By Amy King
In the context of beauty, aesthetics and performance, symmetry is one of the most important considerations in your goal to optimal fitness.
However, most of us tend to use one side of their body more and as such develop asymmetry.
Asymmetry, can hinder our performance, decrease our functional movement, cause discomfort and increase our risk of injury. So, it is important to become aware of any imbalances, underactive muscles and overdeveloped muscles (in comparison to the rest of our physiques).
There are ways to manage asymmetry, and this article will provide some insights on just how to do that.
By broad definition, asymmetry is the imbalance between two sides of the body.
When it comes to measurements, symmetry is directly tied to beauty in anthropometry (the science that deals with the measures and proportions of the body).
There are ratios and measurements that can be used to describe an aesthetically pleasing body figure.
And the concept has been around for a long time across many disciplines… think back to the Renaissance Art Period for example and how familiar we are with Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.
This iconic sketch is Leonardo’s visual attempt to illustrate principles of Vitruvius, a Roman architect who described the proportions of the human body in De architectura.
💡 Did you know?
Da Vinci created the sketch as an apprentice when learning architectural and technological design.
Interestingly, he wasn’t the first artist to do so… probably just the most famous.
In any case, asymmetry is NOT just about looks, as muscular asymmetry can be further classified into two subcategories:
The first one, visual asymmetry, is basically the imbalance in the sizes of the two sides of the body (i.e one of your arms is bigger/more defined).
On the other hand, functional asymmetry is the imbalance in the physical properties of both sides (i.e one of your arms is stronger)
Oftentimes, one leads to the other but that is not valid a hundred percent of the time, as in some cases, the smaller arm can be the stronger side.
For example, I tend to favour my right side inadvertently when doing deadlifts, which has resulted in slightly stronger muscle and more muscle along my right posterior chain and it has affected my ability to activate certain muscles when doing posing practice!
In the context of developing an aesthetically pleasing physique that performs well and isn’t at a risk of injury, there are a couple of goals to consider:
Functional symmetry is achieved when both sides of the body are working in synergy and have the same strength output, strength endurance, mobility and flexibility
Visual symmetry is achieved when the ratios and measurements of the lengths and shapes of the muscles, are identical
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If your asymmetry wasn’t a product of an injury or trauma, such as a torn muscle, there are things you can do to even out the size and strength of both sides.
Here are our best tips to help you bring up your weaker sides!
Before attempting large compound lifts for example, activating or pre-exhausting weaker muscle groups can help you:
On many exercises, we tend to use the stronger side of the body more, which results in a crooked range of motion and uneven tension.
When doing any exercise, try and make sure that both sides are on the same plane and that you do not use any inertial movements (cheating).
Try and apply constant tension on the muscles that are working, through a moderately paced range of motion.
Whether you are trying to bring up asymmetrical sides of your body, or just bring up generally lacking muscle groups, prioritizing those parts of your body is one of your best bets.
To prioritize a muscle group, increase the total training volume (number of sets and reps), but also increase the weight and time under tension, as well as the frequency of training.
For example, when I need to bring up certain areas of my physique, it is not uncommon for my programming for a 4-6 week block to include 3 workouts a week dedicated to one muscle group.
This is a secret pro-tip for developing well capped delts by the way!
Include unilateral exercises (i.e. single arm or leg exercises) in your regime as well as bilateral exercises (i.e. barbell bench press).
An important note here with unilateral exercises for the asymmetrical muscle groups, make sure to train ON BOTH sides - Don’t just increase the output on one side!
In many cases, individuals have overdeveloped muscle groups that prevent them from properly targeting certain lacking muscle groups.
For instance, if your triceps are too developed, they would absorb most of the tension during pushing exercises, robbing you of solid chest and shoulder work.
In that case, bringing tricep work down to a minimum would be a good idea, along with including isolated exercises for the lacking muscle group.
Remember imbalanced training creates balanced physiques.
Whether you are a professional athlete or a regular gym trainee, optimal symmetry should be one of your first checkpoints on your way to good fitness.
This is especially valid for competitive athletes, as achieving such balance would allow you to focus on what the specific sport requires, rather than focusing on bringing up weaknesses.
1. https://www.artandobject.com/news/history-and-influence-da-vincis-vitruvian-man
Amy King is the founder of AKE Fitness & Nutrition. When she’s not serving her clients, she is pursuing her corporate career in mining, bodybuilding and spending time with loved ones. She calls Perth, Western Australia home.
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