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Workshop 1 09/04/2024 (reflective response)

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Workshop 1 09/04/2024 (reflective response)

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Today was the first workshop, the main focus was testing the current level of fitness of the participants. I found this session went well in terms of the structure of the class by pairing up participants and going round each exercises in a circuit format. I found this helpful when leading the group to go around and observe the technique and offer teaching points. However as two of the exercises were technically more complex; the barbell squat and deadlift. This station needed more of my focus to ensure participants were doing the exercise safely and correctly. In retrospect, if i were to expand the scale of the project i would have an additional fitness instructor/teacher to ensure all participants are given more support with all exercises. The majority of today's exercises are strength based with some isometric holds to failure. I found this worked well as within this programme i aim to focus more on building strength and improving mobility as this is often lacking in dancers training. If i were to improve on the lesson plan, i would also add in mobility testing using a goniometer to asses the range of movement of joints. I have found it both challenging but also comforting to work with participants in my year group, as i know the participants well it is an advantage when assessing their ability but also challenging to keep their engagement in class. In the future, i would prefer to have a mixed group of dancers and ability to allow me as a teacher to asses different areas of focus for each individual participant. I really enjoyed leading the group and feel within the next sessions i should work on my tone of voice and motivational language to keep the room engaged throughout.

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Workshop 2 16/04/2024 (reflective response)

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Workshop 2 16/04/2024 (reflective response)

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Today's session was focused on lower body exercises and on mobilizing the hip joint, the lumbar spine with some glute and hamstring activation. we started with a hip mobility drill which participants said they found really useful for unlocking the hips and gaining more range of motion. i got the participants to do a squat before and after the mobilizing and they mentioned how they felt a huge difference in the release of the hip which meant they had more access to a stronger squat position with a fluid drive of the pelvis. I found this worked well to link into our glute activation with resistance bands by isolating the glute muscle after mobilizing the hip this meant the exercises could be more efficient and other dominant muscle groups are less likely to take over to compensate for restriction in the joint. I also planned to do a leg focused circuit with a mixture of bilateral and unilateral exercises as dancers require both power and strength with both legs and single-leg movements. I feel this went well as some participants had never tried a Bulgarian split squat or barbell hip thrust before which are both effective for generating power through the pelvis and lower limbs. I found it challenging to time keep the session as i wanted to make sure we spent ample time on mobilizing and glute activation but also allow enough time for the lower body circuit with a minimum of 1 minute rest between sets to allow the muscles to recover before doing another set. I found participants were rushing their sets as typically with dance training they are used to endurance style training which has a shorter rest period. I feel in the future if i were to repeat this session i would make it clear before the circuit that strength training requires more rest to ensure optimal performance as this wasn't clear to everyone. Overall, participants enjoyed working on their leg strength and mentioned how it is useful for aspects of their dance training like power in their jumps and control in plies or adage.

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Workshop 3 23/04/2024 (reflective response)

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Workshop 3 23/04/2024 (reflective response)

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This session focused on the upper-body, predominantly the mobilization of the thoracic spine, the strength of the back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps. I knew going into this session that some participants would be skeptical about upper-body strength training as a pose to the favoured leg session. This is definitely part of the misconception that training the upper body will give a female dancer a masculine figure and i made it clear within the beginning of the workshop, due to progressive overload it would take a long time for drastic growth within the muscle to occur. i also mentioned to participants the benefits of upper body strength for contact work, lifts and tricks. One participant mentioned how they found the mobilizing of the thoracic and shoulder girdle beneficial to help with lengthening and extension of the arms. I found the structure of the lesson plan worked well by mobilizing the joints, then activating the mid/lower traps, rhomboids and rotator cuff muscles which then assisted in correct technique for the strength circuit. Looking back if i were to develop this session, i would add in partner stretches and massage to highlight the areas of tightness within the upper-body anatomy. I also would apply the upper-body strength to a choreographic phrase, so dancers could connect the use of strength within a routine.

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Workshop 4 30/04/2024 (reflective response)

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Workshop 4 30/04/2024 (reflective response)

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Today's focus was on ankle stability/strength and core strength. From the participants comments, a few mentioned how they found this session very useful and didn't know several of the stability and resistance band exercises which can help prevent the most common site of injury. Within this session i gave them bosu ball balancing exercises to activate the fixator muscles within the foot and then got the participants to test out the exercises on the floor afterwards. They felt they had more control when going from an uneven surface to an even one. If i were to develop this session i would add a foot articulation exercise and adage to apply what the participants have learnt when ankle stability is needed in a dance class setting. I found i had little time to focus on the abdominal and lower back exercises as the foot stability and strength took up a large section of the session. If i were to improve the session, i would allow time for more explanation on the broad term "core strength" to give myself time to breakdown the sections of the abdominal and lower back (extrinsic and intrinsic muscles) which would then explain the variety of exercises used.

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Workshop 5 07/05/2024 (reflective response)

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Workshop 5 07/05/2024 (reflective response)

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Today's session was focused on the fitness test to determine the progress made in participants over the course of the 5 weeks. I saw a significant improvement in many of the participants technique especially the squat and deadlift as they had practiced them in previous sessions. I saw more confidence and them working independently with less prompts needed for technique. I realised during the session i should have highlighted the importance of breathing in when going with the direction of force and breathing out going against the force of weight, as this was a reoccurring pointer i needed to mention on the squat station. The implementation of the vertical jump test worked well and in the future if i had more resources i would invest in a power output tracker such as force plates to get precise results of the dancers when doing plyometrics. This session was useful to asses the dancers weight progression on the fitness circuit, if i were to scale up the project i would have to instructors for this session to ensure all participants are given more consistent technique pointers.

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when creating the fitness test lesson plan, i chose to include compound movements such as barbell squat, deadlift and shoulder press. Compound movements use several muscle groups in one exercise,this is relevant for dancers in training as the majority of exercises/movements in dance class involve several muscle groups in synergy. The deadlift focusing on back, glute, hamstring, quadricep and core strengthening, which is a transferable skill for dancers, especially in ballet for scapula placement in arm sequences and the strength/power needed within the lower-body for allegro and adage. https://wasatchcontemporary.com/?p=2437#:~:text=Dance%20techniques%20require%20multiple%20muscle,muscles%20to%20complete%20the%20exercise. I also thought it was key to add in isometric exercises such as the plank and wall-sit as within dance training this will assist with control in phrases and challenge the dancers ability to hold static movements to increase stamina. This will also help improve any plie exercises in the centre. Finally i also implemented the vertical jump test to asses the dancers explosiveness for jumping and develop their fast twitch fibers as the other exercises are predominantly slow twitch fiber exercises. By training the fast twitch fibers this will assist dancers in fast foot work and quick changes of dynamics. https://www.healthline.com/health/fast-twitch-muscles

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The 10 Best Compound Exercises for Strength - Muscle & Fitness

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Make sure these compound exercises are part of your regular workout routine to hit more than one muscle group at a time for a more efficient workout.

