Every single person is naturally asymmetrical. This means that if someone were to cut us from top to bottom, we would find that none of us has two identical-looking, equally heavy and equally strong halves of the body. We can feel this asymmetry in everyday life, but also during training. When practicing a complex exercise, you will feel that most of the movement is taken over by only one side of the body, or in unilateral (unilateral) exercises, you will find that one leg/arm works ideally and the other is not able to do it at all. But why is this so? Why, for example, is the right leg almost always stronger and why does the left shoulder usually hurt? We will discuss these interesting facts in today’s blog.

The name of this asymmetry of ours is technically called “left AIC pattern” (anterior interior chain). It is a movement pattern in which we have our pelvis curled to the right and our rib cage in the opposite direction – to the left. This position is natural for a person, and 99% of people in the world come from this position. Asymmetry is caused by several factors:

1. Asymmetrical diaphragm – the diaphragm as the main respiratory muscle is more powerful, heavier and higher on the right side of the body than on the left side, i.e. it pulls our chest downwards when inhaling
2. Asymmetrical distribution of organs – we have more organs on the right side of the body – liver, gallbladder, colon, which make us, together with a larger diaphragm, heavier on the right side
3. Asymmetry in the brain – the left side of our brain, which controls the right side of the body, has more motor neurons, which makes us more comfortable on the right side

It follows that our body “sits” very well in the right side, because the body is heavier on that side. Our right side acts as a carrier of our weight, while the left cannot naturally accept this weight and therefore keeps “pushing” us to the right. If you find yourself somewhere in the company next time, look at how many people are “seated” in the right side while standing during a conversation or other activity. You will be surprised.

On the left side, our pelvic bone is slightly in front, which naturally transfers the weight to the tip of our left foot. This is mostly reflected in the curvature of the big toe on the left foot towards the other finger – index finger (outwards from the midline of the body). On the right side of the pelvis, our pelvic bone is slightly behind, which, on the contrary, creates a feeling of a more loaded heel on the right foot. This phenomenon can also show up on the foot by the fact that the right big toe is almost completely straight and there is a larger gap between it and the index finger. As you have noticed, the body is very clever at compensating for movement and conserving its energy, and what happens on one side of our body is the exact opposite of what happens on the other (left toe – right heel, left pelvic bone in front – right pelvic bone in the back).

The left foot is mobile in this position and naturally more prone to flat feet respectively. A low arch and the right foot, on the other hand, has a higher arch, but does not have ideal mobility. Therefore, ankle sprains on the right side predominantly occur.

How does the body compensate?

Our body is simply the “world champion” in compensating for the movement that it lacks for some reason. For example, if you sit at a computer at work every day, your shoulders will adjust and roll forward. You lose range of motion in your shoulders and at the same time in your thoracic spine. Then, for exercises such as the vertical barbell press, the body compensates for the lack of mobility in the shoulders by bending over the shaft to feel like you’ve got your arms above your head. This puts a lot of pressure on the spine, which starts to hurt over time. This compensation is really very common and visible daily in fitness centers.

As I mentioned, we have a pelvis that points to the right. Since our body doesn’t want to walk in a circle to the right every time we walk, it has to figure out how to walk straight and straighten up – by twisting the entire chest to the left. This phenomenon contracts the pectoral muscles on the right side, lowering the right shoulder and rolling it forward. On the left side, the exact opposite happens – the chest opens up more and the scapula pulls closer to the spine.

How can you get rid of it?

In short, this movement pattern is natural for the body. However, it is a big problem when we cannot get out of it and then the right side is overloaded. We should be able to move between individual parties without compensating for the movements.

Possible compensations and problems associated with this movement pattern:

1. Stabbing pain in the left shoulder when lifting (flexion)
2. Pain in the left lower back – lumbar
3. Transferring weight to the right side – for complex exercises such as squats and deadlifts (hip shift)
4. Insufficient involvement of the right gluteal muscle during exercise, where the secondary muscles – the posterior thigh muscles – begin to take over the movement
5. Multiple ankle sprains on the right side
6. Impaired rotation of the chest to the right side

Not everyone needs it!

No one will ever be perfectly symmetrical. Our body is taught to be in an asymmetrical position all our lives, and getting it into complete equality (symmetry) can do more harm than good. As long as this natural state does not limit you in everyday life or fitness life and you do not have pain or other problems, you do not need any corrective exercises or correction. On the contrary, if this condition causes you difficulties and limitations of movement, you need to consult a quality trainer about it, who will then diagnose your musculoskeletal system.

Conclusion

With this blog, I wanted to point out that the segments of our body are interconnected from head to toe and affect each other even from a distance. It is quite common that working on the correct mobility of the ankle can, for example, relax the cervical spine. However, the “left AIC” movement pattern is only a starting point, and there are other layers of compensation that pile on top of it, depending on what we do in life. We need to take an interest in our body and take care of it regularly through exercise. The ideal tool for “perceiving” such asymmetries is unilateral training – engaging individual limbs separately and thus making better use of freedom of movement. At the same time, we will exercise the whole body better with it, and if we then return to complex exercises, we will feel a significant increase in the power of execution.