Bodybuilding question.

Factual Questions
1

Is it possible to work out only one side of your body? If so, what would you look like?

2

Sure it’s possible. Exercises for arms and legs–Bicep curls, triceps extensions, leg extensions, etc.–can all be done on one side. In fact many of these are done one side at a time. Some upper body exercises, like a bench press, requiring heavy weights might pose a balance issue when doing just one side with a dumbbell, but could probably be done. It’s more problematic to do core exercises on one side–can’t do half a sit-up. And free-weight exercises generally bring the core into play in incidental ways.

Most people don’t develop massive muscles so it’s not like you would look like a competitive bodybuilder on one side and Olive Oyl on the other side, but the differences would probably be noticeable. I would guess that you could tell the differences between the arms of a competitive tennis player.

3

Reggie! (scroll down)

CMC fnord!

4

Or this guy! An actual arm-wrestler, who’s bulked up just one single arm, leaving the rest of his body pretty skinny.

5

Those guys look weird. It’s nowhere near the same level and it’s hard to see it in a picture but Rafael Nadal’s left arm is noticeably bigger than his right…

http://s3.amazonaws.com/coolspotters2_development/photos/2053/03-Rafael_Nadal.PV___profile.jpg

6

It’s very possible though you don’t notice in pro bodybuilders because one of the chief things they are judged on is symmetry between sides. If your right bicep isn’t a copy of your left bicept it’s points off. Of course that is just one of many things they are judged on

7

Even that doesn’t always matter.

This guy won the Mr. Olympia even with a left biceps that was considerably smaller than his right.

Even Ahnuld’s right biceps was more peaked than his left, although I bet that was because he flexed it more - he used it in the single biceps pose.

Regards,
Shodan

8

I think there must be more going on there than just someone that is working out only one arm. In high school I knew a kid who had one built arm similar to the man in the link. He didn’t work out at all; something genetic was going on. He was above average in hairiness, but his one built arm was more hairy and the hairs were much courser that his other arm. His nickname was Man-Boy.

9

The following post was supposedly written by the arm wrestler with the huge right arm.

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