by Chris Dellasega, M.S.Ed.

A muscle imbalance occurs when a muscle (agonist), or a group of muscles, are overactive while other muscles, frequently their counterpart (antagonists), are under-active. If left uncorrected these imbalances can eventually lead to faulty muscle recruitment patterns and/or postural distortion patterns. A muscle recruitment pattern is how specific muscles produce a given movement, e.g. locomotion. Postural distortion patterns are essentially the same as faulty muscle recruitment patterns, but typically involve muscles responsible for posture, e.g. rounded shoulders, necks that protrude forward, etc. If left uncorrected over time these imbalances can lead to further muscle and joint problems and disrupt body alignment, therefore leading to an increased chance of injury. This is especially true of individuals who start a strength training program with little or no attention given to these imbalances. An untrained individual will almost always have imbalances of some kind.

It is very common for someone to have muscle imbalances between limbs, especially an untrained individual. A muscle group imbalance between limbs is known as the bilateral deficit, simply put this means that one arm, or leg, will usually be stronger than the other. It is common for the dominate side of the body to be stronger than the none dominate side because it is human nature to do ordinary, daily tasks with our dominate arm, or leg, therefore working them more frequently than the non-dominant side. So, if someone is right handed it is very common for their right arm to be stronger than their left arm and their right leg to be stronger than their left leg, or vice versa, although this is not always the case. A very effective way to correct muscle imbalances and to also assist in correcting the bilateral deficit is to utilize unilateral exercises.

The initial workouts for a new trainee should include unilateral exercises for both the upper and lower extremities. This would include, for example, variations of dumbbell presses for the upper-body and variations of split squats for the lower-body. Performing single-limb (unilateral) exercises helps to correct muscle imbalances ensuring that muscles are in balance with other muscle groups, especially their antagonist, or opposite muscle group. Charles Poliquin, a world renowned strength coach who has coached hundreds of Olympic level athletes, states that, “…beginning with a program of unilateral exercises for the legs often results in faster gains in the squat in the long term than if no unilateral exercises are performed.” This also holds true for unilateral exercises for the upper extremities in that increased strength gains achieved through unilateral exercises will transfer directly to bilateral exercises, such as the bench press, when performed in the same plane of motion. Put another way, performing a bench press with dumbbells (unilateral) can make you better at performing a bench press with a barbell (bilateral).

Unilateral exercises can also help develop core strength and stability at the joints due to each limb having to work independently of the other, thereby recruiting more of the body’s stabilizing muscles. This will also prepare the trainee for more complex skills in the long term, such as variations of the Olympic pulls and front squats, and compound exercises such as deadlifts and chin-ups. An untrained individual (including those with one year or less of strength training) should always begin a program with unilateral exercises before complex and compound exercises in order to achieve muscular balance and to also help correct the bilateral deficit.

Foregoing unilateral exercises increases the chance of injury due to an inability to properly stabilize the body in space and to properly stabilize the joints. Since proper stabilization of the body and joints is of critical importance when performing complex and compound exercises unilateral exercises can and should be used when preparing a trainee for complex and compound exercises. This can help to ensure that proper technique will be used when performing complex and compound exercises because the muscles of the core and the muscles responsible for stabilization at the joints will be better conditioned. This can help the trainee get the most bang for their buck out of their training because they will be able to properly perform the complex and compound exercises.

by Chris Dellasega, M.S.Ed.

Functional strength training is usually a very misunderstood concept in gyms and by coaches and trainers alike. First, lets discuss what functional strength training is not. Functional strength training is not performing any kind of complex skill, such as Olympic lifts or Front Squats, or compound lifts, such as the Back Squat, while standing on top of a Bosu ball or any other kind of unstable platform. When complex skills or compound exercises are performed on unstable platforms the risk far exceeds any benefit. One reason unstable platforms do not develop strength is that the load used in a given exercise while performed on an unstable platform will be sub-maximal, therefore eliciting no strength response. The fact is that there are very few, if any, tasks that human beings ever perform while on an unstable platform. Any trainer or coach who says otherwise needs a quick lesson on basic physics and biomechanics.

Functional strength training, as it applies to sport, is designed to produce greater strength and performance that is directly transferable to the playing field or court. Functional strength for those that are not involved in organized athletics is a very effective way of obtaining “usable strength”. That is, strength that is usable in performing everyday tasks. Many exercises utilized in functional strength training are also known as strongman lifts, such as the tire flip, farmer’s carry and truck pull. Other exercises found in functional strength training programs are similar to strongman lifts in that they are compound exercises/complex skills (movement at multiple joints) and engage many large muscle groups, especially the muscles of the core, and are often performed in multiple planes of motion. Examples of other strongman/functional exercises include rope climbing, wood chopping, and pushing/pulling weighted sleds.

Traditional barbell and dumbbell exercises are generally performed with the bar or dumbbell traveling through a specific pathway in one plane of motion, such as the sagittal plane. Functional strength training involves performing an exercise through multiple planes of motion. For example, the Squat is one of the best exercises for developing lower-body strength, but the bar moves in only one plane of motion, up and down (the sagittal plane) with the bar resting on your back. By comparison, flipping a tractor tire involves moving up and down (the sagittal plane) and forward (the transverse plane). While there has not been much scientific research done on functional strength training it is this author’s opinion that when properly taught and properly executed functional strength training could prove to be very beneficial at developing usable strength when programmed appropriately and used in conjunction with traditional barbell and dumbbell exercises.

Whether you are an athlete training for athletic competition or someone just looking to get the most bang for their buck with their training the best results can be seen when functional strength training lifts are appropriately taught, programmed and used in conjunction with traditional barbell and dumbbell.