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When planning for the lower body focused session, i thought it was important to have a variety of unilateral and bilateral exercises, especially as within dance movement vocabulary the body moves in multiple planes of motion. Particularly unilateral endurance/strength training is important for a dancer as often they are required to balance on one leg or one side of the body. By including lunges, Bulgarian split squat and singular glute activation exercises. This prepares the dancer for strength and control within movements whilst practicing engaging fixator muscles which work in synergy to sustain the movement such as the bracing of the abdominal, shoulder girdle and lower back muscles.

https://dancer-fitness.com/strengthen-glutes-to-advance-your-favorite-dance-skills/#:~:text=Strong%20glutes%20improve%20countless%20skills,extension%2C%20abduction%2C%20and%20rotation.

I thought it was important to include glute activation exercises as majority of power output when doing explosive movements comes from the pelvis (glute, external rotator muscles).The glute strength of a dancer can also impact the turnout of the pelvis and the stability and control in unilateral exercises which is why it is important to continue to strengthen the external and internal rotators. As mentioned within the article above, the combination of strength and balanced alignment within the muscles surrounding a joint, the less likely they will become injured. As the gluteal muscles are big in mass, if they are under developed this causes more strain on the neighboring muscles such as the lower back and hamstrings.

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Abstract

Exercises can be categorized into either unilateral or bilateral movements. Despite the topic popularity, the answer to the question as to which (unilateral or bilateral) is superior for a certain athletic performance enhancement remains unclear. To compare the effect of unilateral and bilateral resistance training interventions on measures of athletic performance. Keywords related with unilateral, bilateral and performance were used to search in the Web of Science, PubMed databases, and Google Scholar and ResearchGate™ websites. 6365 articles were initially identified, 14 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis, with overall article quality being deemed moderate. The quantitative analysis comprised 392 subjects (aged: 16 to 26 years). Sub-group analysis showed that unilateral exercise resistance training resulted in a large effect in improving unilateral jump performance compared to bilateral training (ES = 0.89 [0.52, 1.26]). In contrast, bilateral exercise resistance training showed a small effect in improving bilateral strength compared to unilateral (ES = -0.43 [-0.71, -0.14]). Non-significant differences were found in improving unilateral strength (ES = 0.26 [-0.03, 0.55]), bilateral jump performance (ES = -0.04 [-0.31, 0.23]), change of direction (COD) (ES = 0.31 [-0.01, 0.63]) and speed (ES = -0.12 [-0.46, 0.21]) performance. Unilateral resistance training exercises should be chosen for improving unilateral jumping performance, and bilateral resistance training exercises should be chosen for improving bilateral strength performance.

Keywords: Exercise selection, Unilateral exercises, Bilateral exercises, Performance

INTRODUCTION

Resistance training is one of the most widely used methods of enhancing athletic performance [ 1- 3]. One of the challenging problems faced by practitioners is the issue of how to optimally choose the exercises to maximize training effects when prescribing resistance training programs. Typically, exercises in the weight room can be categorized into either unilateral or bilateral. A unilateral exercise is a weight bearing movement mainly or completely involving one limb (e.g. single leg squat, Bulgarian split squat and single leg jump), whereas, a bilateral exercise is a weight bearing movement executed evenly and simultaneously by both limbs (e.g. back squat, deadlift and countermovement jump). Traditionally, bilateral exercises are selected as the primary exercises for athletic development [ 4, 5] due to their effects on improving strength and power [ 6- 9]. In contrast, unilateral exercises have been commonly considered to be 'more supplementary' for injury prevention [ 10]. However, many key sport-specific skills involved with the basic lower-body movements (e.g. running, changing direction, jumping, kicking) are executed completely or predominantly unilaterally. Under the specificity of training adaptation and to maximize the transfer of training [ 11], it could be argued that unilateral exercises similar to sport-specific skills, may be the best choice to improve athletic performance [ 10, 12], and prioritized as a key exercise in such training programs. But the answer to the question of which one (unilateral vs. bilateral) is better for athletic performance enhancement remains unclear.

Specificity of training exercises is crucial for transference of training-induced adaptations to the target performance [ 13]. Young [ 5] proposed that exercise should be as specific as possible to optimize the transfer of training. In addition, Bosch [ 14] proposed that intra-muscular and inter-muscular coordination, outer movement resemblance and energy production are the key factors to evaluate and predict the specificity of the training methods. A compelling body of empirical evidence also supports exercise type specificity with regards to the range of motions, velocities, postures, and patterns [ 13, 15- 18]. Actually, except for the obvious mechanical differences, unilateral and bilateral exercises also differ in intra- and inter-muscular aspects such as interhemispheric mutual activation [ 19], postural stability [ 20], relationship of force and velocity [ 21], psychological state [ 22] and lumbar load [ 23]. Based on those distinctions, unilateral and bilateral resistance training are expected not to transfer equally.

According to the training principle of specificity, unilateral resistance training should improve unilateral performance measures better compared with bilateral resistance training, and vice versa. However, current findings are conflicting with respect to which is better for the improvement of measures of athletic performance [ 24- 30]. Some studies support the notion that unilateral resistance training (e.g. Bulgarian split squat) improves unilateral strength more than bilateral exercise training (e.g. back squat) [ 24, 26], and some studies have found no differences between methods [ 25, 31]. There is also confusion about which method is superior for the improvement of change of direction (COD) speed performance, with some favoring unilateral training methods [ 32] and others favoring bilateral methods [ 26]. Furthermore, there is also conflicting evidence on the effects of these training methods on bilateral strength, jump and speed performance [ 24- 26, 28, 31, 32]. Recently, a meta-analysis carried by Moran et al., [ 33] concluded that there was no difference between the effect of unilateral and bilateral resistance training on horizontal movement speed (ES = 0.17, p = 0.30), but noted that the effect size was pooled by 7 short sprints, 2 CODs, 1 five alternated leg bounding and 1 stair climb outcomes from 11 included studies. Given this review focused purely on the effects on horizontal speed, it is still unclear how both bilateral and unilateral exercises transfer to other key physical attributes, such as strength, jumping and COD speed. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the effects of unilateral vs. bilateral resistance training on improving athletic performance. The hypothesis was that the effect of unilateral and bilateral resistance training would follow the principle of specificity. In other words, the unilateral resistance training would be better for improving the unilateral performance, and the bilateral resistance training would be better for improving the bilateral performance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Literature research

