Is Your Training Routine Really Addressing Your Strength Imbalances?
Strength training often rewards symmetry.
The barbell is centered. Both hands grip the same weight. Both legs push against the floor.
But the human body isn't perfectly symmetrical.
One leg may be stronger. One shoulder may be more stable. One side may compensate for another during a squat, press, or row.
That raises an important question:
Can bilateral exercises actually hide strength imbalances rather than fix them?
Unilateral training offers one potential answer.
What Is Unilateral Training?
A unilateral exercise trains one side of the body independently.
Examples include:
- Bulgarian split squats;
- single-leg Romanian deadlifts;
- single-arm rows;
- single-arm presses;
- step-ups;
- single-leg presses;
- single-arm carries.
By separating the sides, you remove some of the ability of the stronger side to compensate for the weaker one.
That's the central advantage.
Why Bilateral Exercises Can Hide Differences
Consider a barbell squat.
You might successfully squat 100 kg.
But that number doesn't tell you whether both legs contributed equally.
If your right leg is stronger, your body may subtly shift or redistribute force to complete the movement.
The repetition still counts.
The weight still moves.
Your training log still says 100 kg.
But the exercise may not reveal the imbalance.
A unilateral movement makes compensation much more difficult.
If your left leg struggles with a Bulgarian split squat while your right leg performs it comfortably, you've discovered information that the bilateral movement may have concealed.
John Rusin: Use Unilateral Work to Expose Weakness
John Rusin's perspective focuses heavily on movement quality and rehabilitation.
Unilateral exercises require the body to stabilize itself while producing force.
That can challenge:
- hips;
- shoulders;
- trunk;
- balance;
- coordination.
This is particularly useful when returning from an injury or when a noticeable asymmetry exists.
But unilateral training shouldn't automatically be viewed as an injury-prevention guarantee.
The more defensible claim is simpler:
It gives you an opportunity to identify and train differences between sides.
Andreo Spina: Strength Isn't the Whole Picture
Andreo Spina places greater emphasis on the relationship between strength and movement capacity.
An individual can be strong within a particular range of motion while still having limitations elsewhere.
That's why unilateral work can be combined with mobility-oriented training.
For example, a split squat isn't simply a way to make one leg work harder.
It also requires you to control your pelvis, maintain balance, and coordinate movement through different joints.
That makes the exercise valuable beyond simply adding resistance.
Ben Bruno: You Don't Need to Rebuild Your Program
This is perhaps the most practical point.
Adding unilateral training doesn't mean abandoning every bilateral exercise you've been doing.
You can simply replace selected movements.
For example:
Bilateral squat → Bulgarian split squat
Barbell row → single-arm dumbbell row
Bilateral leg press → single-leg press
Overhead press → single-arm dumbbell press
You can also keep the bilateral movement and add a unilateral accessory afterward.
The goal is not to make training unnecessarily complicated.
A Simple Way to Add Unilateral Work
You could structure a lower-body session like this:
- Squat — bilateral strength
- Bulgarian split squat — unilateral strength
- Romanian deadlift — bilateral posterior-chain work
- Single-leg Romanian deadlift — unilateral stability
- Calf raise — optional accessory
For upper body:
- Bench press — bilateral pressing
- Single-arm row — unilateral pulling
- Overhead press — bilateral pressing
- Single-arm cable or dumbbell press — unilateral pressing
You don't need half of your workout to be unilateral.
A few well-chosen movements can be enough.
Which Side Should You Train First?
If you're specifically trying to address an imbalance, start with the weaker side.
Then match the stronger side to it.
For example:
Left leg: 10 controlled repetitions
Right leg: 10 controlled repetitions
Don't automatically give the stronger side 15 because it can handle more.
That can simply widen the gap.
Instead, use the weaker side to determine the baseline.
Once the sides become more comparable, you can progress both together.
Don't Turn Every Difference Into a Problem
Some asymmetry is normal.
Human bodies aren't perfectly symmetrical, and differences in strength or mobility don't automatically mean something is wrong.
The concern increases when an imbalance is:
- substantial;
- worsening;
- associated with pain;
- affecting technique;
- limiting performance;
- or appearing after an injury.
In those situations, simply adding more unilateral exercises isn't necessarily the answer.
A qualified clinician or physical therapist may be more appropriate.
How Much Unilateral Training Do You Need?
There's no universal requirement that 50% of your program must be unilateral.
That's one of the weaker ideas in the original debate.
The appropriate amount depends on:
- your goals;
- training experience;
- sport;
- injury history;
- available equipment;
- current asymmetries;
- and recovery capacity.
For a recreational lifter, a handful of unilateral movements per week may provide plenty of exposure.
For an athlete dealing with a significant asymmetry, the programming can look very different.
Unilateral Training Isn't Automatically Better
There's also an important misconception to avoid.
Unilateral exercises aren't inherently superior to bilateral exercises.
Both have advantages.
Bilateral exercises
Excellent for:
- maximizing total load;
- developing general strength;
- efficient training;
- practicing movements requiring both sides to work together.
Unilateral exercises
Excellent for:
- identifying side-to-side differences;
- challenging stability;
- developing independent limb strength;
- training movements that resemble many real-world activities.
The strongest program doesn't necessarily choose one camp.
It uses both.
The Bigger Benefit: Information
Perhaps the most underrated advantage of unilateral training is that it gives you more information about your body.
Suppose your barbell squat improves from 100 kg to 120 kg.
That's useful information.
But suppose your split squat reveals that one leg is substantially weaker.
Now you know something else.
You can monitor whether the difference shrinks as your training progresses.
That makes unilateral exercises useful not just as a training tool, but as a way of assessing movement and strength.
A Practical Test
Try three simple comparisons:
Lower body
Perform controlled split squats on both sides.
Compare:
- repetitions;
- load;
- balance;
- range of motion;
- perceived difficulty.
Upper body
Perform single-arm rows with the same weight.
Compare:
- repetitions;
- control;
- range of motion;
- ability to maintain posture.
Stability
Try a single-leg balance exercise.
Notice whether one side feels substantially less stable.
These aren't diagnostic tests.
They're simply ways to become more aware of differences that bilateral exercises can conceal.
Where the Experts Agree
The strongest common ground is straightforward:
Unilateral training deserves a place in most well-rounded strength programs.
It can help expose discrepancies, develop independent strength, challenge stabilization, and add variety without requiring a complete restructuring of your routine.
Where opinions differ is mainly in how much unilateral work you need and how heavily it should be integrated with mobility or rehabilitation work.
Why This Matters
Strength isn't simply the amount of weight you can move.
It's also about how evenly, efficiently, and controllably you can produce that force.
Bilateral exercises remain extremely valuable, but they don't tell you everything about how each side is performing.
Unilateral training fills that gap.
You don't need to turn every workout into a collection of single-limb exercises.
Instead, add a few strategically chosen movements and pay attention to what they reveal.
