Don’t Let Your Dominant Side Throw Your Training Off-Balance

When you’re working out, you’re probably not aware that your dominant side is secretly doing most of the work.

Whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, your dominant arm has the advantage of being stronger simply because you use it more often in day-to-day activities. Perhaps you always pick up and hold your toddler on one side of your body. Or maybe you always carry a heavy bag with your right arm.

Try exercising one arm at a time and you may be surprised at how much more one arm can do. When I train my clients this way, it becomes glaringly evident how much they unknowingly rely on one arm over the other. For instance, they often find it easy to lift a 20-pound barbell (a long bar with weights on each end) when they use both arms. But when I ask them to lift just 10 pounds with only one arm, they find it much harder when they are using their weaker, or less dominant, arm.

Try this new approach to help you develop balanced muscle strength on both sides of your body. Creating symmetry will make your arms look great and help both sides feel more “even.” Everyday activities such as carrying groceries and unscrewing tight jars will become twice as easy when both arms are strong. Balanced training can also prevent painful injuries, especially if you play one-sided sports such as golf or tennis.

Bicep curls and tricep kickbacks are the nuts and bolts of any good arm-strengthening routine. The biceps are the long muscles that run between your shoulder and elbow in the front of your arm. The triceps are the muscles that run down the back of your arm. Together they make up more than half of your arm, so concentrating on these two muscle groups will give your arms a serious workout.

You can get the most out of your arm training by doing combination sets. Do one set of eight to 12 bicep curls followed immediately with one set of eight to 12 tricep kickbacks using the same arm. That is considered one combo set. Rest 20 seconds and repeat until you’ve done three combo sets for that arm. Then switch to the other arm and do the same routine. This is an extremely effective way to build strength, definition and endurance.

Always start with your weaker arm. The weaker side sometimes needs more focused energy and attention for a complete workout, but often we don’t put out as much effort the second time around (and we may not even be aware of it).

Seated Bicep Curls: Sit on a chair or bench and hold a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell in your right hand (or whichever is the weaker hand). Lean forward and rest your elbow on your right thigh just above the knee. Move your knee to help position your elbow directly below your right shoulder. Now lower your right hand as you inhale. On the exhale, lift the dumbbell toward your right shoulder. Squeeze your biceps for two counts at the top of the lift, making sure that your elbow stays directly below your shoulder and lower your hand. Repeat eight to 12 times.

Bent-over Tricep Kickbacks: Stand up and place your left knee and your left hand on a sturdy chair or bench. Bend forward from your hips and slightly bend your standing leg. Holding a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in your right hand, lift your elbow to shoulder level and bend it to a 90-degree angle, palm facing inward. Inhale. On the exhale, straighten your right arm behind you. Squeeze your triceps for two seconds at the top of the lift. Return to the starting position and repeat eight to 12 times.

Basically that’s how the pros train to shape and strengthen their arms. If you do the same, you’ll not only address any muscular imbalances you may have, but also be ready to wear those sleeveless dresses or tank tops well before summer rolls around.

Next month: Buttocks. Previous columns in this series can be found at https://www.latimes.com/right moves.

* Joan Voight, a San Francisco-based journalist, contributed to this column.

* Karen Voight is a Los Angeles-based fitness expert whose latest video is “Abdominals & Back.” She can be reached at kvoightla@aol.com. Her column appears the first Monday of the month.