15 Unilateral Exercises For Muscle Imbalance

How To Use Unilateral Exercises

Scroll through the list of unilateral exercises below and choose your exercises based on where you are capability-wise and what you feel you're weak in. Know that these exercises are "big bang for your buck" exercises and will target as many muscles as possible.

If you need smaller, isolation exercises, you'll want to look more into your specific imbalance.

Pick 3-4 exercises and work them into your weekly program.

The most effective unilateral exercises are the ones you'll actually do!

Unilateral Exercises For Lower Body

These exercises may seem tame on a screen but when you’re performing them with control, they’re anything but!

Maximize your results by really focusing on slow, controlled repetitions and engaging the muscles you should be.

Single Leg Squat To Marker

How often are we standing up/sitting down while trying to balance something?

This exercise is amazing for hitting not just your legs but your entire body in one of the most primal movements: the squat.

Many people avoid it for fear that they will be unable to stabilize their knees (learn more about strengthening your knees). But the trick isn't avoiding it, it's both strengthening the glutes as well as making use of a marker (bench). The focus needs to be in keeping the knee inline with the pinky toe and not letting it cave inward.

The better you get, the lower the bench or marker can go. Or, begin by using assistance like TRX straps so you have complete control of the resistance placed on the leg.

Lunges

Lunges of any sort are a great way to train unilaterally and will improve everything from the leg muscles themselves to the hip and ankle joints. Consider the following variations or check out these lunge variations for glutes.

• Reverse lunge
• Resistance band lunges
• Lateral lunge
• Deficit lunge
• Cross balance lunge

Bulgarian Split Squats

This exercise is a love/hate for absolutely everyone. But no one can deny it’s effective!

You can actually adjust this unilateral exercise to target more quadriceps or more glutes/hamstrings based on how you position yourself. You can also vary the exercise in resistance (check out this banded Bulgarian split squat).

Crossack Squats

Taking lateral lunge to a whole new level. The crossack squat requires a ton of ankle and hip mobility but the benefits of this exercise are worth the effort. If needed, use a support in front of you as you or, elevate the heel of the working leg and slowly work your way down.

Step Ups

Step-ups in any form (high step-ups, lateral step-ups) will be beneficial.The best place to start is by using a lower step and slowly advancing to high, un-weighted step-ups.

Other things to consider are using a controlled descent to maximize strength.

Single Leg Glute Bridge

Strong glutes come with an insane amount of benefits (read why you should train glutes). And of course, the glute muscles look good when strong too!

This single-leg, gluten bridge variation is perfect to get your bum firing. Make sure you lead with the glute though and not your low back. However, first learn how to engage glutes.

If you're really serious about improving your glutes, you can check out a few of my favorite glute exercises as well as these fun glute bridge variations.

Supported Single Leg Deadlift

Though all single leg deadlifts are wonderful for teaching the hip hinge and strengthening the hamstring muscles, the supported variation is the best for beginners.

Single Leg Hip Thrust

Glute training at its finest, the single leg hip thrust is a great way to develop horizontal power while correcting imbalances from side to side.

Unilateral Exercises For The upper Body

Far too often we only look at training single-limb exercises for our legs.

But using this training style on our upper body is important to! It promotes control which in turn develops strength which then makes daily things (like carrying!) easier.

And just as important as single-arm strength is making sure your shoulder can support the movement! Use these unilateral shoulder mobility drills as a warm-up.

Single Arm Shoulder Press

As a mom, our shoulders get a workout each and every day! The truth is, just carrying your babes is a unilateral workout 😛

Chances are, you carry your babes on one side more often than the other. This is fine, except that it creates a bit of an imbalance. Make sure both of your shoulders are strong by performing this single-arm press.

This upper body exercise helps keep your shoulders strong. It also requires a lot of stability to keep the body upright and in good posture. Remember, you can switch it up by doing this exercise seated or standing and with a resistance band or dumbbells.

• Half kneeling shoulder press
• Z-press

Single Arm Row

Rowing should be a crucial part of ANY training program.

Single-arm rowing is even better Bentover rows, seated high rows and renegade rows are all amazing ways to row with just one arm. Check out more back exercises to really nail down postural support.

Single Arm Chest Press

This can be done as a floor press (for more support) or as a flat back dumbbell press (more advanced).

Regardless, not allowing one arm to take over for the other in a press is difficult. It’s always a great way to make the shoulder stabilize.

Unilateral “Core” Exercises

Let’s not forget about direct core work! Remember, part of the job of the trunk muscles is to prevent movement like in these plank alternatives. Training unilaterally inforces that.

The below exercises challenge your body perfectly because they force the core to do its job. That said, technically all unilateral exercises are core work! Each one requires more stability than a bi-lateral exercise which makes your core work double time.

Single Arm Farmers Carry

I freaking adore farmers' carries. There are so many ways to do them. They are also one of the most functional, and effective core exercises I know of.

You actually do farmers' carries all the time (say what!?). When you carry your babes in a car seat! Only chances are, you do this by leaning into your body versus standing upright.

To make this task easier.. train it! Strengthen the muscles to make the day to day task easier. And training them individually will keep you more balanced.

Traditional single arm farmers carries are great. However, don’t forget about overhead carries or even bottoms up kettlebell walks.

Side Planks

A classic exercise that trains one part of your core at a time. This exercise comes with a ton of variations to keep it progressing. Add on:

• Abductions
• Hip dips
• A rotation with the upper arm

Parlof Press

This exercise should be a staple in all programs because it’s perfect for learning to stabilize.

It requires you to resist rotation in a variety of ways. You can do this exercise, standing, with a staggard stance, kneeling or even add it in to other exercises like the deadbug. Parlof presses are the foundation of STRENGTH.