UNILATERAL TRAINING IS A MUST!
Benefits of unilateral training.
What is unilateral training?
Unilateral as the name implies means one sided. Now unilateral training means training one side or part of your body. You’re probably wondering, how. When you think of it, while training any part of your body you’re using either your hands or legs and we all have two of them so you can selectively train parts of your body. Today, we will be going over some benefits of unilateral training and some exercise substitutes to get the most out of your training.
Benefits of unilateral training
Better core stability
When you train unilaterally, you are forcing your core to be engaged better. For example, say you were to do an overhead press with a barbell, yes your core will be engaged but switching it up and using dumbbells will better cause the core to fire up to maintain stability throughout the entire movement, in that way, you are working multiple muscles at once.
Correct muscle imbalances
When you have been training for a while, some muscle groups tend to grow larger than the opposite side and using unilateral exercises, you can correct these imbalances and improve it’s appearance.
Expose weak sides
It is very common for people to have dominant sides most especially when they use a particular muscle often. Right handed people will definitely have better control because it is their dominant side and they have been using it since they were born. When you start to incorporate unilateral exercises into your training, you will learn to control every part of your body and in turn, get better mind-muscle connection.
Good for Rehabbing an Injury
Most injuries occur as a result of undertrained muscles which in the long run can lead to worse situations. Not only does unilateral training help prevent injury, it helps you rehab after an existing one.
Great Focus on the Muscle
When you train unilaterally you can really focus in on the side you’re working. This lets you maximize the range of motion during that exercise. Plus, you’re activating more muscle fibers due to the stabilizers you’re working.
Some exercise substitutes
Suitcase Carry
Front-Racked Bulgarian Split Squat
Half-Kneeling Landmine Press
Single-Leg Hip Extension Hamstring Curl
Dumbbell Floor Press
Single-Leg Deadlift
Side Lunge
Meadows Row
Half-Kneeling Pallof Press
Unilateral TRX Row
Reverse Lunge
Single-Leg Hip Thrust
Landmine Cossack Squat
Deadstop Row
Dumbbell Push Press
Takeaway?
You can get optimal results just by incorporating unilateral exercises into your routine especially if you play sports. It can give you a good sense of balance and strength. Be a well rounded athlete with this tip!
With that being said, this brings us to the end of the story, i hope you enjoyed it iand will give it a try. Be sure to give it a like and drop your comments below and i will see you in the next post.
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