Unilateral Training for Combat Athletes: Power in Balance
Written by Conquer Athlete Coach Jerod Gordon
Whether you’re swinging a fist, a leg, or leveraging your body against an opponent, combat sports require not just brute strength, but a precise control and balance of that strength. This brings us to the unsung hero of the training world - unilateral training. Let's delve deep into why every combat athlete should be incorporating this into their regime.
1. Reduced Loading During High Stress Times
The life of a combat athlete is fraught with high-stress periods. There are intense training sessions, weight cuts, media obligations, and, of course, the fights themselves. It’s during these periods that the body is most susceptible to injury due to overtraining.
Unilateral exercises, such as single-arm presses or lunges, often require reduced loads compared to their bilateral counterparts (like the traditional bench press or squat). This reduced load can be a boon during times when the body and mind are already under excessive stress. It allows athletes to maintain strength and mobility without adding undue strain.
2. Eliminating Muscle Imbalances and Reducing Injury Risk
It's no secret that most people have a dominant side. Whether you’re right-handed or left-footed, these natural tendencies can lead to imbalances in muscle development and strength. In the world of combat sports, these imbalances can be exacerbated by favoring a particular striking or grappling technique.
Unilateral training addresses these disparities head-on. By working each side of the body independently, athletes can focus on strengthening weaker areas, promoting more balanced muscle development. Balanced muscles not only enhance performance, but critically, they reduce the risk of injury.
3. Enhancing Strength Output for Bilateral Movements
Here's a fascinating point that's often overlooked: improving strength through unilateral exercises can lead to better strength outputs in bilateral movements. Think of it as a chain - by reinforcing each link individually, the overall strength of the chain is improved.
For instance, if you enhance your strength in a single-leg squat, you're likely to see improvements in your traditional (bilateral) squat. The reason? You're conditioning the stabilizing muscles, enhancing neuromuscular coordination, and allowing each leg to bear and manage loads independently. When both legs come together, the strength output is noticeably improved.
4. Emulating Sport-Specific Movements
In combat sports, many movements are inherently unilateral. A jab, a roundhouse kick, or a single-leg takedown - all these maneuvers involve a dominant limb leading the action.
By training unilaterally, athletes can mimic the actual demands of their sport. This leads to more functional strength and a better translation of gym gains to in-ring performance. Unilateral exercises can be tailored to closely replicate the movements and sequences of combat sports, providing athletes with a more targeted and efficient training method.
In Conclusion
Unilateral training isn’t just another fad or a supplementary routine. For combat athletes, it’s a path to improved performance, reduced injury risk, and a long, successful career. So, the next time you’re in the gym, think beyond the traditional compound lifts and give a nod to the power of unilateral training.
If you have any questions or want to learn how we work with athletes via our Individual Design coaching, email help@conquerathlete.com. Or, check out our website www.conquerathlete.com and set up a free discovery call.
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