This systematic review was conducted under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA). One author searched the related articles from Web of Science (1980-2020) and PubMed (1949 to 2020). The following keywords inclusive of three main terms as unilateral, bilateral and performance were used and combined under Boolean's language with the operators AND and OR. Term 1: unilateral, split squat, single leg, one leg, step up, lunge, Bulgarian split squat. Term 2: bilateral, back squat, deadlift, double leg, two legs, hang clean, hang snatch. Term 3: performance, strength, resistance, speed, power, jump, agility, change of direction (COD), endurance. If studies were not available in relevant electronic databases, then further searches were conducted in Google Scholar and Research Gate™ websites. Finally, additional studies were identified by checking the reference list of the selected articles. The final search date for literature was October 1, 2020 ( Figure 1 ).

Inclusion Criteria

Studies were eligible if they met the following criteria: (1) implemented both unilateral and bilateral resistance training interventions; (2) the duration of training was longer than 4 weeks; (3) the training intensity was moderate to heavy; (4) included healthy participants aged from 16 to 40 years old in both genders; (5) had measured athletic performance (Speed, strength, COD, power test etc.) before and after the training intervention; (6) presented full data (mean and SD) that allowed effect sizes to be calculated; (7) the manuscripts were written in English and were published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Literature selection

The first author imported all records into Endnote software (X9.3.3) and deleted any duplicates. Then, the first and fourth authors checked the title and abstract separately to exclude any unrelated articles, with the remaining full texts screened against the inclusion criteria. There was no disagreement between the 2 authors on that aspect.

Risk of bias assessment

The fourth and fifth authors independently assessed the selected studies. In case of disagreement on certain item scores, the item scores would be given after discussion. Considering the most risk of bias assessment scales such as Delphi scale, PEDro scale and Cochrane scale are designed for medical research, studies about training interventions usually get very low score under these methodological scales [ 34]. We preferred the scale ( Table 1 ) modified by Brughelli et al [ 34] and Hooren et al. [ 35]. This scale is deemed more suitable for sport science research, and includes 10 items, with each item rated as: 0 = clearly no/not reported, 1 = maybe, and 2 = clearly yes. The articles were rated poor with a total score lower than 10, moderate with a score between 10 and 15, good with a score > 15, and excellent with a score equal to 20.

Coding of the studies

The first author extracted the data from the selected literatures with a standard table. The code included: (1) participants: age, gender, identity and training experience; (2) interventions: frequency, duration, exercises, intensity and volume; (3) measurements and results: pre and post test outcome, with means and standard deviation.

Statistical analysis

The review manager software (5.3) was used for the meta-analytic comparison if more than one outcome were evaluated for a certain kind athletic performance measure between unilateral and bilateral resistance training (e.g. Strength, speed), subgroup analyses were performed.

Chi ² and I ² were calculated to test the heterogeneity. For I ² values of 25, 50, and 75% represent low, medium, and high heterogeneity, respectively [ 36]. For Chi ² with large value and p < 0.1 show evidences of heterogeneity. If p > 0.1 and I ² < 50%, the fixed effects model was applied. Otherwise, the random effects model was applied and provoked further investigation through a subgroup analysis of moderator variables (Training experience, identity, gender, training frequency, training modalities, training weeks). In order to identify the presence of highly influential studies, a sensitivity analysis was executed by removing one study at a time. Studies were considered as influential if removal resulted in a change of heterogeneity ( p) from significance ( p < 0. 1) to non-significance ( p > 0.1).

Standardized mean differences (SMD) was calculated with the following algorithm [ 37]:

[(M post,unilateral - M pre, unilateral) - (M post,bilateral - M pre, bilateral)/pooled SD pre]

This algorithm was selected as it has been recommended for effect size calculation of independent pre-/post- study designs in meta-analysis based on simulation results. The algorithm in speed and COD outcomes was adjusted as [M pre - M post], of which the smaller values represent better results compared with other outcomes. SMD was used because the studies all evaluate the same outcome but test it in various methods such as maximum power of leg press (n.m) and 1RM of leg press (kg) in strength measures. The absolute values of effect sizes were rated with the following criterion given by Cohen [ 38]: < 0.2 as trivial, 0.2-0.49 as small, 0.5-0.79 as moderate, ≥ 0.8 as large. Values are reported with 95% confidence intervals to describe the range of the true effect. If the absolute value of aggregated effect and 95% confidence interval are above zero, effect size can be considered as clear evidence: A positive effect size indicated that the effect of unilateral exercises training was better for the improvement of athletic performance than bilateral exercise training, and a negative effect size indicates the opposite, i.e. bilateral better than unilateral.

Given that unilateral athletic performance tests in included studies are generally divided into the left and right leg separately, and 5 of included studies have used multiple measures of the same athletic performance such as 10 m sprint, 20 m sprint for speed performance ( table 2 ), which may introduce statistical dependency into the meta-analytic data set and enlarge the type I error due to the same participants contributing to two or more effect sizes [ 39], we selected a single most relevant effect size to deal with the multiplicity according to a decision rule as following: 1) the most used test in included studies; 2) the right leg test; 3) in accordance with training practice: a) multiple joint movements > Single joint movements; b) Dynamic movements > isometric movements/isokinetic movements; 4) shorter links with the true athletic performance: Jumping performance: single jump > multiple jumps; change of direction: preference to the greater angle and shorter sprint distance.

TABLE 2

Study

Athletic performance

Multiplicity of Outcome

Selected for meta-Analysis

RESULTS

Search results

The initial search resulted in 6365 records. After excluding 2791 duplicates, 3574 studies were selected to be screened by title and abstract. When applying the inclusion criteria, 3498 papers were subsequently excluded. The remaining 76 articles were read in full, with 62 rejected because they were acute studies (n = 21), not including both unilateral and bilateral training groups (n = 19), reviews (n = 10), participants with an age outside the criteria boundaries (n = 5), not English (n = 3), not peer-reviewed (n = 3), multiple publication (n = 1). This left 14 studies to be included in the final analysis.

