We always hear about how important movements like the squat, deadlifts, cleans are for lower body development, having a stronger historical foothold. In these, it’s generally about raw strength and power, and the topic of discussions in changing rooms, where people claim extraordinary personal records or targets.
Lifters are underwhelmed about unilateral (single leg/arm) exercises as a whole. We rarely hear people discuss about how amazing a particular lunge was for their gains.
If we look at any isolated movement from a functional activity or competitive sport, it is almost always a unilateral one. Think about it. Running, jumping, vertical and horizontal leaps, changing direction, they are all predominantly unilateral.
Granted, the weight on the bar while performing a split squat, lunge or any single leg movement isn’t anything to brag about, whereas the effects these produce on the overall strength and power is astoundingly comparable and is sometimes seen to exceed that of their bilateral counterparts.
You might be thinking, a lunge is not exactly a single leg exercise. You’re right, its not. It’s a partial unilateral support exercise. For now, we’ll include these in the category along with the purely unilateral exercises, like the pistol squat, step up, single leg press, etc.
Like I mentioned previously, these aren’t ones to be underestimated at all. Other than the obvious benefit of being able to achieve higher intensity of exercise using smaller overall loads, there are numerous instances where they have proved their worth. Especially in times where everyone might not have easy access to the greater loads required to reach the desired intensities of bilateral exercises.
Most of the research point towards unilateral exercises being just as effective as bilateral exercises in increasing strength, power and producing markers of muscle damage and testosterone concentrations. They, in fact produce greater improvements in tests like the single leg vertical jump.
Let’s hear out why the unilateral exercises may actually be superior to their highly celebrated bilateral counterparts.
Apart from the obvious benefit of core engagement seen due to the offset of loads relative to the body, and the stabilisation efforts needed in multiple planes, there is evidence suggesting additional recruitment of secondary muscles while the primary muscle utilisation remaining unchanged. Its also possible to overload (being a principle of strengthening) the muscle whilst the load being much lower.
The bilateral force deficit (sum of loads overcome by each limb exceeds the loads lifted by simultaneous activation of both limbs) is an argument most commonly used to promote unilateral exercise, but I would like to point out that this deficit is marked most often in untrained individual and that long term bilateral training mutes this particular downside.
What is more relevant however is the opportunity for coaches, athletes and lifters of all levels to examine obvious discrepancies between the two limbs through an immediate feedback. Identifying this asymmetry could be priceless as it could also give a direction for improvement.
Are unilateral exercises underrated? Not at all.
It was important to see the potential benefits, so that lifters and trainers don’t shy away from them, while giving an unjustified preference towards just conventional bilateral exercises.
As we have seen, the research is very much in support of unilateral exercises. The best part is, you do not have to pick one over the other. There are lots of ways to achieve a balance in utilising these exercises. Throughout the week, or in a single workout. This also achieves a much-needed variation in exercise regimens, to break monotony and provide opportunity for learning new movement patterns.
Lifters are underwhelmed about unilateral (single leg/arm) exercises as a whole. We rarely hear people discuss about how amazing a particular lunge was for their gains.
If we look at any isolated movement from a functional activity or competitive sport, it is almost always a unilateral one. Think about it. Running, jumping, vertical and horizontal leaps, changing direction, they are all predominantly unilateral.
Granted, the weight on the bar while performing a split squat, lunge or any single leg movement isn’t anything to brag about, whereas the effects these produce on the overall strength and power is astoundingly comparable and is sometimes seen to exceed that of their bilateral counterparts.
You might be thinking, a lunge is not exactly a single leg exercise. You’re right, its not. It’s a partial unilateral support exercise. For now, we’ll include these in the category along with the purely unilateral exercises, like the pistol squat, step up, single leg press, etc.
Like I mentioned previously, these aren’t ones to be underestimated at all. Other than the obvious benefit of being able to achieve higher intensity of exercise using smaller overall loads, there are numerous instances where they have proved their worth. Especially in times where everyone might not have easy access to the greater loads required to reach the desired intensities of bilateral exercises.
Most of the research point towards unilateral exercises being just as effective as bilateral exercises in increasing strength, power and producing markers of muscle damage and testosterone concentrations. They, in fact produce greater improvements in tests like the single leg vertical jump.
Let’s hear out why the unilateral exercises may actually be superior to their highly celebrated bilateral counterparts.
Apart from the obvious benefit of core engagement seen due to the offset of loads relative to the body, and the stabilisation efforts needed in multiple planes, there is evidence suggesting additional recruitment of secondary muscles while the primary muscle utilisation remaining unchanged. Its also possible to overload (being a principle of strengthening) the muscle whilst the load being much lower.
The bilateral force deficit (sum of loads overcome by each limb exceeds the loads lifted by simultaneous activation of both limbs) is an argument most commonly used to promote unilateral exercise, but I would like to point out that this deficit is marked most often in untrained individual and that long term bilateral training mutes this particular downside.
What is more relevant however is the opportunity for coaches, athletes and lifters of all levels to examine obvious discrepancies between the two limbs through an immediate feedback. Identifying this asymmetry could be priceless as it could also give a direction for improvement.
Are unilateral exercises underrated? Not at all.
It was important to see the potential benefits, so that lifters and trainers don’t shy away from them, while giving an unjustified preference towards just conventional bilateral exercises.
As we have seen, the research is very much in support of unilateral exercises. The best part is, you do not have to pick one over the other. There are lots of ways to achieve a balance in utilising these exercises. Throughout the week, or in a single workout. This also achieves a much-needed variation in exercise regimens, to break monotony and provide opportunity for learning new movement patterns.
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