Why We Emphasise Unilateral Training: The Missing Piece in Rehab, Strength & Athleticism
If you’ve trained with us at aps, you know we’re big on movement patterns (see our other article for the deep dive). A big reason for this? Unilateral training—aka single-leg and single-arm emphasis work— which is one of the biggest missing links in most people’s programs.
While traditional bilateral lifts (squats, deadlifts, presses) are great for building raw strength, they have limitations when it comes to movement quality, injury resilience, and real-world / sport carryover. A bigger emphasis on unilateral exercises could open up the progress you seek—whether you’re an athlete looking to level up your game, want to rehab an injury comprehensively, or simply want to move and feel better.
Why Unilateral Training?
🚶♂️ It’s How We Actually Move
Outside the gym, life is mostly a single-leg, single-arm affair. Walking, running, cutting, jumping, throwing, carrying—almost everything we do involves shifting weight from side to side. Training one side at a time builds strength that actually carries over.
⚖️ It Helps Balance Strength & Coordination
Everyone has a dominant side, and depending on your sport, job, or daily habits, that difference can become more pronounced and potentially create problems. Unilateral work refines strength and control on both sides, improving how well each side coordinates and contributes to movement.
🏋️♂️ It Builds Stability
Single-leg and single-arm movements demand more from your stabilisers—ankles, hips, core, shoulders—resulting in better control, balance, and resilience. If your goal is to move better, not just lift more, unilateral work is the path forward.
🦵 It’s More Joint-Friendly
Unilateral exercises let you train hard while reducing spinal compression and joint stress. This is huge if you’ve got a history of back pain, cranky knees, or have one eye (or both) on longevity.
⚡ It’s a Game-Changer for Athletes
Sports aren’t symmetrical. Sprinting, cutting, jumping off one leg, throwing, kicking—it’s all unilateral. Training like an athlete means training unilaterally. Mike Boyle, a renowned coach in the training world, even argues that for many athletes, unilateral exercises like rear-foot-elevated split squats (Bulgarian split squats) are just as effective—if not better—than heavy back squats.
How We Apply Unilateral Training
We integrate unilateral work into every phase of training, from rehab to high-performance.
🩹 Rehab Focus → Stability First
At this stage, unilateral work is more horizontal, helping build control with minimal joint stress.
🔹 Single-leg hip bridges – Glute & hamstring activation with minimal load
🔹 Crawls & posting exercises – Engaging stabilisers & core control
🔹 Prone bridges & rolling patterns – Foundational movements to restore quality
🏋️ Strength & Performance → Unilateral Movements Shine
This is where unilateral work really comes into its own—building power, coordination, and movement control.
✅ Turkish Get-Ups – Shoulder & core strength, stability & control
✅ Split Squats, Step-Ups & Lunges – Strong, stable & powerful lower body
✅ Single-Leg RDLs – Great for hamstring & glute balance
✅ Cable Chops, Lifts & Med Ball Throws – Rotational power & force transfer
✅ Weightshifts & Skater Bounds – Lateral power, force transfer & deceleration
The Wrap-Up
We’re not saying ditch bilateral lifts—they’re still a key piece of the puzzle. But we balance them with unilateral work to create stronger, more resilient, and more athletic humans.
✅ If you’re rehabbing an injury → Unilateral work helps you train the healthy side, modify around pain, and rebuild movement patterns stronger than ever.
✅ If you’re an athlete → It improves power, agility, and movement efficiency on one leg!
✅ If you’re training for general strength & longevity → It improves all of your biomotor abilities, including balance, coordination, flexibility.
If you’re not doing unilateral work, you’re missing a trick!