For over 300 days, a man known as “The Crooked Man” has trained only one trapezius muscle on his body. The trapezius is a large muscle running from the neck across the shoulders and upper back. His goal is to build one side very large while leaving the other side mostly untouched. This creates a strong uneven look, with one shoulder much bigger and higher than the other. He started this unusual experiment as a reaction to the viral TikTok trend called “looksmaxxing,” where people try hard to improve their looks. Instead, he calls his effort “looksminimising.” He explained in a video: “Why does the one trap guy work out one trap? It’s pretty simple. I was scrolling TikToks in my Ferrari, and I kept getting these looksmaxing TikToks ... people have that problem? I have the opposite problem.” His solution: “Become more asymmetrical.” Over almost a year, he exercised just one trapezius muscle every day. Pictures from before show his body balanced. Now, his left shoulder and arm are huge compared to the right side. Despite this, he remains generally fit. He also follows a high-protein diet with sardines, goat yoghurt, protein powder, ground beef, and eggs to support muscle growth on the trained side. However, doctors warn this approach is risky. Dr Suhail Hussain told LADbible that while there might be short-term gains, this causes musculoskeletal imbalance. It may lead to spinal problems, joint strain, injuries, and chronic pain. He said, “The body is designed for symmetry and balance,” and distorting this can cause long-term orthopedic issues. Dr Hussain added that this one-sided muscle training gives no real functional benefit since the trapezius mainly supports and stabilizes, not powers isolated movements. He said, “Any benefits are unlikely to be worth it if the muscle is not being used in a way that justifies its size.” Over time, this imbalance can harm posture and walking. Still, The Crooked Man continues his experiment as a challenge to the social media trend of perfect symmetry. His uneven physique stands as a bold, living counterpoint to algorithm-driven ideas of beauty and optimisation.