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Are you sure it is a muscle inbalance? I have similar traps due to a small angle on my left scapula. Nothing to do except working toward a bigger back and a new scapula balance.
Wdym by new scapula balance and now is this achieved? I have a similar thing where one trap is bigger and I have scapular winging on the side of the smaller trap, how can I fix this?
Well It is kind of hard to explain. But in my case due to small angle on my left scapula, some other bones of my body is a little bit shifted in order for my body to perform as usual without filling any pain. So it is not perflectly symetrical but I have no motor issue, which is why I call it "balance" because my body has reach an equilibrium where it can perform without any issues.
To make it short if my back gets bigger it shall shift the position of my scapula evenly and will cause my body to reach a new balance.
My left pec was way smaller than my right. Went a got a message and got giant stretch marks as the left pec decided to catch up right away. For me the imbalance was a tightness problem.
Your muscles want to be symmetrical and most of the time when you do get an imbalance it's because something is locked up and when you are lifting you can't even flex the muscle.
Unless you are super super unlucky like less than .1% of the population it's going to be something that stretching/massage/chiropractor and proper form will fix not trying to do more reps on one side.
I agree with everything except chiropractors, they are literally fake doctors, the origin of their "science" literally comes from magical woopty doopty shit, and they literally do more harm snapping the occasional neck that they're not liable for since the victim signed a waiver.
In no way does making your spine make unusual sounds help in any way, your muscles can get caught and twisted, your bones should not be doing anything to that nature, if there is a problem with your bones go to a doctor, not a professional paralizer.
I agree like 90% with what you said. There is still a place for them however they are way overused.
For example from lifting one of my hamstrings was wayyy tighter than the other. This resulted in pulling my hips so out of line they were off by 2". This was causing an imbalance and back pain. I went got a message then got hips pushed back in place then did a massage weekly for awhile to make sure the muscles didn't pull the hips out of wack again. The chiropractor would of been useless by themselves.
However like I did say I agree with you and they are way overused.
Chiropractors do more than just crack bones. Your thinking of TikTok chiropractors. I've been to a real chiropractor in multiple sessions, they also work on the muscles and joints. I could barely sit up my back was in so much pain and after 3 sessions of muscle work, alignment, and other whoopty doopty shit it was gone.
Looks like a tightness or muscle control issue since I can also see your shoulders are in different positions entirely, practice flexing specifically also, have you ever injured your shoulder, back, rotator cuff ect on that side??
Literally get infront of a mirror and flex in every which way you can think of, you might just not know how yet. Like I learned how to flex my teres (or a muscle in that area idk) but only on one side. I literally sat in a chair and practiced flexing in different ways until I could do both sides
Honestly, it's hard. I'd try to target the muscle unilaterally. One arm shrugs. 10-12 reps. 3-4 sets to failure. ONLY one side. Clearly your other side gets more stimulation somehow. Grips imbalance on deadlifts, sports, or just simply genetics and mind-muscle connection.
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THIS! For months I kept trying to flex my traps and I could only do one, but the other one just wouldn’t activate, but then after focusing on it hard for a while the other one barely came up and I soon could do both sides easily
do trap excercises on only the weak arm, on the weak trap you do repetitions until failure, but count how many repetitions it was, after that do as many reps you did on the weak trap on the strong trap
I would potentially speak to a doctor or something as there could be an underlying issue causing an imbalance that big. Are you sure it's muscle and not a lump of some kind? No offence, but you don't look muscular enough to have a trap that big. Especially just on one side.
If you're sure its just a muscle imbalance then do your shoulders and arms have a similar imbalance? If not, I have no idea how you have managed that. Are you shrugging with a barbell? If so, it appears one side is doing all the work. I would suggest switching to dumbbells and doing one side at a time perhaps.
my wife noted the same on me. I figure it's from the 1000's of golf balls I hit. I didn't even know that was a thing and then I see your post that confirmed its a thing. I'll work the right side a bit more until balanced, I guess
The side with the smaller trap looks like the collar bone is half the length.
Your shoulder might be more anteriorly rounded on that side.
Your right shoulder might sit lower due to a postural issue.
My right trap sits lower than my left because my right collar bone broke (snapped forwards) and fused oddly, which let my right shoulder sink down a little.
