How do I strengthen lagging muscles?

Q: My physical therapist diagnosed me with a weak lower back and hamstrings. Now that I’m done therapy, how do I deal with these lagging muscles in the gym? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

A: Many people have weaknesses, but very few will take the time to correct them. Instead, they brush them off as something that can’t be helped and end up with a serious injury. Remember, working out and staying in shape is about longevity, and if you want to play the game for life you have steps to keep your body functioning correctly. Here are five techniques I use to strengthen lagging body parts. Give them a try and turn your weakness into strength.

Prioritize the weakness

In most cases, people develop a weakness because they’ve neglected to work a particular area, and if they do get around to doing it, it’s usually a half-hearted attempt at the end of their workouts. To fix this problem, you have to prioritize your weakness and do it first when you are fresh and have energy. This will allow you to focus on form and technique and gaining strength and endurance. A good example would be a person with a back injury who needs to strengthen their abdominals and spinal erectors to stay strong and keep from getting injured. They should do so at the beginning of the workout to ensure success. It’s also a good idea to work the weakness at the beginning of the week before you do anything else.

Target the weakness

Since your therapist has already identified the weakness, you must find specific ways to help you correct the problem. But be sure to choose wisely and gradually bring yourself along with appropriate exercises. Start with low-impact movements and light weights, then as you get stronger you can upgrade to more difficult workouts. So if you have weak hamstrings, it doesn’t make sense to try to strengthen them with lunges first. Instead, try the following progression: Start with Swiss ball leg curls, upgrade to seated leg curls and graduate to walking lunges.

Incorporate band work

Exercise bands are a great tool for strengthening weak areas because they bridge the gap between rehabilitating weak or injured muscles and strength training with weights. You probably learned several band exercises in physical therapy, and it would be a good idea to incorporate them into your weight training workout. Sometimes muscles are so weak that it’s impossible to lift and control free weights, but bands provide the perfect level of resistance until strength levels are improved. Bands also provide variable resistance, and you can adjust the difficulty as you get stronger by simply stretching the band farther or using a thicker band. Once you have graduated from using bands, you'll be ready to add some low-level free weight exercises to target the weak area.

Use unilateral movements

Unilateral movements are exercises that require you to lift with one arm or leg at a time, forcing the body to develop strength equally. Unilateral movements are an excellent way to strengthen weak areas while working on balance, coordination and muscle endurance. Good examples of exercises that fall into this category are the one-arm dumbbell press, one-arm dumbbell row, single-leg dead lifts and reverse lunges. Try to add a few of these exercises periodically for both upper and lower body strength, but be sure to integrate regular bilateral exercises that use two arms or legs as well.

So remember, don’t accept weakness; fix it with these proven techniques and strengthen lagging body parts before they become bigger issues.