The Claim

When teenage rugby players train one leg at a time on the leg press machine, they get much stronger in that single leg than when they train both legs together at the same time.

Source: The Effect of Unilateral and Bilateral Leg Press Training on Lower Body Strength and Power and Athletic Performance in Adolescent Rugby Players

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
54score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

When teenage rugby players train one leg at a time on the leg press machine, they get much stronger in that single leg than when they train both legs together at the same time.

See the scientific wording

Unilateral leg press training is more effective than bilateral leg press training for improving unilateral lower body strength in adolescent male rugby players, producing a 20.2% increase (d = 0.81) compared to 12.4% (d = 0.45), indicating that training one leg at a time leads to greater strength gains on that side.

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: The Effect of Unilateral and Bilateral Leg Press Training on Lower Body Strength and Power and Athletic Performance in Adolescent Rugby Players

    Training one leg at a time made the players stronger on that one leg more than training both legs together did, which is exactly what the claim says.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

Fit Body Science verdict — we translate health claims into clear verdicts backed by peer-reviewed research.

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