When it comes to strength training, many people focus on traditional exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, which work both sides of the body simultaneously. While these movements are great for building overall strength, they can sometimes mask muscle imbalances that increase your risk of injury. This is where unilateral strength training—training one side of the body at a time—comes into play. For paddlers and athletes in particular, unilateral exercises are essential for correcting imbalances, enhancing performance, and reducing injury risk.

Let’s break down the concept of unilateral training and explore why it’s a game-changer for anyone looking to stay injury-free and improve their physical capabilities.

What is Unilateral Strength Training?

Unilateral strength training involves performing exercises that focus on one limb or one side of the body at a time. Instead of a traditional squat using both legs, a unilateral version would be a single-leg squat. Instead of a conventional bench press, you could do a single-arm chest press.

These exercises challenge each side of your body individually, helping you identify and correct any muscular imbalances. Most importantly, unilateral training mimics real-world and athletic movements, which rarely involve using both sides of the body equally.

The Benefits of Unilateral Strength Training for Injury Prevention

1. Corrects Muscle Imbalances

One of the primary benefits of unilateral strength training is its ability to correct muscular imbalances. Whether due to dominant-side bias (most people favor one side in daily movements) or previous injuries, imbalances between the right and left sides of the body are common. These imbalances can lead to overcompensation by the stronger side, putting more strain on certain joints and muscles, which increases the risk of injury.

For paddlers, imbalances between the shoulders, core, or legs can significantly impact stroke efficiency and create uneven loading, leading to injuries such as shoulder impingement or lower back pain. Unilateral training helps to target and strengthen the weaker side, ensuring both sides are working together in balance.

2. Improves Joint Stability

When you perform unilateral exercises, the body must work harder to stabilize the joints, particularly in the hips, knees, and shoulders. This enhanced stability is crucial for injury prevention, as stable joints are less likely to suffer from dislocations, sprains, or strains.

For example, a single-leg deadlift challenges the muscles around the hips and knees to keep the leg aligned and the body balanced. This improved stability translates to better performance in sports and everyday activities, where balance and coordination are key.

3. Builds Core Strength

Unilateral movements engage the core more than bilateral exercises because the body has to fight rotational forces to maintain balance. This is especially important for paddlers, who rely heavily on core strength to generate power and maintain control on the water. Exercises like single-arm rows or single-arm overhead presses force your core muscles to engage to prevent you from tipping or twisting, building core stability and strength in the process.

A strong core not only enhances performance but also protects the spine, reducing the risk of lower back injuries.

4. Mimics Real-World Movements

Unilateral exercises closely mimic the movements we use in daily life and sports. Most athletic activities, including paddling, running, and jumping, require shifting weight from one side of the body to the other. Training one side at a time prepares your body to move in a more natural, functional way, enhancing coordination, balance, and proprioception (awareness of body positioning).

For athletes, unilateral training provides an opportunity to simulate the sport-specific movements they’ll perform during competition, creating more efficient and injury-resistant movement patterns.

5. Reduces Risk of Overuse Injuries

By evenly developing both sides of the body, unilateral training helps distribute the workload across all muscles and joints. This reduces the likelihood of overuse injuries, which often occur when one side is overcompensating for the other. Paddlers, for instance, are prone to shoulder and lower back overuse injuries due to repetitive movements. Unilateral training helps ensure both sides of the body are sharing the load, preventing one side from bearing too much strain.

Key Unilateral Exercises for Injury Prevention

Here are some examples of effective unilateral exercises you can incorporate into your strength training routine:

• Single-Leg Squat (Pistol Squat): Strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes while improving knee and ankle stability.
• Single-Leg Deadlift: Targets the hamstrings and glutes, enhances hip stability, and challenges balance.
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Press: Works the chest, shoulders, and triceps while forcing the core to stabilize the body.
• Single-Arm Row: Builds back and shoulder strength while improving core and shoulder stability.
• Lateral Lunge: Focuses on the inner and outer thighs, helping to improve hip mobility and balance.

How to Incorporate Unilateral Training into Your Routine

Start by incorporating one or two unilateral exercises into your regular strength training routine. Begin with bodyweight exercises, and as you become more comfortable, gradually increase the resistance using dumbbells or kettlebells. Aim to perform 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps on each side, ensuring you work both sides equally.

Focus on maintaining proper form and alignment during each exercise. If you notice one side is significantly weaker or struggles with balance, spend extra time working on that side to correct the imbalance.

Final Thoughts

Unilateral strength training is essential for injury prevention, especially for paddlers and athletes who rely on balanced, coordinated movement. By correcting muscle imbalances, improving joint stability, and strengthening the core, unilateral exercises can help you move more efficiently and stay injury-free.

If you’re looking for a personalized approach to incorporating unilateral training into your routine, Evolve Hawaii PT offers customized programs to help you build strength, prevent injuries, and enhance your athletic performance. Check out our Paddle Strong Strength Training Program for Paddlers or contact us today to chat more.