unilateral

A popular and true saying has been floating around the weight room for a while: You got to row to grow. It doesn’t matter if it is vertical or horizontal, and it doesn’t matter what equipment you use. You must train your posterior delts, upper back, and lats hard and heavy as your wings depend...

Imagine this scenario: You are all set for your Monday workout, eagerly anticipating it since the weekend. The pre-workout went down smoothly, and you’re bursting with energy. You step into the gym and climb the stairs, and your jaw drops. The gym is packed, almost all the equipment is...

Believe it or not, strength training for tennis players wasn’t in vogue back in the 80’s, even among the professional players. John McEnroe famously avoided strength training, and to keep himself fit, he would play as many matches as possible. He got away with this because of his outworldly...

No one talks about their one rep max for a dumbbell bench press and row. And why would they? Because boosting unilateral strength numbers is unheard of. If you ask a lifter how much they squat, bench, and deadlift, those numbers roll off the tongue. Ask them how long they have been married and...

There’s probably no need to tell you that dumbbell rows are near the top of the list when it comes to helping build a massive back, as well as blow up your biceps and improve your grip strength. But did you know that a combination of different unilateral dumbbell row variations each serve a...

The barbell bench and overhead press are the gold standards for pressing strength and adding size, but when it comes to unilateral training, a necessary but sometimes undertilized training method, the barbell may not be the most ideal option and that’s where the unilateral dumbbell floor press...

Unlike unilateral row exercises bilateral vertical and horizontal pulling exercises like chin-ups bent over barbell rows, and seated rows often get all the love and attention. Because this is where the gains are due to the fact you’ll lift more weight. It’s a shame that unilateral row exercises...

Lifters who just focus on the big bilateral lifts of the squat, press, and deadlift family will get strong but can develop muscle imbalances. The body will always resort to plan B to finish the lift, and this is not always good. Having a strength imbalance by itself is not a huge deal. But over...

If you need to get your training back on track, training one limb or side at a time—also known as unilateral training—may be just the jolt you need. Single-arm rows and alternating biceps curls are great basic lifts most people in the gym are familiar with. But we tend to forget you can break...