DOING THE UNILATERAL

What's unilateral training? My personal trainer prescribed this type of routine for my biceps program? Can you suggest a unilateral biceps program for me? I know you will give me a straight answer and a good training routine. Keep up the fantastic work. MuscleMag rules!

Jim French

Very simply a unilateral workout is when you choose exercises that work one side of the body at a time. The theory behind unilateral training is that it helps isolate muscles better than training both sides of the body at once.

Unilateral training can help correct an imbalance in muscle size by increasing the strength of the inactive side. Think about someone in the gym who is doing a biceps barbell curl. You will notice on heavy sets the bar starts to curl up unevenly. That happens because one arm is stronger than the other Unilateral movements will help to balance the discrepancy in strength between your two arms.

Keep in mind the total weight you can lift with each arm independently is going to be more than what you can lift with two arms working together. Training each arm independently will give you a greater overload, increased blood flow and increased strength in the weaker arm.

Your trainer must have suggested this method of training because you have a noticeable difference in strength between your two arms. Here is a good unilateral biceps training routine: