You will be amazed at the difference that 5 or 10 pounds will make. What am I talking about? I’m talking about unbalanced bar load.
Normally, you would think that loading a bar with an uneven weight would be a mistake and would horribly unbalance the bar, making the exercise dangerous. And to be honest, if you don’t expect the bar to be unbalanced, you will be right! Anyone who has mistakenly loaded a bench press bar can attest to that.
So how can an unbalanced bar be a good thing? I’ll tell you.
The unbalanced load not only helps improve stabilization of muscle function, it can also help correct the development of lopsided muscles (the right side larger or stronger than the left, etc.) and hitting areas of the muscles that are almost IMPOSSIBLE to hit with free weights in any other way. The difference is, frankly, extremely telling.
NOTE: When doing these exercises, you can work the exercise as a superset, doing one side and then immediately moving the unbalanced load to the other side and doing a set to the other side, or you can rest between working each side, doing each side as sets. totally separated. Both methods work quite well.
1. Uneven barbell bench press
I’ll start with the bench press as a first example. First, load a barbell with a weight that you could normally do for 15 reps (we want to start light to feel it). Now add an extra 10 pound plate to the right side of the bar. Sit on the bench and get ready for a unique set!
When you release the bar, push hard against the ground with your right foot (this is to help balance the extra load on your right foot). Lower the bar to your chest as you normally would, straining to keep the bar horizontal – don’t let the bar tilt or tilt to the right!
Now when I push it up, keep it horizontal as well. Due to the unbalanced load, almost ALL of the tension from the entire load on the bar will feel like it’s going directly to the right chest.
Not only will you get that extra tension on one side, but you’ll also feel a surprising advantage – the hard-to-reach, extreme inner pectoral area will be on fire! The way the pectoral has to activate to deal with unbalanced loading places a HUGE amount of stress on the inner pectoral area (on par with or even greater than the pectoral platform or cable crossovers, I have found).
The best part is that you don’t need those big equipment to achieve this effect, just a barbell. This is ideal for people who exercise at home with limited equipment.
On your next set, be sure to shift the additional 10 pound weight to the other side of the bar to hit the left pectoral equally.
Unequal loads force each pectoral muscle to take on most of the movement. If one side tends to take over on a regular bench press, this technique will let you know which side is weak and give you a way to fix it.
2. The Uneven Bent Bar Row
Looking for a way to hit your back in a way that has never been hit before? Loading the bent bar row (close grip down or wide grip up) unevenly allows you to hit the extreme insides of the back, especially the mid-trapezius area down the spine. Again, a 10 pound plate weighing on one side will do.
These inner / middle back muscles are extremely difficult to work with with regular barbell rows; you should really focus on getting your shoulder blades back. However, with an uneven load from the bar, your body HAS NO OTHER CHOICE than to activate those hard-to-reach muscles to move the weight.
Like the bench press, you need to focus on keeping the bar horizontal as you do the movement. When lifting the bar from the floor or shelf, remember that it will be off balance and be prepared to push your feet a little harder on the side that is heavier.
Use a lighter weight the first time you do this exercise because remember, most of the tension will feel like it is going to only one side of the body.
3. Uneven barbell curl
Imagine that all the weight of a barbell curl goes to ONE bicep. That growth stimulation can be achieved by adding as little as 5 pounds to one side of the bar when doing barbell pushups.
Again, start off with a fairly light weight, as it will feel like most of the weight is being lifted from just one side of the body. When lifting the bar, keep it horizontal. It will feel like the biceps on the lighter side is doing almost nothing while the biceps on the heavier side does all the work.
But the support that the biceps provide on the lighter side will really help keep the bar moving, allowing you to push the biceps on the heavier side much stronger! The contraction you will get with this technique must be felt to be believed.
4. The uneven shoulder press
Do you have problems with the development of your shoulder? Standard barbell or dumbbell presses just don’t work for your shoulders? Try the unbalanced load technique with the military shoulder press (forward ONLY).
When you add a little extra weight to the side (5 or 10 pounds), the tension goes directly to the meat of the shoulder muscle. Even if you normally have a hard time feeling the work of your shoulder muscles when doing the press, this uneven load will put the burn in the right place. You will feel a bulge in your shoulders like you have never felt before.
As with all exercises, keep the bar horizontal as you push it up and prepare to be off balance when performing the exercise. For this reason, I would recommend standing up when doing this exercise; it will be easier for you to keep your balance.
5. Other uneven bar exercises to try
Now that you have the idea of how uneven loading works and how it’s done, here are a number of other exercises you can try.
The only exercises I would NOT recommend it with are squats, deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, good morning, and vertical rows (I don’t actually recommend doing vertical rows at all!). Squats and deadlifts (and similar exercises) require evenly distributed spinal support, and pulling the load to the side could result in torque on the spine.
Here are the other exercises you can try:
Uneven close grip bench press
Uneven Lying Triceps Extensions
Uneven barbell lunges (the lunge is already an uneven exercise, so it’s a good candidate – experiment with which side feels best to add the extra weight, depending on which leg you’re using).
Uneven preacher curls
Uneven Incline and Decline Bench Press
Try this technique the next time you are in the gym. I guarantee you will be amazed at the difference a 5 or 10 pound weight difference can make on one side of the bar!
