Should our reps side to side be equal?
As with most of the things in the health and fitness world the answer is it depends.
In most cases they typically should be the same to maintain balance in the body. What if the body is already out of balance though? If not now, what if we are heading to an imbalance down the road and are not aware?
Here are 3 reasons when it might be a good idea to do more on one side verses the other in your workout routine from time to time. (An extra set or two, even a few extra reps in your normal plan goes a long way)
1.) Assessment found one side is weaker or stronger:
Almost everybody has a dominate side which will probably be a little stronger than the other, but sometimes it can be quite a big difference.
This can lead to shifting to one side during an exercise or create tension which can lead to mobility problems. Potentially leading to the next point.
2.) Develop “Random” Injuries:
If you have hobbies or a career that puts you in prolonged compromised positions your body will adapt to those whether favorable or not. Have an achy knee, shoulder, neck, back etc. without a traumatic injury like a tear, rupture, or break? Making sure we are working toward physical balance helps alleviate this. Injury happens when load or stress is greater than what is able to be tolerated. This very well could be due to a mobility/strength imbalance side to side or overuse from too much stress on whatever is hurting.
3.) One Sided Activities:
Seemingly small things in our life can create stiffness in joints, tissues, and muscles. If you golf you rotate more one way than another. If you play Violin your neck is constantly flexed one way with both shoulders rotated in opposite directions. If you spend a lot of time doing things that are one sided this would be a great indicator you should reverse those type of movements on the other side during your exercise routine.
With a little bit more intention and purpose in our workout plans we can make sure we are getting more from our efforts. It could even be as simple as a few extra reps on one side!
To your success,
-Josh
-Josh
