Get-Fit Guy

Are Bilateral Exercises helpful to my fitness goals?

Episode Summary

Kevin dives deep into bilateral exercises — those foundational moves you’ve likely done countless times without even realizing it. Are they the best choice for your fitness goals? He breaks down what bilateral exercises are, their key benefits, potential drawbacks, and how they compare to unilateral exercises. Kevin also tackles a listener question on essential movement patterns and the hype around the Turkish Getup.

Episode Notes

Kevin dives deep into bilateral exercises — those foundational moves you’ve likely done countless times without even realizing it. Are they the best choice for your fitness goals? He breaks down what bilateral exercises are, their key benefits, potential drawbacks, and how they compare to unilateral exercises. Kevin also tackles a listener question on essential movement patterns and the hype around the Turkish Getup.

Get-Fit Guy is hosted by Kevin Don. A transcript is available at Simplecast.

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Episode Transcription

Hello and welcome back to Get Fit Guy, this is Kevin Don. Most exercises that form staple workout routines are bilateral. You’ve probably done plenty of bilateral training without even thinking about it. But are bilateral exercises the best pick for your goals?

To help you better understand these common exercises, in this episode, I will cover what bilateral exercises are, their benefits, potential drawbacks, sample exercises, and a sample training session. 

Bilateral Exercises Defined

A bilateral exercise is an exercise where both extremities are performing the same movement pattern. An example of a bilateral pattern in the lower body is a squat, where the hips, knees, and ankles are all flexing symmetrically at the same time.

The Benefits of Bilateral Exercises

There are three main benefits of bilateral exercises.

1) First, it is the best way to develop absolute strength. Since more muscles are used in the movement and balance tends to not be a limitation, you can create more intensity and lift heavier weights.

2) Second, it’s a great way to develop motor control in the bend and squat movement patterns. Engaging both extremities at once helps you handle the high time under tension needed to create motor control, as balance is not a limitation as it is in unilateral variations of these patterns.

3) Third, it is the best way to develop muscle endurance and strength endurance. Muscle endurance (ME) is the foundation for all other contractions. ME activities that are typically higher repetition, lower intensity, and have a higher time under tension. The limitation for ME training is motor control, and as muscle endurance is extended out over time, motor control begins to break down.. 

Strength endurance is similar to ME. However, it is done at higher tension than ME and the limitation is now the ability to overcome the external load, and not motor control. Strength endurance activities tend to be lower repetition, higher intensity, and lower time under tension.

Potential Drawbacks

Humans naturally find the most efficient way to move. One of the drawbacks of bilateral training is that you can develop compensatory movement patterns if one limb is weaker than the other or other movement asymmetries exist. In this case, unilateral training is a great way to fix an imbalance.

The Difference between Unilateral and Bilateral Exercises

The difference between unilateral and bilateral exercises is the number of limbs used in the exercise. In a unilateral exercise, only one side performs the movement, such as a single-arm bicep curl. Both extremities perform the same movement pattern in a bilateral exercise, such as a barbell bicep curl. 

Bilateral Exercise Examples

Goblet Squat

Start the Goblet Squat standing with your hips as wide as your shoulders with the weight in the goblet position. Then hinge at the hips and squat down. Drive with your glutes and return to the standing position. This is one repetition.

Bench Press

The Barbell Bench Press is an upper-body horizontal pushing movement. Start lying supine on a bench with feet flat on the ground. Unrack the bar, lower it to the base of your chest, and push it away until the arms are locked out. This is one repetition.

Cable Overhead Press with Handles

Start the Cable Overhead Press With Handles with the cable ends in the middle position. Grab a handle with each hand and hold them in front of you. Then slowly press them over your head until your arms are locked out.

Deadlift

The Conventional Deadlift is a deadlift in which you stand with feet hip-width apart, shins lightly touching the barbell, gripping the barbell. Then maintaining a straight spine, squeeze your glutes and extend to a standing position. Then hinge at the hips and return to the starting position. This is one repetition.

Sample Training Session

A1) Dumbbell Bench Press, @2121, 8-10 reps x 3 sets; rest 90 seconds

A2) Deadlift, @2121, 8-10 reps x 3 sets; rest 90 seconds

B1) Seated Cable Row, @3131, 8-10 reps x 3 sets; rest 90 seconds

B2) Back Squat to Box, @2121, 8-10 reps x 3 sets; rest 90 seconds

Learn How to Choose The Right Exercises

There are thousands of exercises to choose from. 

Take a quick glance through any google search on exercises and you’ll be overwhelmed by all the options.

So how do you choose the right exercise for each training day?

It’s simple.

Simples.

Now to a listener email from Pat. First of all, I want to say sorry to you, Pat because you emailed me in July and I am only getting round to replying now. I also thought your email was hugely entertaining, but I shall only read out the questions! 

Question One: 

Pat Davidson, Ph.D., director of training methodology at Peak Performance, (a private fitness studio in New York City) claims that a workout needs just five exercises: Push (pressing away from you), Pull (tugging toward you), Hip-hinge (bending from the middle), Squat (flexing at the knee), and Plank (stabilizing your core). Consequently a program that only contained say: Bench Press; Pullup; Deadlift; Squat and Plank (or exercises seen as good alternatives to those) would be all you needed. No need for further complication. Just move heavy things in those exercises in good form, at regular intervals, with ever increasing loads and that's it. Can this be true? Does Dr. Davidson oversimplify strength training, or is everyone else making it more complicated?

Question Two: 

Is it worth my time to learn the Turkish Getup? What are its actual strength and fitness benefits? The internet says if I learn the Turkish Getup I will look like Thor, attract women half my age, and stand a much better chance of remaining chaste should I ever be incarcerated.

What are your thoughts?

So, firstly, I would argue for 6 patterns of movement. Dr. Davidson is missing out the pattern I will call ‘lunge’ but others refer to as ‘gait’. Squats cannot cover this pattern, since they are bilateral and walking, running and lunging are all unilateral. Is he oversimplifying strength training: yes. But thats because he has been value captured. If you listen to the episode from 2 weeks ago, anything where we remove texture and nuance and replace it with simplicity is a value capture. So, whilst I agree there are a limited number of patterns and a limited number of impactful ways to train them in the gym environment, this is a gross oversimplification. But its also contextual, right? Like I havehaver just given some training recommendations myself. But its a 10 minute podcast and I have never met any of the listeners, so we need some context here and anyone claiming to have a ‘methodology’ is just broadcasting their ideas and cant possibly have nuance. 

Question 2: Yes. 

If you have any questions or would like to just say ‘hi’, please email me at getfitguy@quickanddirtytips.com

Get-Fit Guy is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. Thanks to the team at Quick and Dirty Tips Morgan Christianson, Holly Hutchings, the director of podcasts Brannan Goetschius and Davina Tomlin. I’m your host, Kevin Don. If you have a question for me, leave me a voicemail at 510-353-3104 or send me an email at getfitguy@quickanddirtytips.com. For more information about the show, visit quickanddirtytips.com, or check out the shownotes in your podcast app