Risk of bias assessment

TABLE 3

Studies

Items

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Score

Studies' Characteristics

The total number of subjects was 392 ( Table 4 ) and the participants' age ranged from 16 to 26 years. Nine studies solely included males [ 24- 26, 28, 32, 40- 42, 44]. Three studies included both males and females [ 27, 31, 43], and 2 studies included females only [ 29, 30]. All male athletes [ 24- 26, 28, 32, 40, 41] were from team sports, including soccer [ 25, 32, 40, 41], basketball [ 24, 26] and rugby [ 28]. Twelve studies had training frequency of twice per week [ 24- 32, 40- 42], and two studies had performed training 3 times per week [ 43, 44]. The training duration ranged from 5 to 12 weeks.

TABLE 4

Study

Participants

Training Program

Outcome Measure

Identity

Training Experience (years)

Age (years)

Gender

N

Frequency (times/week)

Weeks

Sets

Reps

Intensity (%1RM)

Unilateral Exercises

Bilateral exercises

Performance test

Gonzalo-Skok et al.[ 24]

Basketball Players

> 2

16.9 ± 2.1

M

22

2

6

3

> 10%
MP

80-100%
MP

Bul
squat

Back
squat

Back squat MP
Bul Squat MP
CMJ B
25 m Sprint
V test
15 m shuttle

Botton et al.[ 29]

Healthy active females

None

24.8 ± 1.4

F

43

2

12

2-4

5-15

5-15
RM

KE U

KE B

KE B 1RM
KE U 1RM
Iso-KE B MP
Iso-KE U MP

Krajewski et al.[ 44]

Healthy active males

no

26.4 ± 5.5

M

15

3

4

3

4-6

60-90%

Bul squat Deadlift U
CMJ U

Back squat Deadlift CMJ

Back squat 1RM
Bul squat 1RM

Javier Nunez et al.[ 42]

Healthy active males

-

22.8 ± 2.9

M

27

2

6

4

7

0.05-0.1
kg/m ²

ECC lunge

ECC Squat

CMJ
5 m shuttle
5 m 90º 5 m
10 m sprint

Gonzalo-Skok et al.[ 41]

Football Players

1-3

20.5 ± 2

M

48

2

8

6

6-10

0.27
kg/m ²

6 ECC
Lunges

ECC squat

CMJ
CMJ U
HCMJ U
Lateral jump U
25 m sprint
20 m sprint
10 m sprint
10 m shuttle
20 m shuttle
25 m shuttle

The intensity of the resistance training ranged from 45-90% 1RM, and the volume, which was equal in both groups, ranged from 3 to 15 repetitions. The intensity of jumps was maximum without external loading, with repetitions and sets ranging from 3 to 15 and 1 to 8, respectively.

Quantitative analysis

The performance tests in included studies can be categorized into 6 subgroups, namely: unilateral strength, bilateral strength, unilateral jump, bilateral jump, COD and speed performance tests. After sensitive analysis, the I ² < 50% in all subgroups suggested a non-significant heterogeneity, and the fixed effects models were used to aggregate the SMDs. The total heterogeneity (Chi ² = 70.25, p = 0.03; I ² = 39%) of 44 effects was medium. The overall effect size was non-significant and classified as trivial effect (ES = 0.09; p = 0.15; 95% CI: -0.03, 0.22) ( Figure 2 ). The heterogeneity for inter subgroup differences was large (I ² = 86.1%).

Unilateral strength performance

After dealing with the multiplicity ( Table 2 ), 9 outcomes were selected for meta-analysis. The heterogeneity was low (Chi ² = 10.30, p = 0.24; I ² = 22%). In fixed effects model, overall effect was not significant ( p = 0.07). Pooled effect size and 95% CI were 0.26 (-0.03, 0.55) and classified as a small effect.

Unilateral jump performance

After dealing with the multiplicity, 6 outcomes were selected for meta-analysis. The original heterogeneity was high (I ² = 60%), after alternated sensitive analysis, one study with eccentric overload training different from others was excluded, and the adjusted heterogeneity was low (Chi ² = 4.85, p = 0.30, I ² = 18%). In fixed effects model, the pooled effect size and 95% CI was 0.89 (0.52, 1.26) with statistical significance ( p < 0.0001) and classified as a large effect.

DISCUSSION

This systematic review with meta-analysis aimed to compare the training effects of unilateral vs. bilateral resistance training on measures of athletic performance. The results showed that: 1) both unilateral and bilateral resistance training improve athletic performance; 2) with respect to all performance measures, overall effect showed no difference between unilateral resistance training and bilateral resistance training; 3) based on the subgroup analysis, the unilateral resistance training showed a large effect on improving unilateral jumping performance, but non-significant difference on improving unilateral strength performance in comparison to bilateral exercises. In contrast, bilateral resistance training exhibited a small effect on improving bilateral strength performance, but non-significant differences on improving bilateral jumping performance in comparison to unilateral training. Finally, COD and speed performance improvement showed no differences between unilateral and bilateral resistance training; however COD, which involves unilateral propuslive force production, did show a small effect in favor of unilateral resistance training.

Strength performance

The outcome of bilateral strength performance subgroup supported our hypothesis that bilateral resistance training followed the training principle of specificity, which demonstrated a small effect (ES = -0.43) on improving bilateral strength performance in comparison with unilateral resistance training. It is clear that the muscle cross-sectional area and neuromuscular adaptation are the main factors for developing maximum strength [ 45]. There is evidence that unilateral and bilateral strength traning had a similar impact on muscle mass [ 46], girth [ 29] and cross-sectional area [ 47]. However, Helme et al., [ 48] found that almost 15% of the load was placed on the rear leg during the Bulgarian split squat. It could be inferred that the rear leg might be contributed to the concentric phase, which means that the lead leg might decrease force development. Anderson et al., [ 49] and McCurdy et al [ 50] found that the bilateral squat activated the kneejoint agonists (e.g., quadriceps) greater than the Bulgarian split squat, while the Bulgarian split squat showed greater antagonists such as the hamstrings, hip abductors and trunk musculature. Cumulatively, it could be speculated that bilateral strength training may produce greater knee agonist neuromuscular adaptation owing to higher load other than the muscle growth.

Four studies in this systematic review showed that the bilateral group mitigated the bilateral force deficit (BLD), but unilateral resistance training increased the BLD in measures of knee extension, isometric leg press and squat with one leg and both legs, respectively [ 24, 27, 29, 43]. BLD is described as the sum of the maximum forces exerted by the left and right limbs unilaterally as being greater than the simultaneous exertion of both limbs bilaterally [ 51]. More recently, Bishop et al. found that a combination of bilateral and unilateral resistance training had superior effects on unilateral jump performance compared to bilateral. Consequently, it stands to reason that if greater improvements in unilateral jump performance are evident (compared to bilateral), it will have an effect on the BLD outcome (remembering that the BLD is a product of both unilateral and bilateral scores, presented as a single ratio number) [ 52]. In line with the definition and the findings by Bishop et al., the results of these 4 studies might be explained by the reason of specificity. Simply put, that unilateral resistance training is likely to enhance unilateral performance measures more than bilateral performance measures, and vice versa. Given the inherent differences in study design of these 4 studies (e.g.different levels of stability requirements in the chosen methods but still with similar effects on the BLD), it is speculated that neuromuscular factors induced by the mechanism of BLD may be more of a contributing factor to changes than stability.

