Unilateral Training - Weightlifting

[dirtychinchilla]

https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/5-ways-unilateral-training-can-transform-your-body.html

With reference to the article above, can someone give me some advice? The left side of my body is weaker than the right. Not dramatically so, but I do notice it when I'm benching and when I do single arm shoulder presses.

I would love to get both sides up to equal strength, but the thing I don't understand is if you're doing, say, 10 reps on each arm, presumably the right hand side is going to continue to get stronger in line with the left hand side.

So, do people do uneven quantities on each side of their body to get them equalled up? Or do you just keep going with matched reps until the weakness goes away?

 

[Somnambulist]

Usually it's the latter; you're more likely to progress faster on a less developed body part, so in theory as you progress on both sides the weaker one should catch up in time. I thought I had a weaker right arm once, but in reality it was because I had worse shoulder mobility and control on that side and couldn't express my strength as well, so it's worth checking if that might be a contributing factor.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Usually it's the latter; you're more likely to progress faster on a less developed body part, so in theory as you progress on both sides the weaker one should catch up in time. I thought I had a weaker right arm once, but in reality it was because I had worse shoulder mobility and control on that side and couldn't express my strength as well, so it's worth checking if that might be a contributing factor.

Interesting. For me, it's my whole left side. It's more easily fatigued and I can feel my RHS having to compensate for it.

Yesterday, for example, I did single arm rows, and I also did them on Monday. After Monday I had this mad soreness in my right hip, which I think related to the rows and to shoulder press where my LHS and shoulder needs a bit extra from other parts of my body.

I've reduced the weight on the shoulder press as I can feel how messed up it makes me. I might switch to OHP, but had back surgery last September so I'm playing it cautiously at the moment.

 

[mrthingyx]

How strong and stable is your core?

And is your body equally mobile (i.e. shoulders, hips, ankles, back, etc.)?

 

[dirtychinchilla]

How strong and stable is your core?

And is your body equally mobile (i.e. shoulders, hips, ankles, back, etc.)?

I don't know how to gauge it...moderately strong, not terribly weak, I'm really not sure.

My body is mostly very mobile, but I did have a herniated disc in my lower back, which was operated on in September last year, so my lower back maybe isn't as mobile as it could be.

 

[mrthingyx]

I don't know how to gauge it...moderately strong, not terribly weak, I'm really not sure.

My body is mostly very mobile, but I did have a herniated disc in my lower back, which was operated on in September last year, so my lower back maybe isn't as mobile as it could be.

It probably isn't very strong or flexible; get on it with torsional work!

 

[dirtychinchilla]

It probably isn't very strong or flexible; get on it with torsional work!

Fair enough, any suggestions? I've never heard of torsional work!