“Balance” is a relative term in fitness and bodybuilding. Many may think of it as a physical ability to stay upright, others may think of it as the ability to keep workouts and everyday life straight. This article will discuss balance regarding appearance and performance in the gym. Are you “buff” with some “stuff”? Does your body exemplify “balance” from a physical standpoint?
It is very easy to go workout and focus on what is easy and neglect the not so fun movements. Many people share the same opinion when it comes to what they opt out of training. What comes to mind first is, of course legs. Legs are a vital component to training and obtaining a physically balanced physique because first and foremost, the legs compose half of the body. By neglecting the legs alone will just from physical viewpoint cause the body to look imbalanced. By training legs, you also are helping other body parts indirectly in promotion of growth such as back and glutes, all while burning a bunch of fat which in return will make you leaner. So why do people not train legs? There are many different answers one could give but the simplest is: people can be lazy.
Train your legs the way you train your chest and other “show” muscles. Go at them with relentless determination and almost anger. Give them the attention they deserve and need so your build will be more balanced than ever before.
Core is another vital component to training for balance, literally. Having a good strong core will only help with providing the body with more stability but also more strength when it comes to other lifts such as bench, squats, and deadlifts to name a few. If your core is weak, you will lack balance. You will only be able to put so much into certain lifts which will hinder growth thus causing the body to become imbalanced.
It is not too difficult to notice when imbalance if present. Sometimes people try to rationalize their physical imbalances by putting it off on past injuries or genetics, which can be a hindrance for sure, but people should not so easily give up. If you can bench 200x your body weight for a 1RM but struggle to squat 75% of your body weight for reps, there is an imbalance. On the other hand, if you can bench your bodyweight for reps and can also squat your body weight for reps, you have balance! And chances are your body from a physical viewpoint will show that as well.
Hit the gym, focus on the weak points. Bring some balance back to your body visually and on a performance level.