The results of unilateral strength performance subgroup indicated that unilateral resistance training had a small effect (ES = 0.26) on improving unilateral strength. However, there were not statistically significant between-group differences. Our finding did not correspond well with included studies which found clear evidence that unilateral resistance training was better for improving unilateral strength performance [ 24, 26]. The possible explanation was that these studies did not adjust each intervention group's mean changes between pre and post tests for analysis as in the current study, which may enlarge the probability to make the false inference due to the selection effect. For example, McCurdy et al., [ 31] found that 8 weeks' unilateral resistance training was more effective in improving 1RM of a Bulgarian split squat than the bilateral resistance training. However, after adjusting the pretest difference, both groups exhibited similar effects on the 1RM of Bulgarian split squat. In addition, the unilateral exercises may stimulate the stabilizing muscles in the core and knee to a greater extent than bilateral exercises [ 50, 53], which are likely to be beneficial for improving stability and force transference through the kinetic chain. However, the greater agonist neuromuscular adapation of bilateral resistance training may counteract the superiority of stability and specificity of unilateral exercises in unilateral strength tests. Therefore, it is up to coaches to determine what the athlete needs and program accordingly.

Jump performance

The larger improvement in unilateral jump performance induced by unilateral rather than bilateral resistance training corresponded with the training principle of specificity. Five studies were included in the unilateral jump subgroups, all of which applied jumping exercises as intervention modalities [ 25, 27, 30, 31, 40] and found that the effect of unilateral jumping training were better (ES: 0.24-1.66) than bilateral jumping training. These findings might result from the differences in stability and neuromuscular adaptation of agonists. In unilateral jumping, the smaller supporting surface triggers a higher co-activation in the stabilizing muscle groups (e.g. hamstrings), and helps maintain the head, arms, trunk and lower limbs in the same direction during both landing and taking off. As a result, the stability of the lower limbs are improved, and the absorption of the reaction force of the lower limbs decreases during the landing phase [ 54]. Bogdanis et al. [ 27] found that unilateral jumping training was more effective at improving unilateral squat jump performance and RFD 0-50 ms and RFD 0-100 ms (Rate of force development) in unilateral isometric seated leg extension in comparison to bilateral jump training. Turki et al. [ 55] also found that the electromyographic level of the vastus intermedius and gastrocnemius in unilateral body weight vertical jump was 10-25% higher than that in bilateral body weight vertical jumps. According to the force-velocity relationship, unilateral jumping without a second limb to 'spread the load' needs to push a greater relative load with a longer time to take off. It could be inferred that unilateral jumping might make the muscles generate more force, and more strongly stimulate the muscles such as the extensors of the ankle, knee and hip to result in greater neuromuscular adaptation when considering individual limbs. It should be noted that 1 study not included for aggregating effect size after sensitive analysis purely used eccentric overload resistance exercises as intervention modalities and found bilateral training group improved unilateral countermovment jump better than the unilateral exercise group [ 41]. Although speculative, the results may be attributed to the eccentric force improvement in bilateral group which help to stablize the posture during testing. In addition, the training status of subjects will also have an effect on results. For example, it is plausible that high-level athletes might exhibit less improvements in bilateral jump performance (compared to non-athletes), as there is arguably a reduced 'window of opportunity' for enahnced adapatation [ 56]. However, it could be suggested that improvements in unilateral jump performance may be more likely for all, owing to the use of unilateral resistance training methods being employed less frequently. This concept is partly supported by the findings of Bishop et al. [ 53] who showed sigificant improvements in unilateral jump height (but not bilateral), after an 8-week combined bilateral and unilateral strength training programme. Collectively, these evidences may explain why unilateral resistance training had a larger effect on improving unilateral jumping performance in comparison with bilateral resistance training.

The overall effect size of bilateral jumping subgroup was trivial in favor of bilateral exercises training, but the value was not statistically significant. The results may be the contribution of the mechanism of bilateral deficit and differences in kinetics [ 57]. When both legs contract simultaneously, the nerve activation of the left and right interhemisphere may be mutually inhibited, and there was a lack of bilateral activation while training unilaterally, so it would be expected that muscles would not achieve maximum voluntary contraction in unilateral jump group. Furthermore, the contact time for bilateral and unilateral jumps (CMJ) was 178-190 ms and > 250 ms respectively [ 21]. As above explained, the unilateral jump needs to push relative higher load, which may result in greater range of motion and deeper squat depth for producing greater force, subsequently increase the contact time. Thus, it is conceivable that the unilateral jump group might be unable to adapt in the shorter exertion time to develop similar force as the bilateral jump group in the measure of bilateral jump test [ 58]. In contrast, bilateral jump exercises similar with the test modality may have a priority of familiarization and be adapted to exert force in shorter time.

Change of direction (COD) and speed performance

COD speed and sprint have been suggested to be largely unilateral exercises in previous research [ 12, 59]. However, our results indicated that the effect size in the speed subgroup showed no difference between unilateral and bialteral resistance training, similar to recent findings [ 33]. However, COD was likely to be in favor of unilateral resistance training with a small effect.

Four of the 7 studies in the COD subgroup that adopted both the Bulgarian split squat versus back squat as the modalities of resistance intervention [ 24, 25, 28, 32] supported use of the Bulgarian split squat over the back squat. McCurdy et al. found that the Bulgarian split squat could produce greater activation in glutes maximus and hamstring compared with back squat [ 50]. Another 2 studies in this subgroup used eccentric overload as the intervention modality also supported the unilateral group as being the more favourable method on enhancing COD performance. Chaabene et al., [ 60] obtained a moderate to very large correlation ( r = 0.45-0.89) between eccentric strength and the COD performance through a systematic review. The concentric force of push, the eccentric force during decelerating, and the ground contact time are the key factors affecting the ability to COD effectively [ 61, 62]. A larger eccentric braking force can shorten the deceleration time, increase the elastic force of the muscles and connective tissue, and generate a greater subsequent push force, which collectively results in a shorter ground contact time, greater acceleration, and thereby improving overall COD performance [ 62]. Accordingly, the unilateral exercises such as Bulgarian split squat emphasizes the use of eccentric force in a predominantly unilateral manner, which could explain the greater improvement on COD performance.

