Correct Strength Imbalances With Unilateral Exercises
Correct Strength Imbalances
Limiting your workouts to bilateral exercises keeps your body unbalanced, as your dominant strength side will always “take charge” of the movement, with the weaker side doing less work and never catching up. The repetitive motion required in cycling magnifies strength imbalances, leading to poor cycling performance, body dysfunctions and injury.
To correct strength imbalances, replace traditional bilateral exercises using barbells and seated gym machines in your workouts with unilateral exercises using dumbbells, kettlebells, TRX suspension trainers, and functional trainers (cable machines).
Promote Greater Muscle Growth
Unilateral exercises promote greater muscle growth because they require more muscles to complete the exercise. For example, performing a single leg deadlift challenges your balance and requires stabilization from your hips, glutes, adductors (inner leg muscles), ankles, and feet.
Increase Core Stability
When performing a single leg exercise, core muscles responsible for stabilizing the spine and pelvis are recruited to stabilize the rest of the body while that leg is working. Likewise, when only one arm is used for an exercise, the core stabilizers are recruited to create a solid foundation for that arm to move. On the other hand, exercises such as bench presses and seated military presses rely on the bench or seat for stability rather than challenging your core.
Try These Unilateral Exercises
Add these unilateral exercises to your workouts to reduce strength imbalances and help achieve a more healthy and balanced body.
One Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press (instead of barbell and seated shoulder presses)
One Arm Split Stance Cable Row (instead of the seated rowing machine)
One Arm Kneeling Cable Pull-Downs (instead of the seated pulldown machine)
One Arm Cable Press (instead of barbell bench presses)
Single Leg Deadlifts (instead of two leg deadlifts)
Single Leg Curls on the Exercise Ball (instead of the leg machine curls)