2 Reasons Why You Should Use Unilateral Exercises

Unilateral training is absolutely essential in the gym. In fact, not using unilateral exercises in your training at all can be detrimental. In this article I’m going to explain what unilateral exercises are and 2 reasons why you should use unilateral exercises.

What Are Unilateral Exercises?

Unilateral is basically a technical term used to describe something as one sided. This can be any exercise that is performed using only one arm or leg like a split squat or single arm press. These exercises are more time consuming and often more difficult, but the benefits far outweigh the cons.

2 Main Benefits Of Unilateral Exercises

1. IMPROVE CORE STRENGTH & TORSO STABILITY

During a unilateral exercise, the load or weight is distributed unevenly causing a greater challenge to maintain balance. This means that all of the muscles in your torso now have to work harder thus causing greater strength adaptions and a more define core.

2. IMPROVE SHOULDER, WRIST, HIP, AND ANKLE STABILITY

Working one side at a time allows for greater concentration on the muscles you are targeting on that side. I’ve had clients who have only trained bilaterally (both sides) for so long that they’ve developed some serious imbalances that hindered their progress in some major way.

One side ended up being way stronger than the other and even way bigger than the other. I’ve seen size difference of up to an inch and a half! This is a huge tell because if the muscle on one side is way bigger, this means that side is working a lot more and this often causes injury to the dominant side.

Unilateral training fixes this imbalance over time when implemented consistently. It allows you to more specifically train your central nervous system (CNS) in regards to a movement pattern on a given side. The results I’ve seen from this are

A more proportionate look
Over coming strength plateaus
Reduction or elimination of injury and/or joint pain

When Should You Do Unilateral Exercises?

You don’t have to do unilateral exercises every time you train, but I would advise you to incorporate them into your routine on deload periods, or on weekly intervals like every 3, 4, or 6 weeks as maintenance. However, if you have some major imbalances, you should be working on them daily.

Simple as that Tribe!

Drop a comment below and let me know if you’ve found this helpful, or if you have any other questions on this topic.

Thanks reading! I appreciate you

-Remson

Tribe By Noire