One-leg vs two-leg workouts: which builds strength better?
The effects of unilateral and bilateral eccentric overload training on hypertrophy, muscle power and COD performance, and its determinants, in team sport players
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Unilateral training improved COD performance in BOTH legs, while bilateral only improved the dominant leg.
Most assume bilateral training transfers better to symmetrical movements, but this shows unilateral work actually creates more balanced, whole-body adaptations.
Practical Takeaways
If you're an athlete or coach: Do 2x weekly unilateral flywheel lunges to fix leg imbalances and improve cutting ability, and 2x bilateral squats to boost power.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Unilateral training improved COD performance in BOTH legs, while bilateral only improved the dominant leg.
Most assume bilateral training transfers better to symmetrical movements, but this shows unilateral work actually creates more balanced, whole-body adaptations.
Practical Takeaways
If you're an athlete or coach: Do 2x weekly unilateral flywheel lunges to fix leg imbalances and improve cutting ability, and 2x bilateral squats to boost power.
Publication
Journal
PLoS ONE
Year
2018
Authors
F. Núñez, A. Santalla, Irene Carrasquila, Jose Antonio Asian, Jose Ignacio Reina, L. Suárez-Arrones
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Claims (7)
For small muscle groups, unilateral and bilateral resistance training produce equivalent hypertrophic adaptations when volume and effort are matched.
Doing squats with both legs on a special machine for six weeks made the outer thigh and outer calf muscles grow more than doing single-leg lunges.
Doing single-leg lunges with a special machine for six weeks made the inner thigh and inner knee muscles grow more than doing regular squats with both legs.
Both training methods made athletes jump higher and turn faster, but didn’t make them run straight-line sprints any faster.
Both types of training made athletes stronger and more powerful, but squats with both legs made them significantly more powerful in the squat than lunges did.