Hi Drs. Jordan and Austin, and hi Leah,
I have a 1/2 inch arm length discrepancy. I’ve always needed to have my long-sleeved jackets and shirts taken in a little on the left sleeve. I notice that when I’m locked out on a deadlift, the right side of the bar is lower, but it doesn’t really bother me. When I’m pressing and benching though, I feel like it’s messing with my lift, because the left arm locks out first and then the right has to continue to press up higher to lock out, and the bar is very definitely slanted.
I tried putting a 2.5.b plate under my left shoulder when I was benching and it seemed to help but then I thought it’s not a good long term solution because of compromising stability and creating asymmetry in my back. I also experimented with placing my right hand a little further from the center of the bar, which feels like it could be a good way to go if I can get used to the asymmetrical movement and keep the bar centered. I did feel like the distraction factor made my lifts weaker, but maybe that would change over time.
I’m wondering if I should persist with the asymmetrical hold when pressing, if you have any different advice for compensating, or if I should stop messing with it and just let the bar be slanted and get used to that. Thank you!
