Unilateral exercises are extremely important for improving balance and challenging your muscles in different ways. When you train one side of your body, you are also still stimulating the other side of your body via neural pathways. This phenomenon is called “the cross-education effect” and is beneficial especially when rehabilitating from an injury. It has also been noted in studies that it can actually transfer skills from one side of the body to the other. Ensure that if you are training unilaterally without an injury that you do the same amount of work for both sides of your body. You don’t want any muscular imbalances.

LEGS

Reverse Lunges

Reverse lunges are better for your body mechanics compared to the standard forward lunge where you step ahead of yourself. In a forward lunge, the load you are carrying along with your body weight, all translates forward onto your knee pushing your upper body forward against the force of your patellar tendon and ACL trying their best to keep your knee together. A reverse lunge takes away that extra pressure and allows you to activate the same muscles in a much safer way for your knee’s structural integrity.

Side Lunges

Side lunges are great for a multiple muscle group exercise in your lower body. It activates your glutes, hamstrings, quads, your inner thigh muscles and even your calf muscles. Ensure that your knees track over your toes and that you maintain a neutral spine with this exercise.

Single Leg Deadlifts

This is truly a test of balance. You are loading your body and performing a deadlift with only one leg. Single leg deadlifts target the glutes to help tone but also improves balance and core strength. Ensure that you keep you back straight and avoid twisting your torso by engaging your core while you complete this exercise.

Alternating Step Ups

These alternating step-ups are great for balance and cardio. You can do them loaded with weight or just with your body weight. Start with leading with one specific foot. Do as many reps as you desire then complete the same amount with the opposite foot leading the step.

ARMS

Single Arm Rows

Ensure that you are keeping your spine neutral and avoiding any twists whenever you are doing loaded upper body unilateral exercises. Engage your core to keep your shoulders and hips squared forward. Single arm rows activate your lats, traps, rhomboids, shoulder muscles and your biceps.

Single Arm Overhead Press

Make sure that you keep your spine nice and tall while completing this exercise. Avoid bending to the loaded side to try and make the exercise easier for yourself. Engage your core to protect your back and really isolate the work that your shoulder and arm is doing. Single arm overhead press activates your shoulder muscles and your triceps.

Single Arm Chest Press

To increase the intensity of this exercise, use your core, back and glutes to stabilize your body on a yoga ball. Ensure that your hips are squared and not dipping to either side to try and support the weight you are pressing. Single arm chest press activated your pecs and your triceps.

CORE

Panther Position Pull Through

This exercise has a few considerations to protect your body. Make sure that you are keeping your back as neutral as possible when in this position. Keep your core engaged so you do not allow your spine to twist. You want to keep your shoulder and hips parallel to the ground in this case. While maintaining this strong core position, pull the weight from one side of your body to the other and continue back and forth.

Farmer’s Carry

Our key here is to maintain that neutral spine. Do not allow your body to sink to the side that the weight is on. Use a mirror if you need to track your hips and shoulders. Engage your core to keep your torso in a tall straight position and walk back and forth carrying the weight on your one side.

Paloff Press

This exercise is also called and anti-rotation press. You engage your core to make sure that your body does not twist toward the direction that the weight or resistance is coming from. Keep the point of resistance at chest height and press away from your chest while resisting the urge for the body to twist toward the resistance.

Julia de Reijke RKin, CSEP-CPT, BASc Kinesiology (Hons), DipFTHP