What is a unilateral exercise and why we need it

Unilateral exercise is the little brother of bilateral and if you are completely new to both terms I would suggest starting with my post about bilateral exercises which will be at the bottom in the related post section but if you want to be a rebel let’s begin.

First things first: what is a unilateral exercise

If we do a quick breakdown of the word with uni meaning one and lateral meaning side or away from mid-centre we can tell by combining the two it involves single sides. A unilateral movement is each side working to move a weight in an individual effort and can be performed either at the same time or on its own. An example of this is any form of dumbbell pressing as both sides need to work in the same effort to move their weight. An example of working on its variation is a single-arm pulldown where you work one side after the other.

Benefits:

Unilateral exercises are great for targeting imbalances in your physique such as one bicep being larger than the other. This allows you to build symmetry in both shape and performance for left-to-right imbalances.

Cons:

Due to the sides working independently, it is harder to progress these movements, and a smaller increase in the chance of injury as one side is less stable than the two. The only clear con is unilateral exercises being slightly more time-consuming especially if doing single arm or leg work as you’re essentially doing two sets per set.

How to use them:

Unilateral exercises are a great tool for anyone looking to build a bigger and more balanced physique. Bodybuilding style training is ideal for using them as symmetry and aesthetics is the main goal of training.

Things to remember:

⁃ Ideal for correcting left-to-right imbalances

⁃ Less stable than bilateral

⁃ Factor in time constraints if you need to

⁃ Slightly higher risk of injury if you go closer to your one rep max

Conclusion:

A well-rounded workout routine should incorporate both forms of exercise and one is not inherently better than the other. Workouts should be based on these two types depending on goals and current physique. Remember imbalances take time to fix so don’t be disheartened by differences in strength patience is your key to progress so stick at it.

Thanks for reading you’re one step closer to being a certified gym goer I hope you have a lovely day and remember if you feel like this can help someone hit the share button!