addressed should be functional ones. When training first and foremost, you should follow the rule of training your larger muscle groups first at least when it comes to your big major dynamic(multi joint) exercises, ie: squat, shoulder press, bench press, and lat pulls/rows. While these exercises can be performed in several different ways, it is important that they are done first, as they are the most demanding on the body.. So if it's leg day, and I have a muscles imbalance in my quads/hams, let's say my quads are weak. I'll be doing squats first, then right to leg extensions for quads before I do anything for hams, even though they're the larger group; In my humble opinion.

I'm wondering about something though, as I've heard mixed reviews about it.. If you're rehabilitating a rotator cuff, or any other small muscle group that is required as a stabilizer for bigger exercises, ie: shoulder press; should the weak muscle group be trained first, to in a sense "warm it up". So far I have been most comfortable performing my rotator exercises after my upper body workouts, as they just feel fatigued and useless when I train them first; also this works completely against my "biggest to smallest" logic. Has anyone rehabbed a rotator cuff? It's going great so far, but I'm always looking for more information. Thanks in advance for any shared advice or opinions!

 

[CoolMST]

It is a great post to read over and over again. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

 

[CoolMST]

Thanks, sounds great !

try training the stregth of your chest. i sudgest you try doing this

3 sets
barbell bench press at 50% max (10)
dumbell butterflies press inclined at 50% max (10)
regular push up,converted after to tricep push up with arms lower then your chest (10)

this will allow you to see some serious muscle stregth gains gradually, you can test yoru limits and go the distance in places you could not reach before.after you have repeated this process for your chest 3 times ex bbp,dbpi,rpu/tpu:X3 ... move on to this part of your excersize

bench press at 90% strength, controlled, slow, effective up to 8-10 reps till failure. 3 sets

then move to machines. if in 6 months you do not see results in strength gain along with cut and tone then continue for 1 year and you will definitly see results.
remember that the 90% strength bench press is the most importand because it will measure as a calculator how much youve gained in strength and how much pomp youve made. it will also increase muscle size once you decide to go to machines make sure you use controll and do not give up !!!