If you've been training for some time, you've most definitely heard about unilateral exercises. In case you haven't come across this term yet, it means that during a load-bearing exercise, the limbs produce force independently from each other. That can occur either by placing the load on a single leg or arm or by working with equipment that allows the limbs to be disconnected from one another, i.e., dumbbell or kettlebell exercises where the arms may move simultaneously but aren't linked to each other. Many of you're already performing unilateral movements during workouts. Think about the different lunge variations, single leg deadlift, pistol squat, dumbbell overhead press, cable chest press, alternating bicep curl or single-arm bent-over row. Why should you focus on unilateral training? Bilateral movements like the barbell back squat or bench press have been the staple of most resistance training programmes and for a good reason. When the limbs are linked together either by the ground or by a piece of equipment, the combined output of the muscles involved in the movement is much greater than the force exerted during the unilateral variation of that same exercise. Take the barbell bench press as an example. If an individual can barbell bench press 100kg for one repetition, we would expect that the same person could push only 70-90% of the 100kg load when using dumbbells (meaning 35-45kg in each hand). The decrease in load when using a unilateral variation is mainly the result of the instability introduced by detaching the limbs from each other. With bilateral exercises, we can lift heavier loads because we waste less energy trying to stabilise the joints during execution. Higher resistance means a more substantial stimulus on the nervous and muscular systems, which results in improved neuromuscular pathways, increased motor unit recruitment, increased connective tissue strength and muscular hypertrophy. On the other hand, disconnected limbs will introduce joint instability when performing movements. It's a win-lose situation, a trade-off but with more benefits than disadvantages. In the case of unilateral exercises, to prevent injuries and restore stability, the load often needs to decrease, and the movement's execution also has to slow down. However, the lighter load doesn't necessarily mean less work. There are muscles with various roles involved in every action. The agonist, antagonist and stabilising muscles play their part so movement can come about. With unilateral exercises, the contribution of the stabilising muscles will significantly increase, as they have to work harder to maintain balance and joint stability during the execution of a single limb or dumbbell movement. A few major benefits of unilateral training are improved strength and efficiency of the stabilising muscles. Exercises, where the limbs can move independently, are also proven to be a great asset when balancing the strength between the body's left and right sides. Everyone has a more dominant side; more often than not, that dominant side is stronger. That's due to the higher volume of work done with the favoured limb, which results in fine-tuned motor skills and increased muscular strength and endurance. An asymmetric body (and not only from the anatomical point of view) isn't a desired body. A significant imbalance between the left and right sides of the body can lead to complications in the long term, such as altered posture, which then can cause premature joint degradation, spinal dysfunction, muscular pain and headaches. Imbalances between the body's left and right can also hinder sports performance. The weaker limb will contribute less to the combined effort, thus resulting in a lower overall output. Besides the decreased force production abilities, the deficient arm or leg tends to get injured more frequently. How to apply unilateral training? Unilateral training is quite taxing on the muscular and nervous systems; therefore, performing these types of movements earlier in the workout is recommended. In addition, training sessions are often limited to a specific time frame. Unilateral exercises are rather time-consuming, so I recommend carefully choosing which body part to target and which exercise to select. Let's assume that we work with a healthy and uninjured trainee. When picking the body part and exercises, the focus should be correcting any strength imbalance between the left and right sides. In other words, if I know that my client has a more significant difference in force production between the left and the right shoulders than between the left and right hamstrings, I'll prioritise the deltoids. The direction in which the deltoid muscles are underperforming will determine my exercise selection. For example, if the shoulder muscles are deficient during a vertical pushing motion, then I'm going to choose a dumbbell overhead press variation to try to even out the left and right sides. Likewise, I'll select a single-arm dumbbell or cable raise variation if the shoulders are underperforming during a lateral raise. In case of a significant difference between left and right, I would favour working only one side at a time instead of using a kettlebell or dumbbell variation where both limbs move simultaneously. This approach would allow the trainee to pay undivided attention to the working side and muscles involved in that movement, thus resulting in more substantial neuromuscular adaptations. Once we are happy with our exercise selection, we can design the workout by organising the movements and determining sets, reps, tempo and rest periods. As mentioned earlier, we want to perform unilateral moves early in our session. I tend to programme them as a second or third movement in the workout. Completing one or two bilateral exercises beforehand will guarantee that the muscles are warm and the nervous system is firing. We can take multiple routes when restoring strength balance between the left and right sides. One method is to increase lifting volume on the weaker side, i.e., performing more repetitions than on the opposing side. The other method is to let the less potent side dictate the load. In other words, if we want the trainee to do eight reps on both sides, we will choose the weight based on what the weaker limb can lift. Technically we hold back the stronger side until the other arm or leg can catch up. Few of the greatest unilateral exercises We'll look at the body, and from the feet moving upward, I'm going to highlight some of the best unilateral exercises for each major muscle group. Tibialis: Tibialis Anterior is a muscle found on the front of the lower leg on the lateral side of the tibia, i.e. the shin bone. Its role is to dorsiflex (move the foot towards to face) and invert the foot. The tibialis muscles clear the foot from the ground during walking, running and jumping and also help to absorb energy upon landing. Therefore, neglecting targeted training of these muscles can lead to injuries during high-impact