Dominic Stone
Bilateral exercises are a type of workout that involves both sides of the body. They are often compared with unilateral exercises, which focus on one side of the body. Bilateral exercises are typically performed early in a workout when trainees are fresh and can build greater absolute strength. Examples of bilateral exercises include the barbell back squat, dumbbell shoulder press, and deadlift. However, trainees must be careful to maintain proper form to avoid compensatory movement patterns and side-to-side muscle imbalances. Studies have shown that unilateral lower-body resistance exercises cause more skeletal muscle damage than bilateral exercises, suggesting that the latter may be preferable for those with a shorter preparation period.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | "Bilateral" refers to movements or structures that occur on both sides of the body |
| Examples | Dumbbell shoulder press, barbell back squat, deadlift, bench press, push press |
| Benefits | Greater absolute strength, stable base for pressing, higher force output, promotes stability |
| Risks | Trainees may focus on weight lifted and disregard proper form, leading to compensatory movement patterns and side-to-side muscle imbalances |
| Neuromuscular function | The central nervous system can activate two bilateral QF muscle groups to the same degree as unilateral activation |
| Muscle damage | Unilateral lower-body resistance exercises cause more skeletal muscle damage than bilateral exercises |
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What You'll Learn
Bilateral exercises can help build greater absolute strength
Bilateral exercises are an essential part of any good weight training programme. The term bilateral refers to "both sides", meaning that bilateral exercises involve movements that occur on both sides of the body. By engaging both sides simultaneously, trainees can produce more force and build greater absolute strength. This is because muscles that work together are more effective than when working in isolation. For example, trainees can bench-press more weight with a barbell than with a single dumbbell. This coordination between multiple muscles creates a stable base for pressing and allows for a greater force output.
Bilateral exercises are best performed early in a workout when trainees are fresh and at their strongest, allowing for the best possible performance and a higher strength and power output. An example of a bilateral exercise is the barbell back squat, in which both sides of the body work together to promote stability and complete the movement.
However, it is important to be aware of potential issues with bilateral exercises. Trainees may become overly focused on the weight they are lifting and disregard proper form, which could lead to compensatory movement patterns and side-to-side muscle imbalances. To avoid this, it is crucial to prioritise proper technique and ensure that both sides of the body develop evenly. For instance, when performing a barbell bench press, the dominant side may take over and develop more quickly, resulting in a gradual tilt of the barbell to one side.
Unilateral exercises, which involve movement on only one side of the body, can be used to complement bilateral exercises in a structured workout programme. They are useful for isolating specific muscles and addressing side-to-side muscle imbalances. For example, a single-arm bicep curl is a unilateral exercise that can be used to target the bicep muscle specifically. By incorporating both bilateral and unilateral exercises into a training programme, trainees can develop a well-rounded and balanced physique.
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Unilateral exercises can help prevent muscle imbalances
Bilateral refers to movements or structures that occur on both sides of the body. Bilateral exercises involve engaging both sides of the body simultaneously, allowing trainees to produce more force and build greater absolute strength. For example, a trainee can bench-press more weight with a barbell than with a single dumbbell.
However, bilateral exercises may cause side-to-side muscle imbalances as the dominant side may take over and develop more quickly. Unilateral exercises, on the other hand, can help prevent and correct these muscle imbalances. Working on one side of the body at a time, unilateral exercises can improve symmetry and balance. For example, single-leg Romanian deadlifts are an excellent way to strengthen the posterior chain muscles, including the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back extensors. They also challenge your balance, requiring greater hip, ankle, and core stability.
Unilateral exercises are also effective in restoring muscle size imbalances in the rotator cuff, which is beneficial for athletes like pitchers and tennis players who are prone to overusing their dominant shoulder. Additionally, unilateral exercises can help preserve strength and muscle on the injured side during the recovery process. For instance, if you have a broken wrist, you can perform single-arm pull-ups with a resistance band to maintain and build strength.
Overall, incorporating unilateral exercises into your workout routine can help prevent and correct muscle imbalances, improve balance, and reduce the risk of injury.
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Bilateral exercises can be done with barbells and dumbbells
Bilateral exercises are those that involve both sides of the body working together to promote stability and complete the movement. By engaging both sides simultaneously, trainees can produce force and build greater absolute strength. For example, the barbell back squat is a bilateral exercise where both sides of the body work together.
