{"id":68272,"date":"2017-08-14T23:38:36","date_gmt":"2017-08-14T23:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/\/\/uncategorized\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training"},"modified":"2022-12-23T20:13:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-24T01:13:32","slug":"work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Work Your Muscles with Unilateral Training"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unilateral training isn\u2019t anything new these days.<\/strong> We hear a lot about different techniques to do it, such as carries, bands, kettlebells, suspension trainers, and single-limb exercises. But since so many training systems have adopted these as the norm, it doesn\u2019t make much sense to categorize them as new or different. They are mainstream techniques and are here to stay.<\/p>\n

But while we all know by now to include some of these alternative modes of training in our program, does that mean the barbell has become useless? Not so fast.<\/p>\n

As one of the most recognizable and versatile pieces of equipment to ever grace the gym floor, the barbell is arguably the most popular and universal tool to reach any physical goal. <\/strong>As a facilitator for performance<\/a>, fitness-related goals, or even as the star of the show (as in powerlifting and weightlifting competitions), it is unequalled in effectiveness. Barbells are cost-effective, replacing the need for dozens of separate machines. Bilateral use of the barbell enables you to lift maximal loads, making progressive overload that much easier to achieve.<\/p>\n

There Is Life Outside the Collars<\/h2>\n

That said, the bilateral barbell exercises most people perform also tend to miss the benefits of unilateral movement. <\/strong>Therefore, you may develop strength imbalances<\/a> from one side to the other. Your range of motion may also be compromised since you aren\u2019t able to take complete control of all angles during a lift. For example, with the barbell bench press<\/a>, you can\u2019t bring your arms to the centerline at the top of the lift. Since everyone is built differently, this can result in shoulder strain, and over time, could lead to something worse.<\/p>\n

Unilateral training enables you to work each limb independently, greatly increasing your options. You are more easily able to move freely in all planes of motion, allowing you to cater your movement pattern to your specific body type and range of motion limitations. It will also help you even out strength imbalances, which will reduce your injury risk over time.<\/p>\n

How to Break Your Bilateral Barbell Habit<\/h2>\n

Using dumbbells, kettlebells, bands, and even simple bodyweight movements<\/a>, you can explore the vast array of movement options available to you. Let\u2019s look at a few of the more common bilateral exercises, and what you can substitute for each to get in some effective unilateral training.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbell squat and leg press:<\/h2>\n
Bulgarian split squat<\/a><\/div>\n
Pistol squat<\/div>\n
One-legged leg press<\/div>\n
All forms of lunges<\/a>, step ups, split squats, and jump split squats<\/div>\n

Barbell and Smith machine shoulder press:<\/h2>\n
Two-arm dumbbell press<\/div>\n
One-arm dumbbell press<\/div>\n
Kettlebell press<\/div>\n
All lateral dumbbell<\/a> movements, Arnold press<\/a>, neutral-grip dumbbell press, and dumbbell upright rows<\/div>\n

Barbell bench press (flat or incline):<\/h2>\n
Dumbbell bench press<\/a> (flat or incline)<\/div>\n
TRX push-ups, dumbbell flyes<\/a> (flat or incline)<\/div>\n
Single-arm dumbbell or kettlebell bench press<\/div>\n
Single-arm machine press<\/div>\n
One-arm push-ups<\/a><\/div>\n

Leg curls and Romanian deadlifts:<\/h2>\n
Single leg curl<\/div>\n
Single leg Romanian deadlift<\/div>\n
Single leg rollout<\/div>\n
Standing single leg curl<\/div>\n
Lunges<\/div>\n

Barbell and machine rows:<\/h2>\n
Dumbbell two-arm row<\/div>\n
Single-arm dumbbell row<\/a><\/div>\n
One-arm TRX pull<\/div>\n
One-arm pulldown<\/div>\n
One-arm cable row<\/div>\n
One-arm kettlebell row<\/div>\n
Renegade row<\/a><\/div>\n
One-arm T-bar row<\/div>\n
Dumbbell deadlift<\/a><\/div>\n

Barbell, preacher and machine curls:<\/h2>\n
Incline bench supinating curl<\/a><\/div>\n
Dumbbell spider curl<\/a><\/div>\n
Dumbbell preacher curl<\/div>\n
TRX curl<\/div>\n
Standing dumbbell curl<\/div>\n
Hang curl<\/div>\n

Barbell triceps extensions and close-grip bench press:<\/h2>\n
Lying dumbbell extension<\/a><\/div>\n
TRX triceps extension<\/div>\n
One-arm cable pressdown<\/a><\/div>\n
One-arm overhead dumbbell extension<\/div>\n
One-arm triceps press on machine<\/div>\n

Standing and seated calf raise:<\/h2>\n
Single-leg standing calf raise<\/div>\n
Single leg press calf raise<\/div>\n
Single leg seated calf raise<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unilateral training isn\u2019t anything new these days. We hear a lot about different techniques to do it, such as carries, bands, kettlebells, suspension trainers, and single-limb exercises. But since so many training systems have adopted these as the norm, it doesn\u2019t make much sense to categorize them as new or different. They are mainstream techniques and are here…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1219,"featured_media":68273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4642],"tags":[1238],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWork Your Muscles with Unilateral Training - Breaking Muscle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Work Your Muscles with Unilateral Training - Breaking Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unilateral training isn\u2019t anything new these days. We hear a lot about different techniques to do it, such as carries, bands, kettlebells, suspension trainers, and single-limb exercises. But since so many training systems have adopted these as the norm, it doesn\u2019t make much sense to categorize them as new or different. They are mainstream techniques and are here...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Breaking Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/breakingmuscle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-14T23:38:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-24T01:13:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/pistolsquatholdingkbhdr.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Borland\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BreakingMuscle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BreakingMuscle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Borland\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Brad Borland\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/474c98f4095980963af76484daa01ccf\"},\"headline\":\"Work Your Muscles with Unilateral Training\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-14T23:38:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-24T01:13:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/\"},\"wordCount\":596,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"unilateral\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Fitness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/work-your-muscles-with-unilateral-training\/\",\"name\":\"Work Your Muscles with Unilateral Training - 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