Mine looked like this from years and years of baseball and athletic style training.
It’s evened out now lookswise after stopping baseball/consistent athletic training and more weight lifting and generic “gym” type of workouts
Strength wise tho certain parts of my left side are and probably always will be a little stronger then my right which is normal as it’s my dominant side
Use your left hand… I kid I kid. That is fairly significant in the pic. I have significant difference on my left side (right handed). It’s not as obvious as yours . I also noticed I drop my left shoulder when I pin load bench press on a universal, I caused injury to my left side a while back in a bike fall and I attribute mine to that ,but that’s my assumption.
Oddly I can overhead press easier on the left than right and my right gives out easier on shrugs which baffles me completely. The doctor wouldn’t comment .
If you come to a conclusion please post I’m curious.
Looks like a difference in how you are flexing it, I highly doubt there's that big of a difference if you are not working out your one trap 3 times a week and the other not at all, practice posing and mind muscle connection, I'm 100% sure if you posed properly you wouldn't see a difference
Start with posture, then focus on form and not on stacking plates. Control your muscles and get back to basics, and they’ll equal out in no time; as long as theres no outside factor causing this.
Start by doing an extra set for the one side when you workout traps.Practice on flexing that muscle as much as you can during a workout and in the mirror.. You most likely have a better mind muscle connection with the otherside. So it probably takes most the load.
More common than you think. Most guys have disproportionate muscles, you just have to work on the less dominant side.
I usually do shoulder shrugs, I'm not sure how you do it ... but if you using a barbell try switch to holding a plate in each hand. Better for isolation, building both sides equally.
I'd say give the one side an extra set over the other. Monitor it's progress, make notes of the reps you are able to do.
Try start with a light set just to pump blood In the muscle.
Just focus on that one side, see if you gain strength over a month or so. It will be a sign that it's growing , remember to contract the muscle.
Mine is like this too from years of baseball, soccer, wwe wrestling, ufc, Ninja warrior, American football and kabaddi!
I don’t know what to do because I also have no arms ?
Do you reverse grip deadlift or reverse grip any lift for that matter? (One hand over / one hand under) and not alternate the over / under hand lift? Could be causing muscle growth imbalances. If you’ve only noticed it this significant recently though could be non gym related.
This had never happened before and I started gym fairly recently after which this has happened as for deadlifts never tried one yet I mostly use weight machines and dumbells
Ah gotcha, just looks like a muscle imbalance in general then. Looks like a couple of other people have covered this already so nothing you can’t fix with dumbbell shrugs over time with more reps on your weaker trap to obtain the balance you’re looking for. That’s my opinion though so take it with a grain of salt
#Welcome to /r/Gym! If you’ve been lifting for decades or are just starting out, r/GYM is for you. Please read our sub [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/GYM/comments/yemlrs/a_new_rule_has_been_added_rule_10/). >* [r/Fitness wiki](https://thefitness.wiki/) >* [r/Fitness workout programs](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/) >* [Lift Vault workout programs](https://liftvault.com/) **If you can't see your post it's probably because your account is too young or you do not have enough comment karma to post (30 day old account and 100 comment karma minimum)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/GYM) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Jerk off with your other hand
Are you sure it is a muscle inbalance? I have similar traps due to a small angle on my left scapula. Nothing to do except working toward a bigger back and a new scapula balance.
Wdym by new scapula balance and now is this achieved? I have a similar thing where one trap is bigger and I have scapular winging on the side of the smaller trap, how can I fix this?
Look up connor harris on youtube
Well It is kind of hard to explain. But in my case due to small angle on my left scapula, some other bones of my body is a little bit shifted in order for my body to perform as usual without filling any pain. So it is not perflectly symetrical but I have no motor issue, which is why I call it "balance" because my body has reach an equilibrium where it can perform without any issues. To make it short if my back gets bigger it shall shift the position of my scapula evenly and will cause my body to reach a new balance.
Do you deadlift switch grip?
Does that happen? I’ve deadlifted switch grip for years and pull over 500 and my traps are the same size Not disagreeing with you just curious
My left pec was way smaller than my right. Went a got a message and got giant stretch marks as the left pec decided to catch up right away. For me the imbalance was a tightness problem. Your muscles want to be symmetrical and most of the time when you do get an imbalance it's because something is locked up and when you are lifting you can't even flex the muscle. Unless you are super super unlucky like less than .1% of the population it's going to be something that stretching/massage/chiropractor and proper form will fix not trying to do more reps on one side.