The current data also demonstrated that bilateral resistance training had a trivial effect on improving linear speed performance. Various factors account for the improvement of speed performance. Empirical evidence shows that the rate of force development in short time and large propulsive forces in initial acceration stage are the main attributes of speed performance. Wilkau et al. [ 63] found that the contact time, vertical force and peak propulsive forces (r = -0.64, r = 0.57 and r = 0.66, respectively) contributed most to the step velocity. In a meta analysis of 15 studies, Seitz et al. [ 64] reported a strong relationship between squat strength and sprint performance ( r = -0.77; p = 0.001). In the current study, the strength subgroup showed that bilateral exercise training had a larger effect in improving bilateral strength with statistical significance. Collectively, the improvement of bilateral strength may explain the trivial effect in favor of bilateral exercises training on improving speed.

It should be noted that the overall effect of each training method (unilateral vs bilateral) on COD and speed were not statistically significant. This could be attributed to the studies' small sample size, the lack of specificity of training methods with regards to the tests measures, and/or the low transference of jump and resistance training adaptations to sprint and COD performance measures [ 65]. However, Hopkins et al. [ 66] stated the smallest worthwhile enhancement (SWE) by 10% will help the athletes to win the game. SWE was calculated by the coefficient of the variablility (CV) of withinathlete's performance from competition to competition. With respect to short running events, it was found SWE was even lower to 0.3-0.5% [ 67]. This indicated that although the effect sizes were rather small or not significance between unilateral vs. bilateral resistance training, when inter-athlete variability was counted, the small difference in improving performance caused by the exercise selection were within a range that was meaningful for elite athletes. Thus, these findings still have significant implications for understanding how to choose unilateral or bilateral resistance exercise for optimizing speed performance.

It should be acknowleged that some limitations exist in our paper. Firstly, the lower number (< 10) of studies in subgroup analyses means it was not possible to do further meta-regression analysis. Thus, as is often the case in science, more research is likely needed to provide greater clarity between the two training methods. Secondly, all included studies for this meta-analysis applied lower body exercises as training intervention, thus, whether the present findings based on lower limbs studies can be applied to the upper limbs remains unclear. Future research should attempt to investigate the difference between bilateral and unilateral exercises training for the upper limbs. Thirdly, the included participants' age ranged 16 to 26 years, which means that our results may not be extrapolated to those participants with age out of this range. But it still can provide references for these practitioners.

CONCLUSIONS

This study set out to establish the different effects between unilateral and bilateral resistance training on strength, jump, linear and COD speed performance. The most interesting findings was that unilateral resistance training was superior for enhancing unilateral jump performance, and bilateral resistance training was superior for enhancing bilateral strength performance. But both had no significant difference in enhancing unilateral strength, bilateral jump, linear and COD speed performance. The results suggest that both kinds of training should likely be considered by practitioners. Specifically, bilateral exercises should be chosen for enhancing bilateral strength performance, and unilateral exercises should be chosen for enhancing unilateral jump performance. With regards to other performance outcomes (e.g., linear and COD speed), practitioners can probably choose any kind of exercises based on their interest and the availability of facilities.

Funding

This work was supported by the Winter Olympics Foundation [2018FF0300901] and China Institute of Sport Science Basic Foundation [Basic 17-30] grants to Yong-ming Li.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

REFERENCES

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48. Helme M, Emmonds S, Low C. Is the rear foot elevated split squat unilateral? An investigation into the kinetic and kinematic demands. J Strength Cond Res. 2020; (in press). [[ PubMed] Google Scholar]

52. Bishop C, Abbott W, Brashill C, Read P, Turner AN. Effects of pre-season strength training on bilateral and unilateral jump performance, and the bilateral deficit in premier league academy soccer players. Prof Strength Cond J. 2021; (in press). [ Google Scholar]

67. Hopkins WG. Competitive performance of elite track-and-field athletes: variability and smallest worthwhile enhancements. SPORTSCIENCE. 2005; 9: 1-5. [ Google Scholar]

Articles from Biology of Sport are provided here courtesy of Institute of Sport

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Effects of unilateral vs. bilateral resistance training interventions on measures of strength, jump, linear and change of direction speed: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Exercises can be categorized into either unilateral or bilateral movements. Despite the topic popularity, the answer to the question as to which (unilateral or bilateral) is superior for a certain athletic performance enhancement remains unclear. To compare ...

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When creating the upper-body sessions, i looked into the four main archetypes for the shoulders; 1.overhead press 2. press 3. hang 4.a front rack 1 4.b front rack 2. This information enabled me to create a upper body circuit with a variety of archetypes to ensure dancers were getting full range potential of the shoulder. Within this session and the previous leg session i mentioned the importance of torque which "is a turning force . It's the amount of energy that you need to turn a wrench or open a jar. When it comes to the human body, I use the word torque to describe the turning force generated by the hips and shoulders, which causes the limbs to rotate"(Starret, K. Becoming a supple leopard. 2015. p. 63-64). The understanding of torque for a dancer can have a massive impact on their physical health by utilizing the activation of muscles surrounding the joint the individual will see improvements in exercises involving turn out and shoulder stability. This is very key in the squat position and press-up position. Within this session i also included the foam roller for fascia release and mobility of the thoracic spine. https://www.healthline.com/health/lat-stretches#foam-rolling

I mentioned about the latisimass dorsi; how it can restrict over head movement and how to release it on a lacrosse ball and foam roller by moving the body side to side against the direction of muscle fibers whilst lying on your side. This is also mentioned in becoming a supple leopard called "latissimass dorsi smash" and has various releases for every muscle group within the body.

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Body Archetypes and the Tunnel by Erin Blaser

Coaches and athletes may be able to relate to the "crossed wires situation," (i.e. the situation of not being able to effectively communicate with one another.) The coach instructs the athlete to flatten their back during a deadlift, and they drop their shoulders, creating a rounded position instead. I personally have tapped dowels to my clients' torsos in order to train the flat back of a hip hinge, and have seen other trainers who have had to physically move their clients' limbs, and push and pull them into proper positions for exercises. It is a situation of simultaneous humor and frustration. Wouldn't training be more effective if everyone just understood how their bodies need to be positioned and were able to do it?

