When older women train by pushing or pulling with both arms or legs at the same time, they get better at using both sides together, making their strength more efficient.

Scientific Claim

Bilateral strength training reduces the bilateral deficit during leg press and lat pull-down exercises in post-menopausal women, indicating that training with both limbs simultaneously improves neuromuscular coordination for these movements.

Original Statement

“Bilateral training decreased the BLD; whereas unilateral training had minimal effect on the BLD.”

From study:The effect of unilateral and bilateral strength training on the bilateral deficit and lean tissue mass in post-menopausal women

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The study is a randomized controlled trial with control group, allowing causal inference. The claim is specific to the exercises tested and correctly limits the effect to bilateral training.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

The effect of unilateral and bilateral strength training on the bilateral deficit and lean tissue mass in post-menopausal women

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2006 Jun

When women trained by pushing or pulling with both arms or legs at the same time, they got better at using both sides together efficiently—unlike when they trained one side at a time. This means doing exercises with both sides together helps the brain and muscles coordinate better.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

The effect of unilateral and bilateral strength training on the bilateral deficit and lean tissue mass in post-menopausal women

Score: 47

DOI: 10.1007/s00421-006-0165-1

Similar Assertions

Training one arm or leg at a time helps older women build muscle just as well as training both at once—but it doesn’t help them use both sides together any better.

81%

When older women try to push with both legs at once on a leg press or pull with both arms on a lat machine, they’re weaker than when using each side separately—but this doesn’t happen when they extend their knees.

79%

Training one leg at a time makes it harder for both legs to work together at full power, while training both legs together makes them work better together — the way you train changes how your legs coordinate.

76%

Whether older women train one arm or leg at a time or both together, they both gain muscle—just as much as each other—and both are better than not training at all.

75%

Training one leg at a time makes that leg much stronger than training both legs together — even though both methods make you equally strong when using both legs at once.

72%