Body Symmetry and Proportion

One major aspect of fitness that is widely neglected is symmetry and proportion of the physique. Most of the muscles that we work on either in the gym or on the field exist in pairs. We have a pair of biceps, triceps, quadriceps, traps, deltoids, lats, calves, pecs etc. which we need to train equally. If we do not train one of our biceps as well as the other it shows! Same is with all other muscle groups that exist in pairs.

Arnold Schwarzenegger : Double Bicep Pose

Arnold Schwarzenegger won many bodybuilding competitions including the prestigious Mr. Olympia which he won 7 times. He was not only known for his muscularity but had the upper edge because of his well balanced and symmetric body. From this pic you can see that his bicep peak is same on both sides, so are his shoulders and lats. It takes a lot of perfection in training especially at the competition level to achieve that. You must have seen a lot of guys having big biceps but small forearms or having a big torso but frail arms. To some extent the reason for such a physique is the body genetics but it has do to a lot with improper training habits. 

Most of us like training the arms because they grow faster and also because they are more visible so results can be easily advertised. We concentrate on our arms too much, we keep flexing them to see how much they've grown but we don't do the same for the other muscle groups. If we flex and work on our chest as much as we do for the arms we will definitely have a bigger torso. Even flexing stimulates growth since it causes contraction and also blood to flow to the flexed muscle. We don't realize this and that's why for many of us our arms are bigger than they should be given the rest of the body.

There are differences among the same muscle group as well. For people who use their right arm more have a comparatively weaker left arm. We discussed about this in Compound Training versus Isolated training where we talked about the importance of "form". If you focus on the form of all exercises that you perform, you will get a proportionate physique. Also remember to balance the load when you workout. It shouldn't be that you're able to bench 80 kgs but you cant do a single pull-up  because of a weak back so that your torso overshadows you're back. What I mean to say is, whatever you do should make sense to you and your body! Don't play around and experiment with it. It is made to be proportionate and balanced, so keep it that way. Be functional and responsive like an athlete.
Good luck for your Fitness ventures!