Stronger Legs with Two Legs or One?
Neuromuscular adaptations during bilateral versus unilateral strength training in middle-aged and elderly men and women.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The untrained leg gained 10–14% strength from unilateral training—even though it never lifted a weight.
Most people assume strength gains only happen where you train. This shows the nervous system can ‘transfer’ improvements across limbs, which was thought to be minimal in older adults.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re recovering from a knee injury, do unilateral training on your healthy leg to help the injured one regain strength faster.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The untrained leg gained 10–14% strength from unilateral training—even though it never lifted a weight.
Most people assume strength gains only happen where you train. This shows the nervous system can ‘transfer’ improvements across limbs, which was thought to be minimal in older adults.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re recovering from a knee injury, do unilateral training on your healthy leg to help the injured one regain strength faster.
Publication
Journal
Acta physiologica Scandinavica
Year
1996
Authors
K. Häkkinen, M. Kallinen, V. Linnamo, U. Pastinen, R. Newton, W. Kraemer
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Claims (6)
Unilateral resistance exercises can increase neural drive and muscle fiber recruitment compared to bilateral exercises due to reduced neuromuscular inhibition during single-limb contractions.
People who train both legs together show bigger increases in muscle electrical activity during double-leg lifts than those who train one leg at a time, suggesting their nervous systems become more active during those movements.
Doing leg exercises with both legs at the same time for 12 weeks makes you stronger at lifting with both legs together, while doing them one leg at a time makes you stronger at lifting with each leg separately.
Whether you train both legs together or one at a time, your thigh muscles grow about the same amount after 12 weeks of heavy lifting.
Even people in their 50s and 70s can get much stronger and activate their muscles better after 12 weeks of heavy weight training — age doesn’t stop them from improving.