If you have been working out, lifting weights for some time and need a routine change from doing squats, leg press, bench press and other push-and-pull exercises, unilateral exercise can be your ticket.
These types of exercises isolate one side of the body, whether it is the legs or arms, and are for the advanced athlete as well as the novice exerciser.
The difference between bilateral exercises and unilateral exercises is important to understand. Bilateral exercises involve two limbs of the body, while unilateral exercises isolate each limb.
Examples of bilateral exercises would be leg presses, barbell bench presses, pull ups and pretty much anything else that uses both limbs in unison.
Unilateral exercises consist of anything that uses one limb separate from the other, such as the one-arm dumbbell bench press, one-leg squat and one-arm row.
Unilateral exercises can be amazing core and hip developers. The reason for this involves the instability of the lifts themselves. When squatting with two legs, both legs support the hips evenly while the legs press against gravity. When only one leg is used, the hips and core have to activate more in order to stabilize the unsupported side.
You can experience this for yourself by standing sideways on a step with one leg hanging off of it. Staying tall with both knees locked, try dropping your hanging foot below the step by dropping the hip on that side. Your hip should be relaxed. Now try raising your hip back up. Your hip is now supported, which is how it should be. During a one-leg squat, your body has to maintain this support while lifting your own weight. Because of this required support, the body has to work a lot harder.
Why should you do these types of exercises? It's simple: Many activities in everyday life are unilateral. Walking and running are perfect examples of this. We don't hop down the street on two feet; we alternate the support between both of our legs unilaterally. Starting a lawn mower, throwing a baseball and walking up stairs are all unilateral actions, so why not train this way?
It's a good idea to master two-leg and two-arm exercises before trying unilateral exercises. Once you have basic bilateral strength, begin doing the same bilateral exercises unilaterally. Make sure to drop the weight down considerably beforehand. This doesn't necessarily mean halving it either. Chances are it will be lighter than half at first due to the extra work required to stabilize the hips.
Two unilateral exercises for the legs are the unilateral leg press and the assisted pistol squat.
The unilateral leg press is fairly easy to do once you know how to do the leg press. Start by putting your feet in the same position as a leg press with two legs, then just drop one leg down. Your foot should be in about the same position as it was when using two legs, maybe slightly more toward the middle of the pad.
The assisted pistol squat is one that should be mastered after completing regular squats correctly. Start by standing on one leg and holding on to a strong, stable pole. Putting the non-supporting leg in front of you, lower your body while holding on and staying on the heels of the foot you're standing on. Once your thighs reach parallel with the floor, stand back up. It is very important to keep your knee from traveling inside your big toe.
As for the upper body, the standing one-arm cable row is a great one to start with. To begin, slide the cable pulley to elbow height, grab the pulley handle and step back a few steps. Keeping your chest and hips square with the pulley, squat slightly. Row the handle back until your elbow is just behind you, and then slowly bring it back without twisting your body. This will engage all kinds of hip and core muscles while also working your back and biceps.
Unilateral exercises are a good mix-up option that just about anyone can do. Make sure when doing them, your mechanics stay the same as when the exercise is done bilaterally so your joints won't bother you.
You may find some of the exercises much harder than their bilateral counterpart. It will take some time to get used to this. Once you do, the bilateral exercise may even be a lot easier than it was previously.
Ted Santaniello, CSCS, is a certified personal trainer working at the Wellness Center at PARC, located at 295 New York Road (next to ARC) in Plattsburgh. For more information, call him at 324-2024.
