Why do unilateral exercises?

Many of the best functional strength and conditioning coaches advocate unilateral work:

“Most athletes and people in general need to focus more on unilateral (single leg) lower body work than bilateral (both legs) lower body work. For non-powerlifters, most of life occurs on one leg.”
- Alwyn Cosgrove, 10 Things I’ve Learned

“Whether or not you wish to use barbells, I still advocate unilateral training. There are clear benefits (ex. coordination, stabilization requirements, the ability to target specific imbalances, etc.). A complete strength plan should include a unilateral element.”
- Ross Enamait on his forum

There are many good reasons to incorporate unilateral exercises in your training programme:

• To improve strength imbalances in the body
• Help to prevent injury due to undiagnosed weaknesses
• Safer, as they involve less weight and decreased load on the back
• Functional – lots of things in sports and in life occur on one leg or arm!
• Easy to do at home with limited equipment
• Train oft-neglected aspects of fitness, such as balance

It’s not necessary to do unilateral exercises all the time (although you can if you want) but it is worth incorporating them into a training cycle every so often.

Injury prevention

If you have ever tried to bench press with two dumbbells at the same time, you may have noticed that one dumbbell goes up easier than the other. Most people have strength imbalances in the body due to the fact that we favour one side or another for functional movements but often the first time people find out about it is when they get injured.

“If you are in the strength and conditioning game long enough you are going to encounter structural and muscular imbalances along the way. These imbalances and weakness occur naturally and by way of accident or injury. Rarely if ever will these situations correct themselves.”
-    Michael Rutherford, Dumbbell Unilateral Training Alternatives, Performance Menu

Sometimes an injury in one part of the body can be traced back to a weakness in another part of the body. These can be difficult to diagnose, especially if you coach yourself. So one option is to train in a preventative manner and try to cover all bases from the beginning!

How to perform unilateral exercises

Watch my video demonstration of the key unilateral exercises and read on below.

Almost any lift that you do with two hands or two legs can also be done with one hand or one leg. You may have to change the equipment, such as using a dumbbell instead of a barbell.  Some of the most effective exercises are:

• Single leg squat (pistol)
• Single leg stiff legged deadlift
• One arm dumbbell swing
• One arm dumbbell snatch
• One arm dumbbell press (either bench or overhead)
• One arm clean and press/jerk

Single leg squat aka pistol

Single leg squats can be done on the floor or on a raised platform. The floor version requires more flexibility but is harder to add weight to. Hold your arms out for balance and squat down as far as you can go.  If you want to add more weight to the move, hold a dumbell in one or both hands, or wear a weighted vest.

Single leg stiff-legged deadlift

This is a great move as it puts more strain on the hamstring and less on the back than a conventional stiff-legged deadlift.

Hold a dumbell in each hand and slowly push the hips back, lowering your arms towards the floor. Keep the back flat.

As in the pistol, maintaining your balance is tricky, so take it carefully. Make sure that you keep a slight bend in the working knee, but not too much so the hamstring is worked.

When doing one leg exercises, I recommend you wear flat trainers rather than trainers with a lot of air as they tend to wobble!

Exercise guide to the One arm dumbbell snatch

Exercise guide to the One arm dumbell swing

Magic 50 workout

A classic strength and conditioning workout from Ross Enamait, who is a fan of unilateral exercises. This lung-buster incorporates both the dumbbell snatch and swing to provide a great full body workout.

5 rounds as fast as possible of:

5 x dumbell snatch each arm
5 x dumbell swing each arm
10 push-up burpees

What is the dumbbell swing?

The dumbbell swing is an ‘old school’ exercise. It is similar to the dumbbell snatch but not as technical, so you might find it easier to get to grips with it.

It is performed with a dumbbell either in one hand or both hands. You swing the dumbbell in front of you with a straight arm and let it arch up until it is directly over your head.

The dumbbell swing is a full body movement and is particularly good for hamstrings, glutes and hip extension.

Why is it such a great exercise?

