Unilateral Strength Program – 2 days/week

| Movement

Have you ever wondered why you are so much stronger on one side of your body than the other side?

We are dominant on one side of our body over the other certainly, but this generally happens because we prefer to use one side more frequently than the other.

Why would you want to be equally as strong on both sides of your body?

By improving strength on both sides of your body, you prevent overusing, overtraining or compensating with the dominant side of your body. This program will help to isolate and correct muscle imbalances which can aid in injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Muscular imbalances become exaggerated if you only perform bilateral (both sides working at once) movements therefore it is particularly important to add in unilateral exercises to your program.

In addition to improving muscle imbalances, this program will improve your athletic power. In sporting environments, power is normally produced from one leg or one arm therefore it is imperative to make these a core part of your workout program. Not only athletically, but improvements in your unilateral exercises will translate to improved bilateral exercises (squats, presses etc)

If you are also looking to improve your core strength, you named it – unilateral training will also help. These exercises will challenge your core muscles to support the imbalanced load, build better balance, stability and posture.

  • DAY 1

    Warmup (2 sets)

    Band Pull-aparts x10
    Dislocates x10
    Two-arm DB isometric squeeze 20sec x2
    Bodyweight Lunges 10 per side
    Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift 10 per side
    Deadbug 12 per side

    Workout

    Superset 1:
    A1. Single Arm Alt Chest Press 4sets|6-8reps|Tempo 4010
    A2. Dumbbell (single) FFE (Front Foot Elevated) Split Squat 4sets|10 reps per side|Tempo 3010

    **Rest for 2 mins between sets**

    Superset 2:
    B1. Chest Supported Single-Arm Row 4sets|8-10reps|Tempo 3010
    B2. Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift 4sets|10 reps per side|Tempo 2010

    **Rest for 2 mins between sets**

    Core Work:
    Side Plank 30s-60s|3sets

  • DAY 2

    Warmup (2 sets)

    Dislocates x10
    Banded Horizontal Adduction Holds (5 to 10 secs) x3
    Bodyweight Cossack Squats 10 per side
    Bodyweight Glute Bridges x15
    Deadbug 12 per side

    Workout

    Superset 1:
    A1. DB Piston Press 4sets|6-8 reps per side|Tempo 3010
    A2. DB Side Lunges 4sets|8 reps per side|Tempo 2010

    **Rest for 2.5mins between sets**

    Superset 2:
    B1. Single-Leg Glute Bridge 4sets|12-15 reps per side|Tempo 2012
    B2. Single Arm Heavy KB Farmer’s Walk 4sets|4 laps over 10 metres|Tempo N/A

    **Rest for 2.5mins between sets**

    Core Work:
    Bird Dog Holds 30s-60s per side|3sets

  • THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CREATED BY

    Written by Performance Coach Ahmad.