The hips and their strength have an effect on balance, mobility and performance across all ages. Since torque power and velocity reduction is part of the aging process, as we become older, slowing its reduction is an important consideration, which affects our overall movement capabilities and function. This in turn emphasizes the importance of a continuation of training throughout one’s lifetime.
Most of our musculature is paired, that is, they occur on both sides of our structure. When we exercise we move and strengthen them unilaterally, on one side the body, or bilaterally, both sides. Proper muscular balance is important for flexibility, stability, strength, athleticism and aging. Muscle imbalances can lead to weakness, muscular tightness, pain, movement impairments due to arthrokinematics (how your joints move), which all can lead to decreased performance, instability, increased injury risk and chronic pain.
When strength training we are able to select unilateral or bilateral movements in our weightlifting regimes. If a trainee finds one limb is stronger than the other, unilateral exercises can be chosen to compare and rebuild the strength of the affected limb, a very typical exercise technique. Many exercise machines are designed to augment this.
A Hip Press Designed for Bilateral or Unilateral Training
Coaches, trainers and physicians often recommend what is deemed ‘cross education’, in which strength training the unaffected limb initiates a neurological response that causes enhanced growth of an under trained contralateral limb. An example is having a casted immobilized leg and training the healthy limb while it heals. Cross education can preserve much of the strength and size as the immobilized leg heals which expedites ‘return to play’.
Get your hips equally strong and keep them strong utilizing a unilateral and bilateral training plan that fits your needs and objectives