Like the dumbbell snatch, the dumbbell swing works the whole body and is great for the hips as the explosive powerhouse of the body. Strength coach Joe DeFranco, for example, recommends the swing for vertical jump training.

This old time exercise has recently become more popular. Part of the reason for its renaissance is the growth in kettlebell training, which utilises the swing. Not all gyms have kettlebells however, so the dumbbell is a useful alternative.

How to perform the one-arm dumbbell swing

Step 1

Squat down with legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart and hold the dumbbell between your legs, slightly in front of you.

Step 2

Keeping the arm completely straight, drive upwards through the legs and apply a powerful push to your hips to bring them forward. This will swing the dumbbell outwards and upwards in front of you. There is no need to use your arms to lift it up as the dumbbell will rise with the momentum generated by your hips. Just make sure your arm remains straight. The front shoulder muscles (anterior deltoids) do come into play, but they are not the primary mover in this exercise.

Step 3

Let the dumbbell swing all the way up until it is over your head. Use your other arm for balance. When the weight is over your head, lock out and hold the position. Be careful not to let the weight drift backwards over your head. Engaging your core will help to bring the swing to a stop.

Step 4

To return to the starting position, simply reverse the movement of the swing. Do it in a controlled fashion, and don’t forget to bend the legs again. Don’t just let the dumbbell drop.

Here is the two-handed dumbbell swing, as demonstrated by Krista Scott-Dixon.

Do it the old school way

For really heavy swings, you might want to consider using the split jerk stance as used by the guy in this post from Straight to the Bar, who is swinging a massive 123 pounds! The stance is more stable and he gets his body right under the weight.

Notice that he also does a starting swing to the halfway point before going for the full swing. This is recommended when you are going heavy. If you are putting the weight back on the floor each time, you can use a starting swing for every rep, but if you are not putting the weight on the floor, you need only use the starting swing on the first rep.

I wouldn’t recommend going heavy like this if you are new to swings!

How to use the dumbbell swing in your training

The dumbbell swing can be performed heavy for strength or with a lighter weight for a great conditioning workout.

It goes very well with the dumbbell snatch. In my article on the dumbbell snatch, I quoted a routine from Ross Training called Magic 50 which utilises both the dumbbell snatch and the dumbbell swing.

I tend to use the dumbbell swing mainly for conditioning or to warm up for a full body weightlifting session. The exercise mimics some of the mechanics of the squat in the lower body, so would be useful as a warm up for squats.

Video clips

Crossfit kettlebell swings

Crossfit’s Annie demonstrating the swing. This clip deliberately shows both good and bad form. Although she’s using a kettlebell rather than a dumbbell, all the advice on form applies to both versions.

Dumbbell swing with split jerk landing

As mentioned above, as an alternative catch and land position for heavy dumbbell swings.

Related posts

One-arm dumbbell snatch

What is the dumbbell snatch?

The dumbbell snatch is a version of the Olympic lift, the snatch, performed with a dumbbell in one hand. You move the dumbbell from the floor to above your head in one explosive movement.

The dumbbell snatch is a full body movement and most of the major muscle groups come into play, particularly legs, shoulders and core.

Why it is such a great exercise?

The dumbbell snatch requires strength, agility, power, speed and balance to perform. It really is the complete athletic movement. It is easier to learn and perform than the barbell version, and people are more likely to have access to dumbbells than to barbells so it can be used in a variety of situations.

This exercise requires a great burst of energy to perform. It is good fun and very rewarding to be able to pick a weight off the floor and have it locked out over your head in one smooth movement.

The dumbbell snatch is also one of the most versatile strength exercises. Sometimes I go for a maximum set, but with a lighter weight and higher reps it is also an incredibly effective conditioning tool. And since it requires such energy and involves the whole body, I often use it as a warm-up exercise when doing heavy weight training.

How to perform the one-arm dumbbell snatch

Olympic lifts are a lot easier if you can get your head around the idea of dropping under the weight. When you first pull the weight off the floor, most of the work is being done by your legs, which are driving upwards. Once your legs have fully extended, the weight has probably come up to your chest and at that point you squat down very quickly so that your body is now under the weight and driving upwards again. If you don’t do this, it’s your arms and shoulders that will be doing the lifting, when really you need to make use of the big muscles in your legs to do the donkey work.

