Men\'s Health Australia - 11.2018

November 2018 117

ONE SIDE FITS ALL

Unilateral exercises engage
primarily one side of your body to
move resistance. That’s a change-up
from classics such as push-ups,
deadlifts and military presses. Those
moves make you use your body
symmetrically, muscles on both the
left and right sides holding similar
(sometimes onerous) responsibilities.
Unilateral-training concepts have
been around since the late 1800s.
Circus strongmen like Eugen Sandow
performed the bent press, which had
you lift a heavy weight to your right
shoulder, bend to the left and
straighten your right arm with the
weight overhead. It challenged more
than sheer strength, demanding
shoulder flexibility and stability, along
with core strength. But that didn’t
filter into mainstream workouts, in
which bodybuilding moves have long
ruled. In most gyms, you’ll see guys
doing curls and bench presses, moves
that don’t mimic how your body
moves in real life.
When you lift a weight with just
one side of your body, the abdominal
and oblique muscles on your
“nonworking” side work to stabilise
your torso. The same thing happens
during unilateral moves like the
exercise that leads people to stare at
Maryniak: a barbell Turkish get-up. It’s
comparable to a dumbbell curl with
the weight only in your right arm (a
simple example of a unilateral move).
“We’re preparing our bodies for the
unplanned events that take place in
our daily lives,” he says. “And we’re
building joint strength that
bulletproofs the body.”
That last part is why Maryniak fell
in love with unilateral work three
years ago. When he turned 30, he
found himself battling minor injuries,
many born from constantly lifting
heavy. Unilateral moves challenged
his stabilising muscles so much that
he often lifted lighter loads.
Most weighted moves, from
CrossFit exercises like the snatch to
bodybuilding mainstays like the
bench press, can be done unilaterally.
The more unilateral work you do, says
trainer Jeff Cavaliere, the more
athletic you’ll become. Most athletic
actions, such as a sprint, don’t let your
limbs operate symmetrically. Your
body is “cross-wired,” says Cavaliere,
left arm and right leg moving
together. Training limbs individually
hones those cross-wired mechanics.
Master those and you’ll move better
in your sport of choice – and maybe
grab extra attention at the gym, too.

MAKING UNILATERAL MOVES

Not sure where to start? Steal a few of these exercises from Maryniak and

inject them into your workouts. Or do them all in order as a full-body

workout, resting 60 seconds between sets and 90 seconds between exercises

(^1)
SINGLE-ARM FRONT
RACK CARRY
Stand holding a kettlebell
in you r rig ht h a nd at you r
right shoulder. Keeping
your chest tall and your
torso as straight as
possible, walk. Repeat with
the kettlebell in your left
hand at your left shoulder.
YOUR GOAL: 20 steps forward
and 20 steps backward
(4 sets).
LIGHT PLANUnilateral training has plenty of benefits, but it’s placing new demands on your body. So check
your ego at the door. “Since balance and stability are major components here, it’s important to start light and
maintain excellent form throughout each rep,” Maryniak says.
(^2)
DEFICIT BULGARIAN
SPLIT SQUAT
Start with your legs
shoulder-width apart,
holding dumbbells or
kettlebells at your
sides. Place your left
foot on a bench or step
behind you and your right
foot on a weight plate or
small step. Bend your
right knee, lowering your
torso until your right
thigh is parallel to the
floor. Pause, then return
to the start.
YOUR GOAL: 4 sets of
8 per side.