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Bodyweight Differing Strength between legs

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Cattleballs

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Hi, I searched but couldn't find anything.

Just wondering if anyone notices big differences in strength between legs on pistol squats. I can do 32kg x 1 on my left leg and only 24kgx1 on my right.

The puzzling part is that I am heavily right footed. I would have thought that the coordination required for a pistol squat would be better on the more coordinated side of the body. Is this likely a mobility limitation that is leaking strength or have other people experienced this.
 
My right side is stronger, more flexible, and better mobility. I attribute it to a life of manual labor. In recent years I have tried to use my left side more when I can, and work a little harder with the left.

The human body is not symmetrical, I think we should embrace our asymmetries. Symmetry is a myth.
 
not too bothered about perfect balance, I just find it odd that my dominant leg is so much weaker for pistol squats
 
No difference in the legs, but arms for me. I'm right handed, but TGUs and presses with my left are stronger than with my right. Not a huge difference, maybe 0.5-1Kg bigger 1RM on my left, but still surprising that my non dominant arm is the stronger one.
So you're not alone with this ;)
 
If you factor in your bodyweight on top of those figures that gap would not seem as huge.

It would be interesting see your 8 or 10RM figures for both sides. I'm just guessing but maybe your dominant leg would have developed much more endurance and just hasn't learned to fire like the non dominant side does when it's heavily loaded. Most things we do in our day to day activities don't require near maximal efforts, so maybe your dominant side has just learned to go the distance with minimal energy expenditure.

A lifetime of training for endurance is hard to undo.
 
Cattleballs said:
Hi, I searched but couldn't find anything.

Just wondering if anyone notices big differences in strength between legs on pistol squats. I can do 32kg x 1 on my left leg and only 24kgx1 on my right.

The puzzling part is that I am heavily right footed. I would have thought that the coordination required for a pistol squat would be better on the more coordinated side of the body. Is this likely a mobility limitation that is leaking strength or have other people experienced this.
Click to expand...
An FMS would be interesting.

-S-
 
@Kettlebelephant good to know I'm not the only one! Overhead pressing my dominant side is stronger so I'm not really sure what's going on :)

@Tarzan interesting idea, hadn't thought about that. Difficult to test, not sure I've ever done more than 6 pistols in a set!
 
I too am stronger on one side for pistols, however I know that mine is also do to mobility restrictions on one side due to ankle surgery. It would be helpful to see a video of each side to make a better assessment.
 
I'm very confused right now. As I said in presses and TGUs my left side is stronger even though I'm a right dominant. I received my COC gripper recently and can close it for more reps with my left.
I have a mild scoliosis, so I can see how something like that may affect things like presses through mobility or leverages, but grip????
 
For what it's worth.. for me I have been right dominate, I think since I was a wee lad. Now because my right leg and arm have been stronger - I have come across 2 issues that plagued me as a teenager and a twenty-ager - with bodybuilding-esk training & resurfaced more recently with kettlebells (GUs, single arm presses, and the pistol).
1) My right side is stronger than it is stable. I think of someone shooting a powerful gun without a strong grip and it blows back out of their grasp (maybe on a fail video).
2) My right side has often tried to maintain it's strength level while I have desperately trained the left to "catch up".

For instance for my pistol practice, I believe my right side has had the strength longer than my left - but it is more wobbly. If I hit the groove right bam! But if a butterfly flaps its wings in front of my ..whoa! I'm dumping the bell.

Also notable, I think, is I have had to pay a lot more attention to my left side mechanics. The right I can press I can get up; the left side has battled to catch up to the right. So at a certain point my left side has caught up and passed my right side. On my left side I HAVE to me more engaged/mindful of the details. I focus on catching the bell just right, ratcheting up my mid-section tension, pulling myself down into the hole, pausing, then hissing back up. Practicing all these details has made them automatic on my left side. My right side has been able to grab the bell, plop down and stand up, and say, "No big." But now, when I grab a heavier bell the left side is dialed in with better practices... because it has to be. With the heavier bells my right side has been bested by my non-dominate side with effort and technique. I'll video myself with a pistol or a press and think, "Damn! Lefty felt great! Righty was a bit tough." Watching the videos I can see leaks and technique break down on the right side.. Righty has be lazy, it's a bit embarrassing to admit.

That's my $0.02 ;)
 
I think that is normal. My left les is the pover than right leb, sach as my hands. I think that is about how much you worked yor leg or hand
 
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