It’s a bit weird at first getting the timing right, but once you get it, you see how effective it is. The better your technique, the more weight you can snatch.

There are some video clips at the end of this article. Sometimes it makes more sense when you see the exercise in action!

Step 1 – starting position

Take up a squatting position with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart, toes slightly turned out for stability. The dumbbell is positioned between your legs, as close to the body as you can manage without damaging any important bits! The dumbbell handle is parallel to the body.

You can either start with the dumbbell on the floor or in the ‘hang’ position, with the dumbbell a couple of inches off the floor. I usually start in the hang position, as shown in the picture. The main advantage of this position is that you don’t have to squat quite as low at the start. But if the weight is very heavy, it might be advisable to start from the floor.

Whether you start with the weight on the floor or in the hang position, your arm should be straight but not stiff and locked-out. I’ve got my other arm stuck out to the side to aid with balance. As with any squatting position, your back should be flat.

Step 2 – drive up and pull

When you start the pull, drive upwards powerfully with your legs and thrust your hips forward. This gives you the momentum you need to lift the weight – you don’t have to deliberately pull it up with your arm. Using the momentum generated by your legs, let your arm rise up with it. Shrug your shoulders to help it up.

You should try to keep the dumbbell close to your body. In the picture, I could have the dumbbell a little closer to my body really.

Step 3 – catch and drive up again

By the time the dumbbell has reached your chest, your legs are practically fully extended and your hips are coming forward. At this point, you drop into a squat so that your bodyweight is underneath the weight. The dumbbell has travelled up with the momentum of the initial push, and you want to ‘catch’ the weight before it succumbs to gravity and falls to the floor. As soon as you are underneath it, drive upwards again and lock out the arm above your head.

In the picture above, you can see that because I have squatted again, my body is practically in the same position that I started, only now the weight is above my head. I finish the move by standing up straight with still arm locked out.

When you see Olympic weightlifters perform this move with a heavy barbell, they drop into a deep squat for the catch. In the one-arm dumbbell snatch exercise it is not necessary to squat that low. You can squat as much as you want or feel is necessary to complete the exercise. This is known as a ‘power’ snatch – when you only use a partial squat to catch the weight. Often you will find that if you can’t lift a particular weight, squatting lower will make a difference.

If the weight is getting heavy, I sometimes incorporate a jump. It gives you an extra bit of power! Olympic lifters always jump – Olympic lifting is about jumping with weight. The ‘stomp’ down helps you to drive up more powerfully and – if you land with your legs a bit wider – increases your stability when you ‘catch’ the weight.

Step 4 – return to start for next rep

Having completed the overhead portion of the exercise, you can either return the dumbbell to the hang position or return it to the floor before the next rep.

If I am using a slightly lighter weight for explosive power and conditioning, I return to the hang position and do the next rep with the same arm.

If I am using a heavy weight, I return the dumbbell to the floor and swop arms for the next rep.

How to use the dumbbell snatch in your training

You can incorporate this versatile move in many different ways, for example:

• as a warm-up for weight lifting
• as part of an explosive strength routine
• as part of a conditioning routine

Ross Enamait has a great conditioning routine incorporating the dumbbell snatch called Magic 50. It consists of 5 rounds for time of the following:

5 x dumbbell snatch with each arm
5 x dumbbell swing with each arm
10 x burpees (with press-up)

I will be covering the dumbbell swing in the next article in this series.

Video clips

Female athlete performing power snatches with jump

This video is a good example of a power snatch with a jump. The female athlete in this clip is lifting a fairly heavy weight and she really stomps the jump well.

Crossfit workout incorporating dumbbell squats

This is a typically tough Crossfit workout featuring the dumbbell snatch. It’s interesting to watch because each of the participants has a slightly different style. They all squat quite deeply, partly because I suspect they have been instructed that way, and partly because the weight is quite challenging and gets more so as the workout progresses!