Unilateral exercises are basically training movements that are performed with one limb, i.e. one arm or one leg. These include exercises such as one-arm dumbbell rows, one-arm dumbbell shoulder presses, split squats or step ups.
3 advantages that unilateral exercise offers you in your training:
- There is a greater focus on the weaker training side compared to the stronger side. This allows differences (“muscular imbalances”) to be compensated for or equalized, which are given less consideration in bilateral training. These imbalances occur more frequently after injuries, as a result of one-sided everyday behavior or with certain sport-specific loads.
Merke:
Muscular imbalances usually become a problem when a muscle is under-conditioned and is therefore overloaded or overused.
This can often be seen in people who are untrained but also in those who train too one-sidedly.
It is also the case when an opposing muscle (antagonist) or auxiliary muscle (synergist) cannot be sufficiently controlled and/or is not sufficiently conditioned.
- “Crossing effect”: Unilateral exercises generate a transfer of strength to the side that is not being trained. Neurophysiological mechanisms are very probably responsible for this. Using various imaging techniques, it has been shown that the brain areas of the untrained muscle are also activated during unilateral training of the contralateral muscle.
This is known as the “cross effect” and simultaneously leads to muscular strain on the untrained side or limb. It therefore makes sense to train unilaterally, especially in the context of rehabilitation.
- Unilateral exercises require greater stabilization of the core muscles (rectus abdominis, erector spinae, obliquus externus) and greater muscle fibre recruitment of the muscles involved in the movement compared to bilateral exercises. By strengthening the core muscles and increasing muscle fiber recruitment, you will be able to move more weight and thus improve your training output.
Depending on the training phase, the training frequency (full-body training or split training) and the complexity of the movement, unilateral exercises can be included in the A, B or C series of the training.
It is important to note that unilateral training should not be seen as a substitute for bilateral training, but as a supplement. Both forms of training have their advantages and should be combined according to individual goals and needs.
I wish you every success in integrating unilateral exercises into your training.