At AFAC gym, the options for your fitness regimen are virtually limitless. Whether you want to pursue strength training, amp up your cardio, work with trainers at our fitness classes, or enjoy the mental health boost that comes with regular exercise, our gym has plenty of choices at your disposal.

Sometimes, however, it can be difficult to pick which workouts will help you achieve your fitness goals. Most effective strength training schedules include a ton of bilateral movements like cable Y raises, chinups and pullups, deadlifts, and squats. Research also suggests that we can benefit from adding unilateral training — working out one side of the body at a time — to our training routines.

Check out this blog to learn more about what unilateral training is, its benefits, and ways to incorporate it into your regular workouts at our Thornton gym.

What Is Unilateral Training at the Gym?

Unilateral exercises focus on exercising one leg or one arm at the time. By training unilaterally, you can increase your strength, core stability, and joint integrity. Unilateral training also prepares you for real-life movements like carrying groceries in one arm so that you can open a door, or using one leg to climb a high step. Read on to learn about several other benefits of unilateral training.

Correct Imbalances and Avoid Overtraining or Overuse of a Dominant Limb

When you do bilateral movements with both arms or both legs, your dominant limb may compensate for your weaker limb, leading to imbalances in training. These compensation behaviors can lead to poor form, muscle weakness, discomfort, and injuries. Unilateral training can correct these imbalances and help prevent injury.

Rehabilitate from Injuries

When a limb is injured, it often needs to be immobilized while it heals. Then, once the cast or brace comes off, the injured limb is left weaker than it was before. Research suggests that after just two weeks of immobility, a limb can lose up to a third of its muscle strength. After you get clearance from your doctor, unilateral training can help you regain lost muscle mass, strength, and coordination in your injured limb. In fact, studies show that unilateral training not only strengthens the limb being worked, but also increases the muscle strength in the opposite limb.

Improve Your Focus

Isolating a single limb for exercise often requires a maximum level of concentration, focus, and dexterity. This can make you more engaged in your workout.

Stabilize Your Core

Another benefit of unilateral training is core stabilization. By training one limb at a time, you challenge your core muscles to support and balance the rest of your body as you lift the load. That means you can work on that six-pack before ab day at the gym.

Boost Your Performance in Sports

Almost all sports require unilateral movements. Whether you’re shifting your balance while skiing, hitting a tennis ball, or running a 5K, at some point you’ll be engaging one arm or leg at a time. Because of these physical demands, most athletes use unilateral training to strengthen their bodies and improve their performance.

Reduce Your Risk of Injury

Injuries are often the result of poor movement, overuse, or muscular imbalances. Unilateral training offers you the ability to isolate specific muscles, movements, and joints to keep your muscular development symmetrical. That way, you can address muscular imbalances and weaknesses that you might otherwise not know about while you’re working both limbs at the same time.

Increase Muscle Stimulation

Unilateral training can provide a better workout to your muscles than bilateral training. By isolating and training individual movements and muscles on a unilateral basis, you can promote better muscular development and growth.

Develop Better Motor Skills

Motor skills – those specific movements of the body’s muscles to perform a certain task – require your muscles, nervous system, and brain to all work together. Examples of motor skills include going up stairs, swimming, running, and other activities that use the arms, legs, and core. Evidence suggests that memorized movement patterns stored in the motor area of the brain develop after people practice unilateral movements.

You begin developing motor skills when you’re a child, but you can continue to improve your motor skills throughout adulthood. Developing better motor skills inside the gym can help you with almost everything you do outside the gym, from driving to lifting heavy objects.

What Are the Best Unilateral Exercises to Do at the Gym?

Any bilateral exercise that you perform with both arms or legs probably has a unilateral version. Whether you’re working with free weights, a cable machine, or your own body weight, unilateral training opportunities are abundant at the gym.

With so many options out there, it can be difficult to decide which ones to do. At the end of the day, whichever unilateral exercise you choose, you will reap the benefits as long as you use proper form. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Single-Arm Bench Press

Single-arm bench presses can improve stability in the shoulder and core. This exercise also can boost your standard bilateral barbell bench press abilities and may help you avoid injuries. While you may not be able to push a heavy weight with the single-arm bench press, don’t worry because the purpose of the exercise is more about functionality than strength.

1. Sit on the end of a flat bench, resting a dumbbell on your thigh. Then, bring it up to your shoulder as you slowly lay down on the bench. Keep the dumbbell at your shoulder with a neutral grip.
2. Keep your feet planted firmly on the ground and retract your shoulder blades. Maintain a slight arch in your back.
3. Hold your non-working arm either straight up overhead or out to the side.
4. Brace your core by taking a deep breath, clenching your abs, and holding your breath until you’ve completed the rep.
5. Press the dumbbell overhead until your arm is straight but not completely locked out. Hold the dumbbell overhead for a second.
6. Slowly lower the dumbbell back down to your shoulder, remembering to maintain a neutral grip.
7. Complete all reps on one side and then do an equal number of reps on the other side.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

The pulling motion of the single-arm dumbbell row is great for building the back and preventing injury while improving your strength and posture. By performing the row unilaterally, you’re able to focus on strengthening each side of your back equally.

1. Get a dumbbell and place it on the left side of your bench.
2. Put your right knee on the bench and grab the top of the bench with your right hand.
3. Extend your left leg out straight to the side to support yourself on the bench while you lift the weight.
4. Maintain a neutral spine and keep your neck straight.
5. Grab the dumbbell with your left hand and keep your wrist straight.
6. Pull the dumbbell up to your armpit, and then lower it back down, keeping a slight bend in your elbow.
7. Complete all the reps on your left side and then do an equal number of reps on your right side.

Single-Leg Squat

One of the most common bilateral exercises is a bilateral squat. Single-leg squats are another option that can help you improve your balance and increase your lower-body strength.

Start with shallow single-leg squats and then move into deeper squats as the move becomes easier.

1. Stand on your left leg.
2. Lift your right foot out in front of you and point your toes toward the ceiling.
3. Your knees should be slightly bent.
4. Keep your back straight and don’t round your shoulders.
5. Your hands can extend out in front of you for balance.
6. Bend your left knee to lower down into a squat.
7. Push into your left heel to come back up.

Repeat for the desired number of reps on one side and then do an equal number of reps on the other side.

Single-Leg Press

The leg press is a super exercise for building leg strength. While leg presses are normally done with both legs, the single-leg press can help you grow your muscles even more.

A single-leg press involves pushing the weighted leg press platform with one foot at a time. This forces each leg to work harder. To get the most activation in the quadriceps muscle, feet should be placed lower on the platform. You should also attempt the single-leg press while using about half the amount of weight you’d normally lift with both legs on the press.

Unleash Your Unilateral Moves at AFAC Gym

Whether you try the exercises mentioned above or one of the many other unilateral exercises like single-leg Romanian deadlifts, lunges, single-arm biceps curls, or single-arm shoulder presses, AFAC gym is here to support you with all the strength training equipment and personal training you need to add unilateral moves to your program. Please don’t hesitate to ask a member of our team if you have questions about unilateral workouts.

To learn more about AFAC gym and why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, please stop by or give us a call anytime. We’ll be happy to assist you. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.