Adarq.org

If you ask me, I never understood bilateral stuff for dynamics... it just feels natural to jump off one leg because you walk and move unilaterally. A one leg jump is just an exaggerated "step". When you walk you don't bounce on two legs like birds.

One of the reason I like unilaterals is because you can work depending on your weak limb. If you can lunge 90 kg for 5 reps with your right leg and 90 kg for 10 reps with your left leg, then you can limit your left leg training to the right leg RM. So they both get the same amount of training.

In a squat, you'd probably load more the left leg in this situation and continue with the imbalance (sure, doing the same amount of reps and doing a bilateral exercise will also help balance things out in the end). But I just feel like more focus can be applied with an unilateral exercise, there's also a bit less stability so the core works harder etc.

It really just depends on what you're trying to improve on, I guess. So for athletics, unilateral work "must" be done because I feel it really helps and is more specific to human movement. For powerlifting etc, I don't really feel it "must" be done because it doesn't have any specificity to that.

Well he didn't said "ditch the unilaterals all together". I think that article is more aimed at "functional guy X" who swears by the unilateral. That's why I said I agree... do your heavy stuff first and go unilateral second. Squat + Lunge. Squat + One-leg deadlift. Deadlift + BSS. Etc.

I don't really agree about the similarities. I mean, studying closely things about plants etc, I've discovered that the best jumpers are those that drop quite a bit on the penultimate step in a two footed plant as well. You're currently not doing that very good in my eyes. To me, that's the part you could improve sooooo much. Lean more on a side and "be like water" to quote Bruce Lee.

I've also seen on Vince two days ago in his plant how well he puts that right leg and rotates on it, and keeps on rotating until he puts the left leg on the floor too. He's kind of unique in that regard since the people I usually see - they rotate as well but they are "stiff". He just lets his limbs be elastic and "bend". It's really hard to explain what I mean, but it's easily visible. And no, I'm not that crazy, mind you.

So to me, if you'd look a bit into the penultimate and tweak on that, you'd get higher.

I actually like the article and it's pretty much dead on.

The amount of stress and activation you get from heavy bilaterals is so much better for strength, and the amount of balance and learning how to tighten up and put effort through a single limb is great with unilaterals, but they should be used as assistance in my book (hence I train like that). I just don't think unilaterals can produce a good strength stimulus because of stabilization issues. And yes, a stable body can produce more strength, which doesn't mean you should use a leg press against a squat either (with the squat being more unstable than a leg press, but there is a whole different argument why you shouldn't use a leg press that is not limited to balance).

If you take James White in the Turkey dunk contest, he's with his head at the square at some point, jumping from the free throw line. Angle helps big time

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgjEAV5w4sE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgjEAV5w4sE</a>

0:09 here ^^^

If ARowe would work to get more speed and "nerve" into his jump he'd jump so much higher. Right now it's like a 100% strength generated jump... very little bounce... he doesn't take advantage of that runup accumulation.