Dumbbell exercises can also be bilateral, as long as both sides of the body are working simultaneously. For example, a dumbbell shoulder press, where the trainee holds a weight in each hand, is a bilateral exercise. Dumbbell exercises allow for more movement and build muscles that are more transferable to everyday life. They can also help to level out muscle imbalances.
Barbell exercises, on the other hand, can be quite rigid. They require putting on and taking off weight plates and often need other pieces of equipment to perform exercises, like a bench for the bench press.
Unilateral training should supplement rather than completely replace bilateral strength exercises. Most studies that have compared the two approaches have concluded that a combination of the two is the most effective way to train.
Therefore, bilateral exercises can be done with barbells and dumbbells, and both have their own advantages and disadvantages.
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Unilateral exercises require more time and coordination
Bilateral exercises involve movements that occur on both sides of the body simultaneously, allowing for greater force output and stability. For example, trainees can bench press more weight with a barbell than with a single dumbbell. However, this may lead to a disregard for proper form and the development of compensatory movement patterns and side-to-side muscle imbalances.
Unilateral exercises, on the other hand, train one side of the body at a time. Examples include Bulgarian split squats, single-arm dumbbell curls, one-arm tricep extensions, and single-leg Romanian deadlifts. Unilateral exercises require more time and coordination because they involve greater neuromuscular control for stability. For instance, unilateral jumping without a second limb to 'spread the load' needs more time to take off and generates more force. Unilateral exercises can reduce the risk of imbalances by forcing each side of the body to work independently, allowing trainers to assess the fitness capabilities of their clients. They can also improve functional capacity by more closely mirroring everyday activities such as climbing stairs or carrying groceries with one hand.
Unilateral exercises are also beneficial for improving sport-specific skills, balance, and coordination. For example, doing a single-arm shoulder press helps develop the stability and strength needed to lift an object overhead. Unilateral resistance training has been shown to have a higher activation of the obliquus externus abdominis, gluteus medius, and hamstrings. It also stimulates the fixator and synergistic muscles to a greater extent. However, it stimulates the prime mover to a lesser extent and requires more efficient neuromuscular control for stability.
Overall, unilateral exercises require more time and coordination than bilateral exercises due to the need for independent side training, greater neuromuscular control, and the focus on improving functional capacity, sport-specific skills, balance, and coordination.
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Bilateral exercises can be used to isolate specific muscles
Bilateral exercises are a type of workout that involves both sides of the body. These exercises can be extremely effective in building strength as they allow trainees to produce more force by engaging both sides simultaneously. This coordination between multiple large and small muscles creates a stable base, allowing for a greater force output. For example, trainees can bench-press more weight with a barbell than with a single dumbbell.
However, a potential issue with bilateral exercises is that trainees may become overly focused on the weight they are lifting and disregard proper form. This could eventually lead to compensatory movement patterns and side-to-side muscle imbalances. For instance, in a heavy bench press, the primary muscles worked are the chest and triceps, with the shoulders and back acting as secondary muscles. If one side is lagging, the body may recruit more of the secondary muscles to complete the rep, which could lead to overuse injury on the stronger side and increased vulnerability to injury on the weaker side.
Therefore, unilateral exercises are important to include in a structured workout program to isolate specific muscles and work on any muscle imbalances that may develop over time. Unilateral exercises require more from stabilizing muscles and are a great way to determine how imbalanced the body is and how much someone would benefit from unilateral training. For example, if someone can bench press 100 lbs, they may expect to press 50 lbs with each arm individually, but this is rarely the case as it requires more coordination to lift with one arm at a time.
In conclusion, while bilateral exercises are excellent for building strength, they should be complemented with unilateral exercises to isolate specific muscles and address any muscle imbalances.
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Frequently asked questions
Bilateral means "both sides". Bilateral exercises refer to movements that engage both sides of the body simultaneously, allowing trainees to build greater absolute strength.
Examples of bilateral exercises include the barbell back squat, the bench press, the push press, the deadlift, and the dumbbell shoulder press.
Bilateral exercises allow for greater force output and stability. They can also be used to isolate specific muscles, especially for trainees with less time to train. They also cause less skeletal muscle damage than unilateral exercises. However, a potential issue is that trainees may become too focused on the weight they lift and disregard proper form, leading to compensatory movement patterns and side-to-side muscle imbalances.
