When it comes to strength training, most people focus on bilateral movements—squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, and lat pulldowns.
Maximizing Unilateral Training: Strength, Balance, and Injury Prevention

Why Unilateral Training Deserves More Attention
Key Benefits of Unilateral Training
Unilateral training offers unique advantages beyond traditional bilateral exercises, making it a valuable addition to any fitness routine. Focusing on one side of the body at a time enhances strength, balance, and coordination while addressing common imbalances that can lead to injury.
- Increased Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy): Training one side at a time increases demand on the working muscles and enhances range of motion, leading to greater muscle activation.
- Improved Movement Quality: Unilateral exercises challenge balance, coordination, and neuromuscular control, improving overall movement efficiency.
- Injury Prevention & Symmetry: Addressing imbalances reduces compensations that contribute to injuries and improves performance in bilateral lifts.
- Better Range of Motion: Unilateral exercises allow for greater degrees of freedom compared to bilateral lifts, making them useful for improving joint mobility.
The Common Mistake: Ignoring the “Non-Working” Side
How Reciprocal Movements Work
Reciprocal movements involve the natural coordination between opposing sides of the body, ensuring efficient and balanced motion. This dynamic relationship is key to improving stability, strength, and overall functional performance during unilateral training.
- Pulling and Pushing Relationship: When one arm pulls, the other arm naturally pushes. In a single-arm row, the pulling arm is balanced by an opposite-side reach or push.
- Hip Extension and Flexion: In a lunge, one hip extends while the other flexes, creating better balance and coordination.
- Rotational Stability: As one side internally rotates, the other externally rotates—this happens naturally during walking, running, and most athletic movements.
How to Optimize Your Unilateral Training
- Single-Arm Rows: Add an opposite-side reach to create a push-pull balance and improve rotational strength.
- Lunges & Split Squats: Drop the back knee naturally while incorporating a reciprocal arm movement to mimic real-life movement patterns.
- Unilateral Overhead Presses: Add a contralateral reach with the non-working arm to engage the core and improve rotational control.
Why Physical Therapy Recommends Unilateral Training
Take Your Training to the Next Level
- Improve strength and symmetry
- Enhance stability and coordination
- Reduce injury risk
- Boost athletic performance
Conclusion
FAQs
What are some examples of unilateral exercises?
Why is engaging the non-working side important during unilateral training?
Can unilateral training prevent injuries?
Yes, unilateral training helps identify and correct imbalances, reducing compensations that often lead to injuries. It also strengthens stabilizing muscles, which play a key role in injury prevention during athletic and daily activities.
Dr. Adam Babcock PT, DPT
“We Help Active Adults Quickly Recover From Pain Or Injury So They Can Stay Active, Get Back To What They Love To Do, and Do It For Decades”