Q: I am trying to develop symmetry in my arms. My left arm is stronger than my right arm and a guy at my gym said I should do unilateral exercises instead of bilateral exercises. What did he mean by this?
- L.H., Fort Collins, CO

A: Unilateral exercises are exercises where you work each arm separately; for instance, using dumbbells to do biceps curls instead of an easy curl bar. When you use dumbbells, you rely on the strength of each biceps muscle to curl that dumbbell. When you use an easy curl bar, you risk letting the weaker arm just sort of follow along while the stronger arm does most of the work.

Since you know you have one arm stronger than the other arm, you will want to work your weaker arm first. In order to build your weaker arm up to your stronger arm, try to do one or two more repetitions on the weaker side, until it catches up with the strong arm. By working the weaker arm first, this allows you to stop one or two reps earlier on the stronger arm. As your strength, muscle size and definition become equal, you can begin doing the same number of repetitions on both arms to maintain your symmetry.

Source:fitlinxx.com