Unilateral vs. Bilateral Resistance Training for Softball (Mathieu Roy)

In this column, I analyze the difference between unilateral and bilateral training workout and I explain the importance of these types of training for ball sports. First, you should know that unilateral training includes exercises where each side works individually or alternated movements. A leg press or a leg curl with one leg and lunges are examples of unilateral exercises for the lower extremities. A rowing with one arm using the pulley or DB press alternated are examples for the upper extremities. Moreover, bilateral exercises involve simultaneous workout of two sides. Squat and deadlift are examples for the lower body, bench press and bent over row are examples for the upper body. Both methods are effective, but unilateral training offers some benefits that cannot be obtained with the bilateral training. Here are some benefits: 1 – According to several authors, unilateral workout promotes the stimulation of groups of muscle fibers that generate rapid muscle contractions (high activation threshold motor units). Therefore, the muscle will improve its ability to contract quickly and a muscle that contracts faster is more explosive, so increase power will be obtained. 2 - In ball sports, most actions such as throwing and running are performed using one arm or alternately. Therefore, it is important to incorporate unilateral movements in our workouts so we can learn to generate power efficiently with one side only and then be more specific to our sport. 3 - When we work unilaterally the lower extremities, we reduce our base of support, so we get unbalanced. This way, we increase significantly the involvement of stabilizing muscles. The load you can lift will however decrease because you will be unstable, but muscle stimulations will be enhanced. 4 - Repeating actions at high speed using the same arm or by rotating the same side create muscle imbalances over time. These imbalances can cause injuries that can decrease your performance and even keep you out of the game for a certain period of time. Unilateral exercises allow you to limit these imbalances, so it is a great way to prevent injuries. Overall, unilateral exercises should be incorporated into a training program for a ball player. However, we must not neglect the bilateral exercises, because these movements help to reduce bilateral deficit and allow you to greatly improve your strength, which will be the next subject of the next column ...