1. Get Pumped
The best way to correct muscle imbalances and prevent injuries is to strengthen all of the muscles in your body. Before you hit the gym, however, you'll want to identify which muscle groups really need strengthening. During your workout, you'll also need to make sure you strengthen both sides of opposing muscle groups. For example, you should complement crunches or sit-ups with a good lower-back workout. This prevents muscle imbalances from occurring, helping your body to develop correctly and evenly.
2. Stretch Your way to Balanced Muscles
The two main factors behind muscle imbalances are muscle strength and flexibility. Often times, when a muscle becomes overly strong as the result of habitual use, it also becomes inflexible and tight. This places an incredible strain on the weaker opposing muscles, which can cause long-term pain and even injury. To prevent this from happening, stretch regularly to increase your flexibility and range of motion. Passive or static stretching is the best way to loosen up your joints, but save it for after your workouts.
3. Switch it up
Over time, the muscles in your body get used to your regular workouts and stop getting stronger as a result. One way you can counteract this stagnation is to cross train. Adding new kinds of training to your routine challenges your body to adapt to the unfamiliar stress, which usually helps it become stronger and more balanced. For example, if you're a runner, try swimming or cycling on your off days to build strength and boost your aerobic capacity. You can also gain strength benefits by switching some of your standby weightlifting exercises for complementary alternatives. Adding stability balls and balance boards to your exercise regimen also challenges the small stabilizer muscles throughout your body, preventing the development of further imbalances.
4. The two Sides of the Story
Although not as troublesome as imbalances between opposing muscle groups, muscle imbalances can also exist between the different sides of your body. Tennis players and other racket sports enthusiasts often experience this kind of imbalance. Their dominant arms are usually noticeably larger and stronger than their non-dominant arms. Even athletes in running sports such as soccer, track and cross country are susceptible to these deficiencies, however, since they'll often unconsciously favor one leg over the other. The only way to prevent these imbalances from causing overuse injuries is through strength training. In general, there shouldn't be more than a 10 percent difference between the maximum amount of weight you can lift with either side of your body.