This chapter on archetypes that I'm covering in this blog post does not offer a direct solution to this issue, however it does shed light on what the ideal positions are for the hip and shoulder girdles, and provides some great tips on how to use them to make coaching more effective. In this blog I will first discuss the seven "archetypes" (as Starrett calls them): what they look like and how to test them; and then I will talk more about how to apply these positions to coaching.

According to Starrett there are seven body archetypes: four for the shoulder girdle, and three for the hips. These archetypes are ideal positions, that "represent the stable positions for the hips and shoulders, and encompass the entire range of motion for most shoulder and hip movements" (Starrett, 115). They exemplify common movement patterns that are not only used in the weight room, but also in activities of daily life.

(Starrett, Page. 92)

2. (Shoulder) Press
What it looks like: shoulder extended so the elbow is behind the ribcage. The elbow is bent so that the forearm is parallel to the floor and palm is down. The spine and neck should be in a neutral position.
Common associated movements: reaching behind you, jumping, getting off the ground from your belly
Common associated exercises: push up, dip, row, burpee

(Starrett, Page 93)

7. (Hip) Lunge
What it looks like: Hip extension and internal rotation. Lunge position with the back leg with 70-90° of flexion and the knee behind the hip; and the front leg with a vertical shin and knee aligned with the foot.
Common associated movements: running, walking up stairs, climbing uphill, kneeling
Common associated exercises: split jerk, lunge

In order to test each of these archetypes on an athlete or client, simply use your best coaching cues to describe each position. As with all assessments, the goal is to see how the person interprets the concept of the motion, not to see how well they can follow directions. In order to get the most preferable result and to best understand how the athlete/client interprets movement, it is better to coach less in your instruction. For example, to assess a client's lunge position, instructions would be closer to "stand hip-width apart and take a big step forward, bending both knees until your back knee lightly touches the floor," than what is in this post for what the proper lunge position looks like. Some tweaks may need to be made here and there, but the goal is to grasp the athlete/client's current state; the correcting and coaching comes later.

Assessment of clients and athletes on their positioning in each archetype can provide a significant amount of insight into their muscular imbalances and limitations in mobility. Starrett advises taking the information gained from such assessments to address mobility issues primarily; however, that advice may not fall under the scope of practice of a personal trainer or a strength coach. What does fall under our scope of practice is coaching proper technique. Poor positioning can be corrected by good external cueing, and technique must be assessed in every lift, whether it is a body weight squat or a max deadlift.

Let's talk a little bit more about the application of Starrett's archetypes to coaching. You may have noticed in the listings of exercises that were associated with each archetype some were the actual name of the position, and some exercises also included "set ups." Early in this chapter, Starrett introduces the tunnel concept: one must begin a movement (enter the tunnel) in a good position in order to finish the movement (exit the tunnel) in a good position. The set up for exercises is key to the quality of the movement performed. Think about it this way: it's much more difficult to get into a "good position" once load, speed, or tension is added into the equation. Try unracking the barbell before bracing your core; it won't be as easy to obtain that optimal positioning and back stabilization with weight compressing your vertebral discs.

The set up is paramount, but every coach also knows that a lift is no good unless it is finished properly. Starrett makes coaching easier by providing seven ideal start and/or end positions for basic lifts. Teach your athletes or clients to master these archetypes, and the transition from the overhead position to the front rack position while hanging from a bar becomes a pull up. Each archetype can be used as a coaching cue to aid athletes or clients in performing exercises safely and functionally. There is more transitioning between the shoulder archetypes than between the hip archetypes, but even so, these learned positions are great reference points ("position yourself behind the bar in a squat with your hips low and spine in neutral" as a cue for setting up for a deadlift, snatch, or clean).

Starrett's chapter on Body Archetypes does a great job of breaking down important positions that can have serious implications on the quality of a person's movement. Coming from a more therapeutic standpoint, Starrett promotes good mobility practice for daily life and safe exercise. As coaches and trainers, we can expand on this idea and use it as a guide to instruct proper movement. It's definitely a challenge to teach an old dog new tricks, and many clients or athletes that come into our facilities have years of poor movement patterns and positioning under their belt. But this challenge is not impossible; it simply requires time, energy, and practice to reteach this positioning and improve the overall quality of movement (and of life!) of the people we serve.

I recently was at the East Tennessee State University Coaches College, and one of the speakers mentioned that as strength coaches, we do not train [insert sport here] in the weight room. We make athletes stronger so that they can go out and play their sport better. I could not agree more; we work to strengthen the rotator cuffs of swimmers and baseball pitchers, but do not coach the angle that the arm must hit the water or the follow through on a curve ball. However, helping athletes gain strength in the most stable positions will transfer to how stable they are in similar positions during sport. A hurdler that exhibits knee valgus (toward the midline) during a basic or loaded lunge is more likely to have inconsistent ground contact and force production during running, which could cause complications when they try to launch themselves over an obstacle.

As a personal trainer who works with clientele displaying a myriad of health issues, muscular imbalances and tightness, and coordination and balance issues, I am very excited to implement Starrett's archetypes into my training. Many of my clients are new to strength training, and are open to learning the proper ways to move and position themselves so that they will avoid injury. I can see how these positions transfer to daily life activities and know that everyone can benefit from improved quality of movement. I also am excited to develop a coaching vocabulary with the people that I train. After building a base with Starrett's archetypes, clients can learn more complex movements through association. Being able to use movements that they are familiar with and have ingrained in their brains will hopefully lead to less "crossed wires" and more efficient workouts!
Resources Cited:
Starrett, Kelly, with Glen Cordoza (2015) Becoming a Supple Leopard. Victory Belt Publishing Inc, Las Vegas: Second Edition. (pg. 92, 93, 115).
"The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the authors and peer reviewers. The contents have been reviewed by a team of contributors but not approved by any other outside entity including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh." "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the authors and peer reviewers. The contents have been reviewed by a team of contributors but not approved by any other outside entity including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh."

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Topic #14 (Part 5): Becoming a Supple Leopard (Ch. 4: Body Archetypes and the Tunnel) by Erin Blaser

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Coaches and athletes may be able to relate to the "crossed wires situation," (i.e. the situation of not being able to effectively communicate with one another.) The coach instructs the athlete to flatten their back during a deadlift, and they drop their shoulders, creating a rounded position instead.

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"balance is an essential skill in dance, yet it eludes so many dancers...When you are in centered alignment with the bones well organised and the muscles coordinated, you actually need less overall muscle activity to maintain your position than when you are misaligned." (Franklin, E. Conditioning for dance. 2019). This is why i thought it was important to include within the training programme, not only because it's the main site of injury but also because it is a skill which can be overlooked in dancer's everyday training. By training the fast twitch muscle fibres in the foot and ankle on uneven surfaces and using resistance bands to strengthen the muscles around the ankle joint, this significantly reduces the risk of injury and helps support the impact and stress put on the feet during class. Training the proprioception of the foot is key for dancers, as we need to constantly be aware of our body within the space and relation to others.

