Unilateral Training for Powerlifters: Fixing Imbalances and Building Stability

Powerlifting is a bilateral sport. The squat, bench press, and deadlift all require you to move a barbell with both sides of your body working in unison. However, focusing solely on bilateral movements can mask or even worsen underlying muscle imbalances, which can lead to plateaus and injuries. This is where unilateral training—working one limb at a time—becomes an essential tool for the serious powerlifter. This guide will explain why you need unilateral work and detail the best exercises to build a more balanced, stable, and powerful body.

Why is Unilateral Training Important?

Your body is naturally asymmetrical. It's common to have one leg or arm that is slightly stronger or more coordinated than the other. While bilateral lifts can hide this, the weaker side can become a limiting factor. Unilateral training helps to:

• Identify and Correct Muscle Imbalances: When you train one limb at a time, the weaker side has nowhere to hide. This forces it to work harder, helping to close the strength gap between your left and right sides.

• Improve Core Stability: Performing single-limb exercises creates a powerful rotational challenge for your core. Your core muscles must work overtime to prevent your torso from twisting, building tremendous stability that carries over to your big three lifts.

• Enhance Balance and Proprioception: Training on one leg improves your balance and your body's awareness of its position in space.

• Increase Overall Training Volume: It's a great way to add productive volume and stimulate muscle growth without the same level of central nervous system fatigue as heavy bilateral lifts.

• Aid in Injury Rehabilitation and Prevention: Many physical therapists, like those at The Prehab Guys, use unilateral exercises to help athletes recover from injuries and prevent future ones by addressing underlying imbalances.

The Best Unilateral Exercises for Powerlifters

Integrate these movements into your program as accessory work after your main lifts.

For the Lower Body (Squat & Deadlift)

These exercises will build hip stability, glute strength, and single-leg power.

• Bulgarian Split Squats (Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat):

  • How: Place the top of one foot on a bench behind you and perform a squat with your front leg.

  • Why: This is a brutal but incredibly effective exercise for building quad and glute strength while challenging hip stability.

• Lunges (All Variations):

  • How: Forward, reverse, or walking lunges with dumbbells, a barbell, or just your bodyweight.

  • Why: Lunges build single-leg strength, balance, and mobility.

• Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts (SL RDL):

  • How: Holding a dumbbell or kettlebell, hinge at the hip on one leg while extending the other leg straight back for balance.

  • Why: This is a fantastic exercise for targeting the hamstrings and glutes of the standing leg while improving balance and hip stability.

• Step-Ups:

  • How: Holding dumbbells, step up onto a box or bench, driving through the heel of your lead foot.

  • Why: Excellent for developing single-leg quad and glute power.

For the Upper Body (Bench Press)

These movements will address pressing imbalances and build shoulder stability.

• Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press:

  • How: Lie on a bench and press one dumbbell at a time, or hold one up while the other works.

  • Why: This forces the stabilizing muscles of your shoulder and core to work incredibly hard to prevent you from falling off the bench. It's a great way to identify and fix a strength discrepancy between your left and right sides.

• Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows / Kroc Rows:

  • How: Support yourself on a bench and row a heavy dumbbell with one arm.

  • Why: Builds a powerful, balanced upper back and lats, which is the foundation for a big bench. It also heavily taxes your grip and core.

• Single-Arm Overhead Press:

  • How: Press a dumbbell or kettlebell overhead with one arm.

  • Why: Builds shoulder stability and strength that has great carryover to the bench press and overall shoulder health. For more on this, see our Guide to Bulletproof Shoulders.

How to Program Unilateral Work

• Placement: Treat these as accessory exercises. Perform them after your main compound lifts for the day.

• Volume: Aim for 3-4 sets in the 8-15 rep range per side. The goal is hypertrophy and stability, so focus on controlled movements and feeling the target muscles work.

• Loading: Start with a weight that challenges you but allows you to maintain perfect form. It's better to go lighter and perform the movement correctly than to use sloppy form with heavy weight.

While the squat, bench, and deadlift will always be the cornerstones of your training, neglecting unilateral work is leaving strength on the table. By incorporating single-limb exercises into your accessory work, you can correct imbalances, improve core stability, and build a more resilient and powerful body. A balanced body is a strong body.

What are your favorite unilateral exercises for powerlifting? Share them in the comments below!