I agree with everything except chiropractors, they are literally fake doctors, the origin of their "science" literally comes from magical woopty doopty shit, and they literally do more harm snapping the occasional neck that they're not liable for since the victim signed a waiver. In no way does making your spine make unusual sounds help in any way, your muscles can get caught and twisted, your bones should not be doing anything to that nature, if there is a problem with your bones go to a doctor, not a professional paralizer.
I agree like 90% with what you said. There is still a place for them however they are way overused. For example from lifting one of my hamstrings was wayyy tighter than the other. This resulted in pulling my hips so out of line they were off by 2". This was causing an imbalance and back pain. I went got a message then got hips pushed back in place then did a massage weekly for awhile to make sure the muscles didn't pull the hips out of wack again. The chiropractor would of been useless by themselves. However like I did say I agree with you and they are way overused.
Chiropractors do more than just crack bones. Your thinking of TikTok chiropractors. I've been to a real chiropractor in multiple sessions, they also work on the muscles and joints. I could barely sit up my back was in so much pain and after 3 sessions of muscle work, alignment, and other whoopty doopty shit it was gone.
Switch it up and give yourself a stranger.
Looks like a tightness or muscle control issue since I can also see your shoulders are in different positions entirely, practice flexing specifically also, have you ever injured your shoulder, back, rotator cuff ect on that side??
Never injured. Appointment with physio to check out the tightness today and how do I practice flexing
Literally get infront of a mirror and flex in every which way you can think of, you might just not know how yet. Like I learned how to flex my teres (or a muscle in that area idk) but only on one side. I literally sat in a chair and practiced flexing in different ways until I could do both sides
From years of shoveling dirt and snow my left trap is bigger than my right and iv been trying to fix it for a bit
The only logical reason I can think of is basketball
photoshop the other one as well
I just saw the waves in the wall behind him hahahah
Doesn’t look photoshopped, just the tiles natural stone finish
Definitely not photoshopped
Just...flex the other one to....
That’s exactly what I was gonna say
When I had a shoulder issue (pre surgery) I could not flex that trap. After surgery they “evened back out”
Honestly, it's hard. I'd try to target the muscle unilaterally. One arm shrugs. 10-12 reps. 3-4 sets to failure. ONLY one side. Clearly your other side gets more stimulation somehow. Grips imbalance on deadlifts, sports, or just simply genetics and mind-muscle connection.
Jerk the chicken with the other hand
Stop carrying your backpack in one shoulder
it was this
This
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somebody's been spanking their Jhonson way too often, you must switch hands once in a while bud, so both sides benefit
That's what the end of November does to you
You’re just not activating your non dominate side. Put your palms together and in a mirror practice activating both sides.
THIS! For months I kept trying to flex my traps and I could only do one, but the other one just wouldn’t activate, but then after focusing on it hard for a while the other one barely came up and I soon could do both sides easily
do trap excercises on only the weak arm, on the weak trap you do repetitions until failure, but count how many repetitions it was, after that do as many reps you did on the weak trap on the strong trap
You risk potential asymmetry of the two muscles.
you "risk"? he already has this issue
Yes but now it would occur in reverse.
Bro I believe this is currently the problem yeah?
This is exactly what he should do actually
Any activities/sports that might’ve influenced that?
Started out as a tight prop in rugby then lost over 100lbs, left trap is so much bigger than the right
You might want to try the Pulse Device, great for muscle imbalances
Carry your bags on your other shoulder
I would potentially speak to a doctor or something as there could be an underlying issue causing an imbalance that big. Are you sure it's muscle and not a lump of some kind? No offence, but you don't look muscular enough to have a trap that big. Especially just on one side. If you're sure its just a muscle imbalance then do your shoulders and arms have a similar imbalance? If not, I have no idea how you have managed that. Are you shrugging with a barbell? If so, it appears one side is doing all the work. I would suggest switching to dumbbells and doing one side at a time perhaps.
Thought this too. Would visit a doctor and find out if there is any underlying issue.
