Muscle Balance, The Correct Proportions Matter

If you are interested in balance with regards to stability, refer to balance.

Muscle balance for strength training refers to training your entire body while maintaining a balance between muscle groups. Muscles don’t operate independently, and there are several different roles that muscles can perform during movement. Developing and maintaining the correct proportions of muscle strength and length results in better posture and mobility.

When a muscle imbalance develops, it can hinder performance and be a contributing factor to injury and chronic pain.

An imbalance can result from a muscle group becoming strong in relation to its antagonist as a result of unbalanced strength training. An example of this is training your chest with bench presses, chest flies, etc. and not training your back with rows and pull-ups. This mistake is a common one that you will often see in the gym. You need to remember to work the parts of your body that you can’t see.

Alternatively, a muscle imbalance can result when a muscle group becomes weak due to inactivity.  A typical situation that leads to this is a sedentary desk job. If you have a desk job, your back and shoulder strength requires more attention to avoid posture problems. Tight muscles also need regular stretching to maintain equilibrium.

For muscle balance, care needs to be taken to address weaknesses and work opposing muscle groups. Consideration of exercises is essential to avoid an imbalance developing from overlapping use of muscle groups.