Unilateral movement involves training one side of the body at a time. Movements such as: BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS, KB SINGLE ARM SNATCH and SINGLE LEG RDL are all examples of single sided exercises, aka Unilateral Movements. But, why train this way with unilateral movements?
- Improved Muscle Balance and Symmetry: Unilateral exercises can help identify and correct muscle imbalances and asymmetries. This is crucial for preventing injuries and ensuring that both sides of the body develop evenly.
- Enhanced Core Stability: When performing unilateral exercises, the body must engage the core muscles more intensely to maintain balance and stability. This leads to improved core strength and stability, which is beneficial for overall athletic performance and daily activities.
- Injury Prevention: By strengthening each side of the body independently, unilateral training can reduce the risk of injury. This will help bring the weaker muscles up to par with stronger ones, which will help prevent overuse injuries.
- Increased Neuromuscular Coordination: Unilateral exercises require greater coordination and control, which helps improve neuromuscular communication. This leads to better motor control and efficiency in movements.
- Greater Range of Motion and Flexibility: Working one side at a time often allows for a greater range of motion compared to bilateral exercises. This can improve flexibility and mobility, which are important for both athletic performance and everyday function.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using unilateral movements. There are many, many more ways to explore with unilateral movement. The best thing you can do though is to just get started with some forms. If you feel overwhelmed with where to start or how to progress, then shoot us a message and we would love to help you out.
