Uneven Press

[cjangelo]

On my heavier sets of overhead press, my left side fails before my right. Tonight I found myself leaning to the right side in order to lock out both sides simultaneously.

This is the second workout that one side has felt imbalanced. I mean, to the extent that I fucking check to make sure I've loaded the bar correctly and/or the 10lb plates haven't magically changed in mass.

Anyone have any ideas about what the fuck is going on?

[TrackJunkie]

I think you could perform a quick search in Rippetoe's forum and read a fair deal about it. Basically, strength imbalances happen, but will become less noticeable in a relative sense the stronger you get. If your right arm can move 5-10 more pounds than your left, that's a fairly large difference for someone pressing under 100 lbs, but for someone pressing 200lbs, it's not that big of a deal.

Edit: Of course, what you need to remember is that if you can't complete the exercise with acceptable form, you're using too much weight.

[Force Production]

Check if your grip, the position where the bar rests on your shoulders, and stance are symmetrical. If those are correct then it's probably strength imbalance.

If you have been using your right hand a lot in any sport or something, it could have become a lot stronger, and even bigger, than your left, thus affecting your press.

[elVarouza]

I've coached a couple people who simply had the bar asymmetrical across their shoulders as mentioned above. Check that first. If everything is symmetrical, make sure you force yourself to not favor one side: that's how imbalances are corrected.

[cjangelo]

Check if your grip, the position where the bar rests on your shoulders, and stance are symmetrical. If those are correct then it's probably strength imbalance.

I've coached a couple people who simply had the bar asymmetrical across their shoulders

Okay, so my take-away here is to check where the bar rests on my chest/shoulders at the bottom of the press. Maybe get some videotape.

Thanks guys.