[montana]

Left side of my back is much weaker than the right side and I think it's hurting my ability to correctly squat and deadlift and also causing lower back pain. Can anyone recommend any exercises that might help fix this imbalance?

[Klotz]

Just give it time to even out. Do higher rep sets that don't require maximal effort. And do little things, like when you're carrying weights over to the bar only use your left hand.

I used to have the same problem, but it evened out.

[GP-100]

sounds like good advice, Klotz.

[Urban]

What makes you think your left side is weaker?

[CodyLyon]

while doing back exercises that only involves on arm, work your left side first then meet the same amount of repetions with your right.

[Madmick]

Ken Kinakin wrote a book, "Optimal Muscle Training" that addresses this issue. I don't own it, and have never read it, but it's on a lot of the top S&C coach's DID books list (like DeFranco).

[maori rule all]

I thought I had this problem to but both side of my body are evened out now I just focused a bit more on one side then did the same amount of reps for each side. But I find this odd my right side is better at some movements and my left is better at others, now what is that about lol?????

[montana]

Originally Posted by Urban

What makes you think your left side is weaker?

i just had that feeling when lifting heavier that the last reps it's my right side that really makes them (deadlift/squat) and for all other exercises it seems i can lift more with right side than left... so for most i know how to get balance, but i'm not sure how to target lower back in particular so that my deadlift and squat become stable and that i don't have that tightness in my lower back any more... it seems i also have to do some stretching too... maybe those two things are related...

[Klotz]

I got an inkling because when I was doing bench press, my right arm always reached the top much faster and the bar was at like a 20 degree angle before it evened out.

[montana]

I just read this.. Seems there might be even flexibility imbalance:

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle....5-084-training

#1: Improve flexibility imbalances between sides

I know what some of you are thinking, "Human beings aren’t perfect, so why bother?" Just because we aren’t perfect doesn’t mean we can’t strive to improve our current physical state. After all, we don’t get up in the morning and think, "Gee, my body isn’t perfect, so I don’t think I’m going to hit the gym today."

Just as we should be working to achieve a balance in strength from side-to-side, we should also be focusing to achieve balance in flexibility as well. Flexibility imbalances between sides will typically manifest into bigger problems down the line.

Take someone whose left hip musculature is tighter than his right. Since the left side is tighter, the hips will typically deviate toward the right side on movements like squats and deadlifts. This will put more stress and torque around the right hip joint (or knee, low back, etc.), which will eventually lead to overuse or injury. We can add single-leg strength work to improve balance between sides, but we also need to address the tension/flexibility issues in the left hip if we're going to increase our lifts and decrease our susceptibility to injury.

Here’s where most people go wrong with flexibility imbalances: they train each side with identical set and rep schemes because they don’t want to be "imbalanced!" I’m sorry, but this is totally asinine. If you train in a balanced fashion but are imbalanced to begin with, you’ll be more flexible, but you’ll still be imbalanced!

For that reason, you need to increase the time stretched, frequency, and intensity on the tighter side until it catches up to the good side. This may take a while, but will be worth it when you're training injury-free and making amazing gains all at the same time.