Muscular balance is critical to physical fitness, injury prevention, aging, and optimal performance. It refers to the equilibrium between different muscle groups—most commonly between the left and right sides of the body, as well as the balance between concentric and eccentric strength within those muscles. When one side is weaker than the other, that is called an imbalance, which can lead to poor athletic performance, an increase in injury risks, or chronic injuries. In this blog we will explore the importance of muscular balance.

Left vs. Right Balance: Why Symmetry Matters

The human body is designed to function symmetrically, with muscles on both sides working in harmony to support movement, posture, and stability. However, it’s common for people to develop imbalances, where one side of the body is stronger or more dominant than the other. This can be due to several factors, including dominant hand or leg use, repetitive movements, injury, poor training habits, and growth. 

The Dangers of Imbalance

When one side of the body is stronger than the other, it can lead to a range of adverse outcomes. These include:

1. Compensation & Poor Movement Patterns: A strength imbalance forces the stronger side to overcompensate for the weaker side. This can lead to inefficient movement patterns, where the body overuses specific muscles while underusing others. Over time, this can cause wear and tear on joints and tendons (overuse injuries), increasing the risk of injuries like tendonitis or muscle strains.
2. Postural Issues: Asymmetry in muscle strength leads to postural problems. For example, if the muscles on one side of the body are significantly stronger, the pelvis, shoulders, or spine can shift out of alignment, contributing to chronic back, hip, or shoulder pain.
3. Reduced Performance: Whether in sports or daily activities, a lack of balance between the left and right sides will limit your overall performance. Sports and functional movements require the whole body. Imbalances reduce your power output, speed, and agility, holding you back from achieving peak performance. 

Concentric vs. Eccentric Strength: Finding the Right Balance

It's also important to consider the relationship between concentric and eccentric muscle strength. As a quick recap, concentric strength is the muscles ability to generate force as it shortens, which occurs during the "lifting" phase of a movement (e.g., the upward phase of a bicep curl). Eccentric strength, on the other hand, involves force production while the muscle lengthens, such as when lowering a weight back down.

In athletics, concentric motion involves muscles contracting and shortening to generate force, like when pushing off the ground to jump or accelerating in a sprint. Eccentric motion is when muscles lengthen under tension to control or absorb force, such as landing from a jump or decelerating after a sprint, crucial for stability and injury prevention.

What Happens When Eccentric and Concentric Strength Are Imbalanced?

When someone’s eccentric strength is inverse to their concentric strength, it can lead to several issues:

1. Increased Risk of Injury: The closer your concentric strength is to your eccentric strength the more susceptible you are to injury. While concentric strength is important to be functional with day to day activities, eccentric strength is what keeps you from injuring yourself while doing them. The less force we can absorb the greater risk of injury we are at (Bone breaks, tendon/ligament injury, muscle strains). The wider our concentric to eccentric gap is, the more protected we are from soft tissue injury.
2. ‍Neuromuscular Control: The stronger we are in the eccentric, the better our neuromuscular control. As we fatigue in the concentric it is important that our nervous system doesn’t fatigue with the muscle. If our nervous system fatigues with the muscle that would be like your car’s brakes not working as well as the gas tank empties, that would obviously be extremely dangerous. Training the eccentric to engage during fatigue makes sure we are protected when we are tired. This helps prevent injuries during hiking, skiing, sporting events etc. 

The Benefits of Stronger Eccentric Strength

While it’s important to balance eccentric and concentric strength, there are unique advantages to being stronger in the eccentric phase of a movement:

1. Increased Muscle Growth: Eccentric training has been shown to promote greater muscle hypertrophy compared to concentric training. The lengthening of the muscle fibers under tension causes more micro-tears in the muscle, which leads to greater repair and growth after training.
2. Improved Tendon Health: Eccentric training is particularly effective at strengthening tendons, which is why it is often used in injury rehabilitation. Stronger tendons reduce the likelihood of developing chronic injuries like tendonitis.
3. Better Control and Stability: Eccentric strength allows for better control during movements, which is especially important in sports or activities requiring precision and balance. The ability to slow down a movement or lower a weight under control reduces the risk of injury and improves overall movement efficiency.
4. Enhanced Flexibility: Lengthening muscles under tension also contributes to improved flexibility. Eccentric exercises can help increase the range of motion in a joint, making you more mobile and reducing stiffness over time.

Conclusion

Maintaining muscular balance—both between the left and right sides of the body and between eccentric and concentric strength—is essential for overall fitness and injury prevention.. By striving for balance  both left to right, and in the concentric to eccentric , you can optimize your performance, reduce injury risks, and improve your long-term physical health.

At ALL-IN-15 we can test you both left to right and in the concentric to eccentric. This is something no other gym has the ability to do. With this data we can build effective protocols to help you live a healthier more active life, or excel in sport performance. 

Come see how ALL-IN-15 can help you!