# Weight Lifting issue



## Gbeth (Aug 7, 2013)

Hello, I'm new and am hoping I posted in the right forum, but I have an issue and I'm wondering if I need to see a doctor (its not an injury). I know that when people curl dumbbells for biceps, they usually have a "good" arm and a "weaker" arm, and I think that definitely applies to me, but this is really weird. The issue is, when I'm bicep curling with dumbbells, I can easily lift the weight with my left arm, but I can barely lift it with my right arm (I am currently at 30 lbs.). I took 10 lbs. off of the dumbbell to see if my right arm could tolerate 20 lbs. and it felt like doing the 30 lbs. with my left arm. So there's a 10 lb. difference in strength with my left to right arm? I can understand a 5 lb. but this is weird. I want to know if it is an issue I need to discuss with a doctor or if I just need to stop curling with my left arm for a while and concentrate on my right. Thank you all in advance for any advice you all can give.


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## MAist25 (Aug 7, 2013)

Just give it some time, your right arm will eventually catch up.


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## sfs982000 (Aug 8, 2013)

I would continue with the dumbbell work, but you may want to consider an extra set or two for just your right arm.  Like MAist25 said though your body will eventually even out and catch up as you continue to workout consistantly.


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## Xue Sheng (Aug 8, 2013)

Going to a website and asking for medical advice from faceless, nameless people is not usually the best way to go.

Work with it for a bit and if it does not improve discuss this with a doctor, or if you are concerned now discuss it with a doctor.


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## punisher73 (Aug 8, 2013)

Try using a barbell instead, that way the weaker arm has to work a little harder to keep it level and bring it up.  Most activities in life are not isolation movements and the body does very well with symetrical movement.

I do agree with Xue though, if you have had any type of injury or accident that may have effected your arm I would see a doctor and make sure that it's not something physical or neurological.


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## Ken Morgan (Aug 8, 2013)

Is the right side of your body weaker in other exercises as well? Are you right or left handed? How are your triceps coming along? Have you had an injury to your right arm at some time? How are you curling with a dumbbell, concentration curls? standing? preacher bench?
Without more information I would concur with what the others have already told you, do a couple of extra sets for your right arm, push it along a little and it will catch up mostly. 
Most importantly, do not over train your arms. They are a very small muscle group and one does not need much work to make them grow. If you want big arms, you must have big Tri's, as the make up 2/3's of the upper arm.


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## Gbeth (Aug 10, 2013)

Ken, since you asked a few questions, I'll answer them. 1. I don't think the right side of my body in general is weaker than the left, though I don't know for sure; 2. I am left handed; 3. I think my triceps are in the same range as my biceps, weight-wise, but since they are 2/3rds of the upper arm I should probably concentrate on those a lot more; 4. I've never had an injury to my right arm, though sometimes when I wake up in the morning I'll have pulled a muscle in specifically the right arm; 5. I usually sit straight up, put my elbow against the side of my knee, and lift from off of the floor, I control the weight as best I can, that's how I normally go about lifting, is trying to control the weight. The way I do that is when I flex my bicep or bring the dumbbell up, I do it at normal pace, then when I release it or bring it down, I move my arm more slowly downward. Thank you in advance for any help you might give me.


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## jks9199 (Aug 10, 2013)

Book some time with a trainer.  Pre-interview them, and see if they know anything about training people for martial arts. They'll show you the right ways to lift, and they'll help you develop a program that will reach the goals you're after.  To be blunt, there's a fair bit wrong with your assumptions as described.  Among other things, the exercise you're describing is generally called a "concentration" curl, and it is a good exercise for the bicep -- but it's probably not one that you really want to be focusing a lot of time on.  It's a very concentrated/isolated bicep exercise.


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## Tgace (Aug 10, 2013)

Muscular imbalance is not uncommon and generally not a  serious problem. Keep training.

Personally, I would focus on compound exercises like pull-ups vs dumbell curls but that depends on your goals and programming.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2


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## Ken Morgan (Aug 10, 2013)

Gbeth said:


> Ken, since you asked a few questions, I'll answer them. 1. I don't think the right side of my body in general is weaker than the left, though I don't know for sure; 2. I am left handed; 3. I think my triceps are in the same range as my biceps, weight-wise, but since they are 2/3rds of the upper arm I should probably concentrate on those a lot more; 4. I've never had an injury to my right arm, though sometimes when I wake up in the morning I'll have pulled a muscle in specifically the right arm; 5. I usually sit straight up, put my elbow against the side of my knee, and lift from off of the floor, I control the weight as best I can, that's how I normally go about lifting, is trying to control the weight. The way I do that is when I flex my bicep or bring the dumbbell up, I do it at normal pace, then when I release it or bring it down, I move my arm more slowly downward. Thank you in advance for any help you might give me.



You're doing concentration curls. This will generally focus on the "peak" of the bicep, a very good isolation/competition exercise, but not one you should be doing on a regular basis. Unless you are planning to compete in the next year, i'd ignore it all together. Preacher curls and standing barbell curls are your best bet right now. Your right arm will be forced to come along. If you have pulled a muscle in your arm, don't train your biceps for a week or two, and then see what happens. Again bi's are a small muscle group, you do not need many sets, intensity is the answer. Also you do not need to do negatives on all sets, throw them in once and a while, but they are not necessary all the time.


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## KempoGuy06 (Aug 12, 2013)

I agree with Ken, avoid doing the concentration curls and focus more on standing curls. Something that I like to working into my rotation is an incline curl. Use an adjustable bench and set it to the same incline as an incline bench press is set and do curls from that position. This exercise helps to stretch and work the bicep on a whole. 

Also try doing something call negatives. Since you say you are using 30lb dumbbells, trying grabbing the 40lb or 45lb ones in one hand, use your other hand to help you curl it up and then with the hand holding the dumbbell lower it as slow as possible in a very very controlled manner. This is a great way to work your muscles with heavier weight and not hurt yourself with improper form.

B


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