Any considerations for persistent strength imbalances?
I've been coaching my 65-year-old father for several months. He has seen tremendous strength gains, as well as noticeable quality-of-life improvements. He was tested for Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) many years before he began training -- it is a genetic test, and he does have the deletion. For those unfamiliar FSHD involves muscle weakness and wasting in the face, shoulder, and upper arm (as the name implies). In addition, he had surgery on his right shoulder to move one of his shoulder muscles to improve his mobility 5 or 6 years ago and has nerve damage in his left leg that results in foot drop. I do not recall the details of the shoulder surgery but at the time it occurred he was unable to raise his right arm above his head without severe pain.
Based on his training progression, I think the surgery is the largest contributing factor to the imbalances I see. He has a clearly observable difference in the sizes of his right and left arm -- his right arm appears shriveled when compared with his left -- and he is unable to lockout his right elbow above his head. As a result, his progression on the press and bench press are slow and at least for the time being he does not deadlift from the floor (his right arm is unable to keep the bar against his legs).
His left arm is capable of far more than his right arm. I do not think it wise to include additional work for his right arm, as that would compromise his recovery for the main lifts. Am I doing him a disservice by not including additional accessory work for his left arm?