When it comes to working out you need to understand the the difference between unilateral and bilateral training, and know when and how to utilize them in training. Unilateral, in anatomy, usually refers to one side of the body. For example this could be your right arm or left arm, but never both arms. Bilateral, however, refers to both sides of the body. So bilateral training would be most barbell moves like deadlift, bicep curl, shoulder press, etc. Unilateral training would be doing dumbbell bicep curls on one side and not the other.

What are the benefits of each?

Unilateral training may be the only option for those who have an injury on one side of their body. Even if a person can’t exercise one side of their body, one can still see some carryover by just doing whatever exercises they can on the unaffected side. Unilateral training is also great for developing mind muscle connection to a lagging part. Not only that, unilateral training may be the only option to bring up a lagging part.

Bilateral training exercise is great for eliciting more of a muscle building signal. You can typically do more weight (force production) with a barbell curl than a dumbbell curl. Compared to unilateral, it has the highest potential to develop strength and muscle. You can load up a barbell squat more than a single leg squat. Strength is just as important as stability.

If you’re someone who squats all the time, try practicing pistol squats. If you’re someone who only does dumbbell shoulder press, try barbell shoulder press. Ultimately, only you know what you’re exercise program needs.