What Should I Do If One Arm is Bigger Than The Other?

All bodybuilders and fitness athletes go into a lot of challenges when they are pursuing their goals. While recovery and nutrition are common concerns, imbalances are an issue that is often not considered. For many bodybuilders and fitness athletes the most common notable imbalance is in arm size.

If you have one arm bigger than the other, you are not alone. This is a pretty common issue and those who lift weights in the gym will tend to have one arm bigger than the other.

But if your one arm is starting to take over and become significantly bigger than the other. Then, read the article till the end, you will know what causes this phenomenon and how you can correct it.

Is it Normal to Have One Arm Bigger Than the Other?

Is it Normal to Have One Arm Bigger Than the Other

Yes, it is entirely normal to have one arm bigger than the other. In most cases, you might have one leg that is a bit longer than the other or one eye that’s a little bigger than the other. Remember, asymmetry is a part of nature and we need to accept it.

An asymmetry is more noticeable when it comes to muscle size. When we pay attention and track progress, this is the main reason that we notice asymmetry in muscle size. However, there are a number of things that may help to correct it as time goes on.

Why is One Bicep Bigger Than the Other?

There are a few reasons why your one arm is bigger than the other. Here are some common reasons includes:

01. Cheating the Movements: This is the common reason most people do while training.  You may cheat the movements and allow one arm to pick up the dumbbell or slack without realizing it. Working with correct form has significant impacts when training.

02. Dominant Hand: Relation to your dominant hand is one of the leading reasons that one arm is bigger than the other. Entire day, you may use your dominant hand for more tasks than your non-dominant hand like carrying groceries or picking things up off the floor. the muscles in your dominant hand naturally get more exercise and give a size difference between two of them.

03. Tendon Injury: Tendon or underlying injury is another reason that you might experience if you have had a tendon or muscular issue that hasn’t been treated properly, then it can impact how your biceps look.

A tendon injury may happen suddenly, but usually it Is the result of many tiny tears to the tendon that may happen over time. It’s aren’t uncommon and mostly happens during seemingly mundane exercises. Overtraining, carrying something heavy the wrong way and not giving rest and recovery to the muscles can lead to a torn bicep tendon.  

What Should I Do If One Arm is Bigger Than The Other?

If your one arm is bigger than the other and you notice a significant difference between your biceps, then don’t panic. Here are a few actions that you can take to balance them.

01. Always start with the weaker side

This is one of the great actions that you can try every day. Whenever you do an exercise where you train each side individually, then always start with your weaker side, because it’s the side that actually needs special treatment.

02. Know Your Compensation

First, it’s important to get in tune with your body and know your compensation. If you know that you’re cheating the movement, then just take the help of a coach or trainer, or even you can use self-recorded videos to identify imbalances and improve the form. You can also train your bicep in front of the mirror.

03. Use Unilateral Exercises

Unilateral exercises are one of the effective ways to biceps, it is like working one arm at a time to isolate biceps on each side. Instead of barbell curls try to use dumbbell curls and use more single-arm bicep exercises.

So, you will prevent your weaker arms from becoming weaker, and you can also do a few extra reps on the weak arm to help build muscle mass and strength over time.

04. Slow Down the Movement

During exercise always slow down the movement, because curling 25ibs quickly can feel significantly different than curling 25ibs slowly. Mainly momentum contributing to these differences.

Applying a twisting force and slowing down the movement, can ensure the muscles are doing the work rather than momentum.

05. Use Resistance Bands

You can also swap out the weights for resistance bands, which can help you balance out your biceps. When you do curls with a dumbbell, you may feel how much lighter the weight seems at the top of the movement. But when you curl with a resistance band, the more you stretch it, the greater resistance.

With a band, you will experience more resistance at the top of the movement. This can help you balance out your biceps.

3 Best Exercises When One Arm is Bigger Than the Other

01. Incline Dumbbell Curl

Incline dumbbell curls are one of the best exercises for targeting the long head of the bicep. This exercise will increase the range of motion sets and this movement best apart from the other curls variations.

How to Perform:

  • First, adjust the bench to a 45-degree angle.
  • Hold dumbbells in each hand with an underhand grip and sit on the bench.
  • Slowly curls the one dumbbell towards your shoulder, allowing only the forearm to move.
  • Hold and squeeze the bicep at the top of the movement.
  • Then, slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
  • Repeat on the other side. Do 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

02. Concentration Curls

Concentration curl is an isolation movement that allows bodybuilders to focus on each arm separately and correct biceps imbalances. To get best results, try to move slowly and with controlled motion.

How to Perform:

  • Sit on the bench with your feet planted on the floor, hold the dumbbell in a supinated hold and your elbow resting on your inner thigh.
  • Slowly curl the dumbbell upward towards your biceps, with only your forearm moving.
  • Pause and squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement.
  • Then, slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
  • Repeat 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 14 reps.

03. Single-Arm Preacher Curl

This exercise helps to prevent a shoulder shift when you’re curling.

How to Perform:

  • Sit at a preacher bench adjusted to armpit height. Hold the dumbbell with an underhand grip and rest your arm on the bench.
  • While keeping your upper arm fixed on the bench and slowly curl the weight up.
  • Hold the movement for a second at the top and slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
  • Repeat 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 14 reps.

QNA’s On One Bicep Is Bigger Than Other

  • How Do You Fix Bicep Imbalance?

    If you think you might have a biceps imbalance, then ask your personal trainer to spot you and make sure that you’re doing your arms exercises the right way.

    Here are some isolation exercises that target your biceps:
    01. Hammer curls
    02. Biceps Curls
    03. Cross-body Curls
    04. Concentration curls

  • Why is My Left Bicep Bigger Than Right?

    It is entirely normal; most people have this in all different muscles. left leg or biceps stronger/bigger than your right. There are many actions that you can do to correct them.

Conclusion

It is completely normal to have one arm bigger than the other. And it’s also reasonable to balance them. First, you need to identify the issues that cause the imbalance in your biceps.

Then, try to use unilateral exercises and correct form to isolate each arm. With your effort, you can correct your biceps.

Hopefully, you like this article, if you have any questions and suggestions kindly put them in the comment box below.

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