Ok everyone, cheers, short story, two days ago I was training and instead of doing squats I decided to try a press machine I’d seen at the place I train, which worked each leg individually, and discovered that my left leg is a lot stronger and a lot faster at expressing that strength than my right leg.
A) can this be a limiting factor in my sprinting ability??
B) should I fix this?
and finally
c) How can I fix this?
Are you right footed? If so, then the strength ‘imbalance’ is a result of a lack of co-ordination. Basically, since you use your right leg predominantly, your brain is more effective at recruiting muscles fibres in this leg. Continue the leg press and your left leg should catch up.
actually its the other way around!!! I’m right handed, and mi right leg has much better coordination (I practised martial arts for 14 years) but my left leg is quite a fair bit stronger and expresses it more explosively, very odd I found. Although wen I was much younger than I am now I used to play bball and used to layup jumping off my left leg, and still to this day jump of my left leg, even in LJ
Im left handed and right legged. I thought that is the way it normally is? Most people are right handed jump off there left leg or start with their left leg foward in the blocks? No?
BTW guys, Im going away on a cruise for the week. Be back friday. Just letting you know so you dont think I dissappeared. Try not to miss me too much. 
yeah, left leg forward in the blocks, but still should I address this matter?? could this be holding me in a “plateau” of sorts???
I’ve heard that’s meant to be the perfect balance for football players (or SOCCER! as you guys call it! 
)
yeah but in sprinting?? anyone got any suggestions??
Try this on for size. USUALLY, if your right hand is dominant, then your right leg is the “smart” leg and your left leg is the “strong” leg. If you kick a soccer ball with your right leg, with 100 lbs. of force, you must be able to support or resist with at least that much on the left leg. The right will hand the fine skills and is then the first foot up a set of steps. Stand behind someone and give them a quick push off balance. They will usually catch their balance with their “smart” leg. In the blocks, you smart leg will move first and your strong leg is in better position to maximize power. Unless the strength difference is signifcant, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
TNT
I’m right handed and right footed as well. Am i the only 1 like that 
Um I don’t think so oni, my “smart leg” is my right leg and my right hand is my good hand
I’m right handed en right legged to. Also is my right side stronger arms and legs, not much but still stronger.
I’d like to know too. How to fix it? Every way I tried with weight results in the difference remaining or even getting bigger.
(For right handed people the right biceps, triceps, lat are stronger but the left breast, lower back and quad is stronger. Thats natural. Just lift sg. with your right hand and look which muscles are involved.
Ok, freaks I want to be member too… My right hand is stronger and more powerfull than my left hand, but I use to write with my left wich is more coordinated and have more dexterity… legs are just fine (right is stronger) but when I was doing dynamometry (force measurement in isometrical sitting posture - leg ext) my left leg had a better and faster result…
My brother is also right handed but he can write with both arms…
About that disbalance… Accordind to Mel Siff (Supertraining book) disbalances could be structural and functional.
There could be diference in strength because different muscle mass, tendon attachment point etc (structural) or it can have some problems with neuromuscular control (NMC) and reflexes… so before fixing it you should see what factor is causing that diference… Try getting normalized EMG to asses and evaluate functional differences, you should try with EMS too!
We are all asimetrical and in some ranges this is normal (what is normal???). Mel Siffs said that is you try to fix disbalances (wich are small and “normal”) it could be detrimental to your sprinting mechanics and result… So do you have problem running… or you mechanics are just fine?
Ahgchile, maybe I got some explanation for your problem… maybe a diferences are because of testing procedure! You first tested your right leg and then your left… try in oposite direction and tell me the results… Diferences are maybe because you facilitated your CNS with doing right leg press and that is because you pushed more with left? Hope this helps!
Try another procedure and tell us the difference between left/right leg
Actually duxx ica came from trying to push both at the same time and my left leg lifting the weight nice and smooth and the right leg either doing it jerky or not lifting it at all.
About those tests you mentioned, could you give me some more info with regards to this to figure out where I can get this testing done… and to tell the truth… I’ll probably do it just for the education purposes alone!!
Cheers
Actually duxx ica came from trying to push both at the same time and my left leg lifting the weight nice and smooth and the right leg either doing it jerky or not lifting it at all.
Hm… and how do you evaluate disbalance with this? Try doing it only with left, and only with right. Do you have same problems doing squat? How long are you using leg press, maybe is a simple coordination problem because shor rehearsal (learning)? Maybe the press construction is assimetrical? There is lot of maybe, hehe
About those tests you mentioned, could you give me some more info with regards to this to figure out where I can get this testing done… and to tell the truth… I’ll probably do it just for the education purposes alone!!
To be honest with you ahgchile I didnt do those tests, I just have some idea from reading Enokas “Neuromechanics of human movement” and Siffs “Supertraining”…
To test for structural assimetry you should do MRI or CT to see CSA (cross-section area) and tendon attacment differences between left and right, but this is unaccaptable and maybe expensive… plan B:
Isometric dynamometri using EMG and EMS
true there can be a lot of maybe’s but to be perfectly honest, in my area (dds maxilofacial area) the TMJ (temporomandibular joint is probably one of the joints where the greatest mount of imbalances occur, because it is afected by so many diferent factors (osseous structure, muscle insertions, dental occlusion, any sort of rehabilitative dintistry that has been performed previousley) however despite all these factors, the number one factor for disfuncion or the factor that usually defines the imbalance ys the neuromuscular system.
Yes, I do have a slight and visible diference in size between my left and right leg (muscle-wise) and I evaluated the imbalance by performing a simultaneos independent leg press, and then to confrim what I was seeing in this exercise I worked each leg individually.
as for those tests… I don’t know if I can get access to anyone who can perform them, but I’m gonna try.
Cheers
as for those tests… I don’t know if I can get access to anyone who can perform them, but I’m gonna try.
I forgot to advice you to try isokinetic testing… but dont forget that this test only asses some state that will/or will not have some value in real life movement
I got some interesting links here… try to find some time to read it! Cheeers
Ok, so far, I haven’t really had any answers about whether I should fix the imbalance. However, I can inform you guys that a) after running 7.5’s last year in the 60 today I ran 3 60’s in 7.25, 7.25 and 7.28 today.
Truthfully I’m not sure whether the imbalance should be addressed at this point, seeing as I started training track in february of 2004, so… let’s se what happens from now on, however if anyone wants to put their 2 cents in I’m more than happy to listen!!
Cheers
If the times are recorded with the same accuracy and/or the improvements on the track are obvious to you, don’t touch it, or at least yet and especially now that you are not clear about the conditions under which such an “imbalance” was tested (i.e., reliable).
Hope it helps and for even faster times! 