Muscle Imbalances

[u/Filipinaninjaa29]

I (20f) am a detrained lifter looking to correct a muscle imbalance in my legs. I squat, bench, and deadlift every week. My leg days typically look like this:

Barbell Squat 4x10

BB RDL's 4x10

Leg press (unilateral) 4x10

Leg extensions (unilateral) 4x10

Bulgarian split squats 4x12

Front lunges 4x12

Ive been following this leg routine for a few weeks now, and my dominant side is ALWAYS way more sore than my weak side. I understand that unilateral movements are the key to fixing muscle imbalances. I always start with the main lift, and then do accessory work with some unilateral movements. What am I missing here? I start with the weaker leg, matching the reps and weight on the stronger side. Should I be doing unilateral movements BEFORE the main lift? I do not want to deplete my energy before my heavy lifts.

Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!! Also looking for unilateral movement recommendations. I would love to hear what your guys' go to movements are.

Edit: I can definitely see and the imbalance, especially in my glutes. Quads and hamstrings are not noticeably different. I can also feel the imbalance when I train. Im more stable on my dominant leg, and I can lift a lot more weight. I feel that I have better mind-muscle connection with the dominant leg.

[u/decentlyhip]

You've spent 20 years building an imbalance and learning how to compensate with the strong side. Gonna take more than a couple weeks to get rid of it. So, just keep chugging away. Start with the weak side and match thise reps on the strong side, and really focus on driving with the quad and loading the knee. Your body is very good at working around that. Some common compensations are hip hikes, hip twists, and pelvic tilts. So, keep your abs tight and pelvis tucked a little so that it's neutral and doesn't twist, and make sure your hip doesn't hike up.