activities. A straightforward but effective unilateral exercise is the weighted/resistance band dorsiflexion. Calves: The calf muscles are located on the back of the lower leg, and their role is to plantarflex (pointing the toes) the foot. The Gastrocnemius and Soleus muscles play a crucial role during running and jumping. The contraction of the calves pulls the heel towards the knee, thus plantarflexing the foot. The calves also play a vital role in preventing the body from falling forward when standing. A single-leg deficit calf raise is an excellent exercise to work on range of motion and strength. Quads: The quads are made up of four muscles (Vastus Lateralis, Intermedius, Medius and Rectus Femoris) located at the front of the femur (thighbone). This muscle group's role is to extend the knee to accommodate movements like walking, running and kicking. An almost endless number of unilateral exercises are available to target the quads, but right now, I'm only going to mention three. The Single-leg Press is ideal for beginner trainees, the Weighted Bulgarian Split Squat would be a choice for intermediate trainees, and the KB Front-rack Pistol Squat is an advanced-level single-leg movement targeting the quads and glutes. Hamstrings: The hamstring is a muscle group consisting of three muscles (the Semintedinosus, the Semimembranosus and the Bicep Femoris) located at the back of the upper leg. This muscle group is responsible for flexing (bending) the knee and extending the thigh at the hip. Using the hamstring curl machine to perform single-leg curls is one of the most effective exercises to target the hamstrings separately and in isolation. Adductors: This muscle group is located in the inner thigh and comprises four muscles (Adductor Longus, Adductor Brevis, Adductor Magnus, and Gracillis). The primary functions of the adductors are pulling the leg towards the centre of the body and internal rotation. To strengthen the adductors, I recommend the Copenhagen exercise. It's easy to set up, and it's super effective. Glute muscles: There are three glute muscles in the human body. The Gluteus Minimus, Medius and Maximus. They're also known as the buttocks. The Minimus and Medius (jointly with other muscles) are responsible for abduction (pulling the leg away from the body's centre line), whilst the Gluteus Maximus's primary role is hip extension. The side-lying leg raise with ankle weights is an excellent way to target the abductors (G. Minimus and Medius), and for the G. Maximus, my top pick would be the single-leg deadlift. Hip flexors: The hip flexors are compromised of three main muscles. The Iliacus, Psoas Major and the Rectus Femoris work together to lift the knee, aka flex the hip. The standing resistance band knee raise is perhaps one of my favourites to target the hip flexors individually. This exercise requires minimal equipment, and it's easily scalable. Pecs: Pecs, also known as the chest muscles, comprise the larger Pectoralis Major and the much smaller Pectoralis Minor. The primary functions of the chest muscles are the flexion, adduction and internal rotation of the humerus (bone of the upper arm). My top pick to unilaterally hit the pecs falls on the 3D Rotational Chest Press. This exercises ticks many boxes. Besides the flexion and adduction aspects, it also works the obliques thanks to the added rotation. Deltoids: The shoulder muscle comprises three heads - the anterior, medial and posterior. The primary functions of the delts are the abduction of the arm (moving the limb away from the body), flexion and extension of the shoulder and assistance with the rotation of the upper arm. My numero uno choice to work on unilateral shoulder strength got to be the Single Arm Half Kneeling Landmine Shoulder Press. The landmine is fantastic because, thanks to the anchored end, it provides some stability but not to the point that the exercise feels like a Smith Machine Overhead Press. The Landmine Shoulder Press also challenges the obliques by forcing the torso to resist lateral flexion of the spine. Triceps: The triceps is a three-headed muscle on the back of the humerus. The primary role of the Triceps Brachii is to extend the elbow joint. Besides that, the triceps also contribute to the shoulder joint's extension and adduction. One of the most effective unilateral triceps exercises is the Cable Overhead Extension. Due to the starting position, the long head of the Triceps Brachii is in a lengthened state, which results in a greater range of motion throughout each repetition. Therefore, working with an extended ROM will have a more significant impact on strength and hypertrophy. Back muscles: This group includes several significant muscles, such as the Latissimus Dorsi, the Trapezius and the Rhomboids. The Latissimus' primary function is the adduction of the arm, aka pulling it towards the body (more precisely, moving the elbows towards the ribcage). The traps and Rhomboids are responsible for retracting the scapula, in other words, pulling the shoulder blades towards the spine. One of my go-to exercises to hit all three muscles is the Single Arm Cable High to Low Row. The exercise can be performed seated on a bench or in a half-kneeling position (which is my prefered method). The key to this movement is allowing the shoulder blades to protract (glide forward) without twisting the torso while lowering the weight and extending the arm. Rotator Cuffs: This muscle group is made up of four muscles. The Subscapularis, Infraspinatus, Supraspinatus and Teres Minor work together to stabilise the shoulder blades and rotate the humerus externally and internally. There isn't one exercise that can target all four muscles, but there is a simple setup where with a bit of adjustment, you can target the whole Rotator Cuff. All you need is a resistance band with one end hooked to a machine or solid object at about chest height and the other in your hand. Then you can perform shoulder external and internal rotation both in an abducted (elbow raised to a 90º angle) and adducted position (elbow beside the body). Biceps: Biceps Brachii is the muscle on the front of the upper arm bone (humerus) with a primary function of flexing (bending) the elbow. The biceps also assist with the forearm's supination (outward rotation). Training the biceps is really not rocket science. One of my favourite ones is the Dumbbell Zottman Curl. The Zottman curl is fantastic because it includes elbow flexion and forearm rotation at the same time. Summary If you train regularly to improve your physical performance, you should definitely introduce unilateral movements into your workout routine. With the addition of single limb exercises, you'll be able to balance out your left and right sides, thus increasing your overall force production whilst lowering the risk of injuries. Another benefit of unilateral training is enhanced coordination, contributing to overall sports performance and efficiency.
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