Health and Fitness Tips - INCREASE FITNESS WITH UNILATERAL TRAINING

What is Unilateral Training?

Unilateral movements focus on working with one body part on one side of the body at a time. Unilateral training is a superior way to shake up your routine and get more out of your workout without having to learn a slew of new moves.

For example, instead of doing your usual overhead military shoulder press, try using lighter weights (about 10 lbs less), bringing your arms to shoulder level and then alternate pressing the left and right arms overhead. Raise each arm independently and be sure to only lower the arm back down to shoulder level as you are extending the other arm overhead.

What Are The Benefits Of Unilateral Movements?

Isolate It: Big gains come with unilateral movements because focusing on one muscle at a time eliminates assistance from your dominant side. For example, doing a bilateral leg press allows the stronger leg to compensate for the weaker. One leg at a time forces that scrawny lefty to step up its game.

Stuck in a rut? Unilateral exercises help you bust out of a plateau by stimulating muscle fibers in a different way.

Increased Range of Motion: Many exercises like cable rows or triceps pushdowns have a limiting factor when done bilaterally. With one-arm triceps pushdowns using a D-Ring you can push down 2 or 3 inches farther than you can when using both arms simultaneously. Greater range of motion means more muscle fibers firing.

Built In Rest: As one arm or leg is working the other gets a perfect 12-20 second rest and can help cut workout time significantly.

Improved Symmetry: Know why everyone thinks Halle Berry is so smokin’ hot? It’s ‘cause she’s got perfect symmetry! Its true – symmetry is appealing to the eye and is also important for having a balanced body that is resistant to injury.

Mind Games: Any workout seems to go by more quickly when you are concentrating. Uni-moves require balance and focus required to focus that keep your mind on the task at hand, not on the minutes inching by on the clock.

When Do I Use Unilateral Movements?

Your Choice: Because you should reduce whatever weight you typically use for the same bilateral movement, unilateral moves are perfect to incorporate in every workout either as warm-up, primary or finishing movements

Stand Up!

Standing unilateral movements are an excellent way to engage your core without doing a single sit-up. Just remember to protect your back and lower the weight you are working with. For example, I use 25lb dumbbells for seated overhead shoulder presses and drop to 15lb dumbbells for unilateral standing overhead presses.

Some Favorite Unilateral Moves:

SHOULDERS:
-Alternating Overhead Shoulder Press: Either seated or standing.

-Alternating front or lateral shoulder raises. Try these standing as well

CHEST:
-Alternating Chest Presses whether on a flat, decline or incline bench are all great ways to get more from your chest workout

-Alternating Cable Fly’s : Use a light weight so that you are able to use your core to stabilize and isolate one side at a time

-Alternating Cable Press: With legs in a shortened lunge stance leaning slightly forward press one arm at a time engaging your core to keep your belly button facing forward as your arms work each side of your chest

LEGS:

-One-legged leg sled presses

-One-legged extensions and lying leg curls

BACK:

-One-armed dumbbell or cable rows

-One-arm cable D-ring pull-downs for even definition in those lats

BICEPS:

-Alternating Biceps: Do these standing or alternate arms on a vertical preacher bench

TRICEPS:

-Seated overhead triceps extensions

-One-arm triceps kickbacks

-Reverse one-arm triceps pulldowns

A Note To Overachiever Readers: Check this out - studies show that there is increased muscle firing whenever you use your hand to touch the muscle that you are working. Unilateral training offers a perfect opportunity to use the non-working arm to touch the arm that is “on.” It seems that just feeling the fibers firing beneath your touch encourages even more intense contraction.

Unilateral moves are a great way to shake up your routine and get on your way to becoming a symmetrical god or goddess. Watch out Halle . . .

Happy Workouts!

Health Sundae