Symmetry

[ConquerThis]

This may be a lengthy post so please bear with me. New to forums, trying to be as descriptive as possible & looking for some really good advice.

I'm not new to the gym, types of exercises or technique and for the most part have been using the gym to maintain my physique, health & well being. I am a fair size individual, not out of shape, just broad shoulders, larger upper body, smaller waist, etc... (roughly 185lbs, 6 ft tall). I've decided recently to put on a little more size/muscle to me therefore doing less cardio. I'm very critical of myself & consistently watch my muscle growth to try to maintain symmetry on each side. Which brings me to where I need help. I've been trying for a while now to find an article, forum, etc... that can help me with symmetry. I am aware that using dumbbells is a great way to maintain that balance on each side (as they both have to use the same effort to push the same weight) but other than looking in the mirror & critiquing yourself, how could someone measure the symmetry of ones body?

Example: is my back equal in size on each side? Is one shoulder blade set back to the other or rotated more forward than the other? Are my shoulders level? Etc....

I always feel as if my back on one side is bigger than the other, but looking at it, it looks damn close to the same size. But when I do my exercises, I'm able to keep my left shoulder further back than my right one. Basically, my left back seems to be more mobile than the right (if that makes any sense) even though I keep both shoulders back as much as possible.

I'm just seeking some help as to how to measure each side as accurately as possible. Right now I'm pretty content with the overall look but starting to notice these little things as my size grows & would like to keep each side as close as possible before I get huge & have trouble correcting it.

Sorry for the lengthy post but could use as good advice as I can get on this. Please pm me or reply to this thread. Thanks

[bkoguy07]

i mean no one is perfectly symmetrical but keep it in mind when youre lifting. like focus on your form and pushing or pulling evenly and your body wont become horribly unbalanced. its just not gonna do that on its own either haha

[ConquerThis]

i mean no one is perfectly symmetrical but keep it in mind when youre lifting. like focus on your form and pushing or pulling evenly and your body wont become horribly unbalanced. its just not gonna do that on its own either haha

I know no one's perfectly symmetrical but I do my bestto mmaintain my form. I was just curious if its possible to actually measure something like that. I guess I'll just have to wait and see after ive bulked up over the winter & trim down after.

[Brenden061]

"Example: is my back equal in size on each side? Is one shoulder blade set back to the other or rotated more forward than the other? Are my shoulders level? Etc...."

Yes, you can. I'm not going to answer the specific protocol to your question, but rather techniques and tools to help with physiological assessments.

There's goniometry to measure ROM at various joints. One joint more hyper or hypo flexible than the other? That's how you measure that. Google it. See how you fair at various joints and this will add ~3 months of "things to do to fix myself". If the skeletal system is symmetrical, and your training unilaterally w/ equal weight and reps, then the muscles should be symmetrical.

If you really wanted to you could measure various specific bony landmarks to see if limbs are symmetrical on each side. Or if you wanted to measure size for example, you could measure the diamater of the thigh Xcm above the patella.

Also, if you wanted to lay on a foam roller vertically (head resting on the top), you can get a feel of one muscle being more tight or loose than another.

For example, the left side of my paraspinals is tighter than the right, but i'm not a scolio patient and it bothers me knowing i'm imbalance. I hate what western lifestyles do to our bodies. Also, I can slowly circle my elbows on the ground to get a feel if one pec is tighter than the other. Once again - to fix any sort of imbalance and maintain symmetry.

"Is one shoulder blade set back to the other or rotated more forward than the other?"
Do they have equal ROM? Look up the values and motions of the shoulder.

Get creative and think 90 degree angles.

Good luck.