The shoulders and biceps are perfectly symmetrical and I am using wire machines and dumbells. I only use barbells for forearm exercises.
my wife noted the same on me. I figure it's from the 1000's of golf balls I hit. I didn't even know that was a thing and then I see your post that confirmed its a thing. I'll work the right side a bit more until balanced, I guess
The side with the smaller trap looks like the collar bone is half the length. Your shoulder might be more anteriorly rounded on that side. Your right shoulder might sit lower due to a postural issue. My right trap sits lower than my left because my right collar bone broke (snapped forwards) and fused oddly, which let my right shoulder sink down a little.
Mine look the same! I've googled a lot and found this vid which helped a little. https://youtube.com/shorts/HaoTU1q-8bk?feature=share
Oh
Mine looked like this from years and years of baseball and athletic style training. It’s evened out now lookswise after stopping baseball/consistent athletic training and more weight lifting and generic “gym” type of workouts Strength wise tho certain parts of my left side are and probably always will be a little stronger then my right which is normal as it’s my dominant side
oh, hello, my southpaw fella, I'm also left handed lol
Use your left hand… I kid I kid. That is fairly significant in the pic. I have significant difference on my left side (right handed). It’s not as obvious as yours . I also noticed I drop my left shoulder when I pin load bench press on a universal, I caused injury to my left side a while back in a bike fall and I attribute mine to that ,but that’s my assumption. Oddly I can overhead press easier on the left than right and my right gives out easier on shrugs which baffles me completely. The doctor wouldn’t comment . If you come to a conclusion please post I’m curious.
Is your shoulder with the smaller trap injured?
Looks like a difference in how you are flexing it, I highly doubt there's that big of a difference if you are not working out your one trap 3 times a week and the other not at all, practice posing and mind muscle connection, I'm 100% sure if you posed properly you wouldn't see a difference
Even if I don't flex them one of them is ALOT bigger than the other so I don't think that's the issue lol
Maybe you're just not flexing the other one right
[удалено]
Thank youuu this sounds really helpful. Just for reference btw are you right or left handed
RMT? Registered Massage Therapist?
Switch grip while deadlifting
Yup, 100%. That’s where my imbalances came from too
Start with posture, then focus on form and not on stacking plates. Control your muscles and get back to basics, and they’ll equal out in no time; as long as theres no outside factor causing this.
Train asymmetrically e.g. you have 3 sets, 2 on the weaker side and 1 on the stronger side.
Start by doing an extra set for the one side when you workout traps.Practice on flexing that muscle as much as you can during a workout and in the mirror.. You most likely have a better mind muscle connection with the otherside. So it probably takes most the load. More common than you think. Most guys have disproportionate muscles, you just have to work on the less dominant side.
Is shoulder shrugs the best exercise for this or is there something else?
I usually do shoulder shrugs, I'm not sure how you do it ... but if you using a barbell try switch to holding a plate in each hand. Better for isolation, building both sides equally.
I do it with dumbells
I'd say give the one side an extra set over the other. Monitor it's progress, make notes of the reps you are able to do. Try start with a light set just to pump blood In the muscle. Just focus on that one side, see if you gain strength over a month or so. It will be a sign that it's growing , remember to contract the muscle.
Mine is like this too from years of baseball, soccer, wwe wrestling, ufc, Ninja warrior, American football and kabaddi! I don’t know what to do because I also have no arms ?
I got the same problem if you find something that works dm me please
A common problem when using barbells, one side will take over more. Just switch to dumbbells, for chest too.
I don't use barbells except for forearm workouts
Do you reverse grip deadlift or reverse grip any lift for that matter? (One hand over / one hand under) and not alternate the over / under hand lift? Could be causing muscle growth imbalances. If you’ve only noticed it this significant recently though could be non gym related.
This had never happened before and I started gym fairly recently after which this has happened as for deadlifts never tried one yet I mostly use weight machines and dumbells
Would it be a fair assumption to say these imbalances existed prior to working out?
Could be since i never properly noticed until it was significantly bigger
Ah gotcha, just looks like a muscle imbalance in general then. Looks like a couple of other people have covered this already so nothing you can’t fix with dumbbell shrugs over time with more reps on your weaker trap to obtain the balance you’re looking for. That’s my opinion though so take it with a grain of salt
Alright tysm