When selecting the core exercises, i wanted to make sure i had some isometric, rotational, flexion/extension and body opposition to ensure the dancers were working on several abdominal muscles. It is very common for dancers and non-dancers to do flexion heavy abdominal crunches without working the deep lower back and transverse abdominal muscles. I mentioned the importance of lower back extensions for improved arabesque. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8158512/

The article above mention the reduced lower back problems seen in athletes who incorporate core stability and core strengthening exercises into their training.

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The reason i chose to have a fitness test at the start and end of the programme, was to bring attention to the use of tracking your progression for several reasons. one being the boost of motivation you receive when you see results and advancements in strength. This is a common way personal trainers track client progression; alongside taking measurements of the circumference of muscle groups or the hip and waist. This can be a great way to keep clients focused on their goal, providing they are being encouraged with healthy mental and physical habits. I chose to not include measurements within my programme as when working with dancer's they do not necessarily have a similar goal to a person from the general public with a personal trainer. https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a44760238/progressive-overload/. Over the course of the programme i have encouraged dancer's to gradually increase the weight to ensure they are getting progressive overload. It is common in dancers and non-dancers to underestimate their potential for lifting weights. I tried to regularly mention within each session, "if you are not struggling by the last two repetitions, the weight is too light for you". I also took into consideration the participants injuries and technique before suggesting to increase the load.

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Reading Time: 4 minutes 34 seconds

Do you track your workouts and monitor your training progress? Keeping a workout log, tracking body measurements, and monitoring changes in heart rate are essential components to strength training.

Tracking strength training progress allows clients to always know where they stand in their program. It doesn't matter what a client's fitness goals are. They may be related to weight loss, fat loss, or muscle growth. Regardless, having a workout tracker is important for clients to see their progress in a variety of ways. This includes physically along with data such as a progress graph to back it up.

Let's take a closer look at some of the best ways to track strength training progress.

Fitness Journaling

As a personal trainer, you know how important it is to keep a workout log for every one of your clients. It is just as beneficial to your clients as it is to you. When designing a workout tracker, implement using a fitness journal or fitness plan layout that is detailed.

A fitness journal may include a summary of every training session completed. This can be as detailed as you would like but is often more of an overview of each workout. The fitness plan might include more detailed information than a workout log. Here you might find a progress graph, calorie tracker, and some heart rate data. The more detailed the information, the more technology will need to be used. This is where a fitness app becomes useful for some clients.

Novice lifters will experience muscle strength gains quickly. Eventually, you will need to adjust their training program. By keeping a fitness journal, you allow room for growth and development. You can see what has worked and what hasn't. This allows you to progress each client accordingly. At the end of the day, it comes down to numbers: total volume and intensity, and sets, reps, and rest intervals.

Journaling components include but are not limited to:

Keeping track of training volume and intensity helps you choose the right frequency and volume for future workouts. It also shows you how clients feel on certain days and the mood they are in pre- and post-workout. This leads to adjustments to create an effective strategy moving forward. From here, you have data to adjust and you know what to change based on clients' best workouts days. External factors or stressors play a big part in this.

Body Measurements

In addition to journaling, keeping track of body measurements is a crucial aspect of tracking strength progress. Keeping clients motivated is critical to them achieving the results they desire. Workout progress comes down to more than just the scale weight. Body weight is important, but body fat percentage shows us more. Most clients have a goal to lose fat to some extent. Fat loss and body composition can be measured in many ways, some more effective than others.

The Dexa scan is one of the most accurate forms of testing for body composition. It might not be the most affordable or convenient way to measure fat loss, but the information is valuable. The Dual X-ray Absorptiometry measures clients' body fat, along with muscle mass and bone density. This is an effective way to track weight loss and muscle mass adaptations during a strength training program.

There are quicker alternatives to measure body composition and keep track of strength training progress. These include using a tape measure for circumference measurements or bioelectrical impedance analysis machines. An example of this is the InBody machine. Updating body measurements each month ensures that clients stay on track to accomplishing their goals. When strength training properly, clients build muscle and burn fat.

Strength Testing

Implementing some form of periodization into a client's program is what increases strength. It is important to look at the bigger picture rather than only focusing on day-to-day workouts. Long-term plans lead to results. The effects of months and years of workouts add up to the large successes. Splitting a program into phases with each phase building on the former is a key component to strength training. By journaling, you can track the changes that need to be made to progress clients.

This includes tracking the amount of weight lifted by your clients. Maintaining a log of how much a client can lift helps you and them set new goals. Aiming to add weight or reps each workout is a must for strength progress.

Testing a client's progress every eight weeks helps track and see their progress. By testing their one-rep max on lifts it's easy to see what you need to do to progress them using new max numbers. This is used to determine the next phase of intensity level. It helps you identify strengths and weaknesses. One phase may have boosted strength in a certain area but is behind in another. This tells you exactly what you need to focus on in the next phase of training.

Monitoring progress and knowing where each client stands helps you set reasonable yet competitive goals. If a client aims for a random weight or reps on lifts, they may lose a sense of satisfaction if it's too easy or they may feel like they'll never succeed if it's too difficult. Testing your client's current strength levels makes long-term success much more achievable.

Putting it All Together: Tracking Strength Progress

Without numbers strength training progress becomes slow. The last thing you want is for clients to lack motivation and avoid training due to not seeing results. Tracking progress will help clients stay consistent. These data points are not only beneficial for strength but also for overall fitness results.

Tracking strength progress helps build confidence in training capabilities. They become fitter not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. It helps them become more conscious of their health and fitness habits outside of the gym. This then stems into lifestyle and nutrition choices that influence their quality of life.

Being able to analyze your client's workout log provides positive reinforcement. It shows progress over time, helping them stay motivated to continue to get stronger. In addition, it helps them understand what enough rest looks like for their body. This all plays into finding the right training frequency and volume.

Check out the ISSA's Certified Personal Trainer - Self Guided Study Program and start your dream career completely online. Gain the knowledge on how to instruct clients on the importance of tracking strength progress.

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How to Track Strength Training Progress for Better Results | ISSA

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Do you track all your workouts? If not, you may want to consider tracking your strength workouts. It helps you to see and experience strength progress. Learn some of the best ways to track strength training progress with your clients.