All about Symmetry in the Gym
(Fundamentals)
Symmetry means that if you draw an imaginary line down (or across) the centre of an object, then both sides are equal in shape and size, but reversed, like the reflection in a mirror. Or we can say that one side is a ‘mirror image’ of the other side.
So, if the left side of my body is precisely the same size and shape as the right side of my body, then my body is symmetrical. If I bend my knees to be more stable during an exercise, but one knee is bent more than the other, then my stance is not symmetrical. In most gym exercises, symmetry is an integral part of the technique, and it is essential to be mindful of it.
It’s a good idea to use wall mirrors to regularly check your form during exercises, as perfect symmetry promotes good balance and stability.
Without these, your technique will be off, and your training will be less productive, potentially leading to injuries and imbalances in your musculoskeletal system. There are numerous ways to enhance your gym technique, all of which increase efficiency and productivity, ultimately leading to a significantly improved physique.
If you take the time to learn and master these skills, you will soon surpass most other gym users, and you will develop a pride and self-confidence that you may never have known you had.
Remember that whilst brawn is essential to be a good athlete, you also need plenty of brain too. Think about what you are doing, how, and why? Strive for perfection.
In this way, one can train both the mind and the body.
How Symmetry relates to Injuries
It’s important to remember that most people have one foot slightly larger than the other, or one ear larger than the other, or one leg slightly longer than the other. These asymmetries are a regular part of the human body, so there’s no need to feel self-conscious about them.
Significant differences can lead to imbalances in the musculoskeletal system, often resulting in pain in the lower back, shoulders, neck, or other areas near the spine.
Problems with knees, hips, and ankles are also common.
Many problems of this type can be successfully corrected through gym exercises if they are identified and diagnosed early enough. This means that with the proper knowledge and action, you can take control of your health and well-being.
In my younger years, I did lots of road running, moving steadily up from short and easy jogs around the block to regular runs of between 12 and 25 kilometres in one steady run – plodding the rigid pavements, especially in the Winter months when off-road running became prohibitively wet, muddy, and treacherously slippery.
I had developed an irritating pain in my left knee, and over several months, it got worse. It drastically interfered with my training plans, and I was frustrated while trying to determine how to resolve the issue. In those days, the Internet was not yet as we know it today, so I had to ask people at the running club and at the sports shop where I worked on weekends.
Someone recommended a physiotherapist who had worked with one of the top 20 English football teams at the time. Still, his recommendation came with a warning that the physio was not inexpensive. However, they insisted that I would learn how to fix my knee. So, I paid for a half hour, which cost me two months’ worth of savings.
The physio measured my legs from hip joint to ankle joint and then exclaimed “aha” – and told me that my right leg was significantly longer than my left leg. He said that when I ran (particularly on hard ground), I was putting 3 times more stress through my left leg! And this was the one simple reason why I was now suffering with a borderline stress fracture to a point just below the left kneecap.
Then we talked about possible solutions. He told me that it was possible to have a course of steroid injections into the muscles around the knee and that one of the muscles (the Adductor Longus) had shrunk in size by about one-third of its normal mass. This, he explained, was a typical muscular reaction to the abnormal stresses I was putting through it.
He then briefly mentioned an operation that I had immediately ruled out, either due to cost or risk – I can’t remember which.
But he said there was one other solution, and that solution would involve a lot of hard work and patience from me – I had to do lots of seated leg extensions in a gym, and he quickly explained some technique to me. So I went home and got to work straight away. And I became very self-conscious of my shrunken inner thigh muscle as I lifted that machine up and down in front of me for what seemed like an eternity.
The physiotherapist also recommended that I insert a Sorbothane heel insert into my left shoe (under the removable inner layer) to compensate for the leg length discrepancy on one side and to cushion some of the stresses on that side when running. This information was priceless to me at that highly sporty and ambitious time in my life. Although it eventually worked, I’m afraid to say that I had left it all a bit too late to seek a solution, and my dreams of world-class running stardom slipped away from me.
I always remember this when young athletes come to me today with knee pains.