Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays. Now this week, we are talking to those of you who may feel like your body is imbalanced or asymmetrical, especially when you are exercising. What things can you do with your exercise to improve this and help make sure it doesn’t get worse?
1) Move Slowly
Our first exercise tip if you feel asymmetrical is to move slowly when you are doing your exercises, especially when you are doing resistance training. When you move slowly, and you have one side that is stronger or weaker than the other, the slowness will allow you to 1) strengthen the areas that are weak because you aren’t just flying past them quickly, and 2) will also help you identify the areas that are asymmetrical. A lot of times you might say, “I’m asymmetrical when I am doing a pushup.” But, what would be beneficial is if you could identify which part of the pushup you are asymmetrical in. This will help you to identify and address the weakness.
Action Step: Aim to start with a tempo of three seconds up, pause for two seconds, three seconds down, pause for two seconds. This will be a good starting speed for you to begin to identify asymmetries and you can then make adjustments from there.
Related: 4 Early Warning Signs That You Need MAT®
2) Focus On Squeezing Your Muscles
Our second exercise tip if you feel asymmetrical is to focus on squeezing your muscles. While you are doing your resistance training exercises, try to keep your attention on feeling how your muscles are working. Reason being, this will help to develop a greater mind/muscle connection, so you can start to connect with those muscles better and more easily, which will help you feel like your body is more evened out.
Action Step: What muscles are you trying to work with the exercises you are doing? Focus on squeezing those! Your body will thank you.
Related: 4 Considerations If You Can’t Feel The Exercises You Are Doing
3) Schedule With Your Local MAT® Practitioner
Our third exercise tip if you feel asymmetrical is to schedule with your local Muscle Activation Techniques® (MAT®) practitioner. MAT® addresses muscles that cannot contract well, which can often be the cause of why you may be feeling asymmetrical. If our other exercise tips aren’t doing the trick for you, that may be a sign that it is time to schedule with your local MAT® practitioner.
Action Step: Looking to schedule with a certified practitioner in your area? You can find one online here. And if you would like to schedule with us, you can see our availability here.
