Any reasons why 80% of my clients, including myself are always Tighter on the left side than on the right side?
I never really thought much of it - until so many have been saying, “Left side is tighter” on a very regular basis.
It may not even be by much - infact, most cant tell until they have been training and doing therapy with me for a little while. Until i give them ques on what to feel for.
Thoughts?
Right handed and left foot dominant?
Actually - non track guys. Just general population looking to lose fat and tone up, get fit.
Mostly right handed - neither foot dominate “except if tightness is an issue, then right side works better due to left side tightness”
we do mostly mediballs, dumbbells and bodyweight work.
It’s generally not until we have done a few sessions of Foamrolling that the left side being Extra tight is noticed.
Un-balanced feedback to the brain (left side versus right side).
Create more appropriate feedback to the appropriate side,and you’ll have 80% of your people happier.
Any ideas how to create a more appropriate feedback to the appropriate side?
I’ll give an example so i can understand.
the illiopsoas on both sides get tight - the Foamrolling removes the tightness, (From the lower insertion into the Femur anyway) the right side in around 1min, the left side in around 3-4min.
What would be your Starting position in looking into this said muscle?
They don’t have to be Exact (how can it be over a forum… ) but general ideas is ok.
Regards
As a general idea you may want to create adequate (maximal) feedback to the antagonist muscles (glutes) while keeping the psoas elongated,and using time of exposure to whatever the stimulus you choose to use as a quantifier of needed neurological stimulation,and an indicator of progressively occuring motor learning.If the time needed to get the desired goal does not change,then no finalized re-patterning and motor learning are taking place.
ok cool, i understand.
It’s a postural strength imbalance from antagonist to agonist. And it’s mostly Left side tightness for most people as most people are Right side dominate?
I’m also guessing - it’s better to do this work AFTER doing some Foamrolling for better Stretching of the Agonist muscle whilst it’s under tension?
I’m also guessing - this should, once the motor learnings are properly in place, pretty much remove most, if not all tightness problems.
Thanks Pakewi - I’ll start implementing this ASAP and let you know the results.
And keep away from the bosu… 
I would not prioritize tight muscle work of any kind,as that is the effect,not the cause.Address the cause first,either bilaterally or monolaterally depending on the means you use,and monitor how this affects the problem you are aiming to solve. I am not familiar neither with foam roaller,nor with any specific " therapy " mean,but I would surely stay away from the bosu,as it most likely would worsen the problem,and possibly allow for more to come.
Paradoxically enough I would also stay away from most proximal (core) work,and concentrate on balancing out distal feedback to the brain from the limbs at least until less and less compensatory patterns (tightness) are evident.
Pakewi,
are you referring to iso-extremes (single leg and squat position) as possible means?
As one very effective possible mean. Not the only one mean,for sure.
[QUOTE=pakewi;243735but I would surely stay away from the bosu,as it most likely would worsen the problem,and possibly allow for more to come.
.[/QUOTE]
I hope you realized that i was taking the mikey out of the Bosu? ie - i dislike the bosu, swiss ball balance boards for the very reasons mentioned.
One more Q. in regards to tightness training
I have one client - he is tight as a board, everywhere! every muscle. He is loosening up, abit slowly - yes, he has many structural problems (originated from a bad push bike accident a few yrs ago)
At a guess, would you do say Hamstring stretch / Quadriceps strength AND vice versa? IN the same session, or rotate the sessions?
Sure I did,no worries!
I would not do anything like you just said,as to me it is not going to help your client out,and possibly to mess his system further.
First we need to figure out where the origin of all this tightness is,functionally before than structurally,and address that first and foremost.
OK cool - This is what i had been doing - We had been came to the conclusion His Hips were the issue - and had been working on them extensively, but, his progress eventually began going in circles.
Eventually he got some scans, he rang Yesterday to say, His Femur head is ok, but the Hip Socket has been ground away!! An MRI to be sure, Hip replacement by sounds of it.
This, Time OF Exposure - And also the adequate (maximal) feedback = Just to clarify - A nice Heavy load held for 10-30sec? As this say, 30sec becomes easy to hold, we increase the weight or do we increase time of exposure? Or does that purely depends on the Goal of the Said person?
More weight = more Maximum load, longer loads = more time of Exposure. (more time of exposure can be expressed through more sets also)
A heavier load done in Sets to create time
or
A medium load done in working up to one long set
Or combinations thereof
I hope that makes sense
More load as you define it possibly moves everything towards the end of the F/T curve opposite to the one where you’ll find the desired stimulus for your goals.
So, you’re saying,
Holding the positions for say 1min is better to get the Neuron pathways working the way we want?
How long becomes too long? or too short?
Naturally then need to Hold Ideal position, form ect
I got a guy to hold a Hammie/Glute exercise at extreame range for 1min each leg. His left leg was profoundly tighter and even cramped at one stage - quick ART then resumed. We did this 1 x both legs together, and 1 x each leg separate.
The tightness in his hammie as felt before and after, was greatly reduced. 
Be sure to try and find the origin (general) of the problem and address it (generally).
I do remember having to do glute ham raises for 2-3 x 20 reps for a hamstring spasm in college. It did help loosen things up fairly quickly. ROM was short too. 
hammie pain/tightness is usually caused by issues with the lower back or glute, sometimes the calf. As Pakewi says find the cause and address it.