You know it’s going to be a good day when legs are what’s on the menu! Accomplishing something difficult lends itself toward an attitude of achievement. Use killing today’s workout as the kick start to an entire day and week of achieving goals!
FIT PORTION TIPS:
- 60 sec intervals give you 30 sec for each side of the body ((left + right))
- If you prefer to count reps 30 sec -> 15 reps
LEAN PORTION TIPS:
- If you need more or less rest between sets, modify it! Make this workout work for YOU!
Healthy Habit: Up your training game with some science! So, we always hear about switch ups. We know that repeating workouts really isn’t ideal. We know our bodies adapt quickly. We know changing up our routine regularly will yield the results the most efficiently. But, how exactly do we “switch it up?”
You know by now that I’m a science nerd. When I was studying biology in college, I just so happened to be getting really into weight training and I found the two fascinating because there is so much intertwined. Aren’t we more likely to try something out and better yet stick with it when we understand the why?! I certainly think so! Today’s workout was inspired by some science in relation to unilateral ((working one side of the body at a time)) versus bilateral ((working both sides at the same time)) training.
To clarify, unilateral training is when we only work one side of the body seperately. Unilateral exercises would include curling a dumbbell only in the right hand, a single leg lunge, a glute kickback, etc. In contrast, bilateral exercises would be ones like a squat, bench press and pull up.
Benefits of Unilateral Training:
- (1) Ability to concentrate and focus on the target muscle more intensely
- (2) Creating a greater neural drive into one limb, which allows for the recruitment of more muscle fibers to be engaged ((versus the neural force splitting and less muscle fibers being stimulated)) ^this creates great strength gains as well as building muscle!
- (3) Overcoming strength imbalances by forcing a “weaker” side to work independently instead of relying on the more dominant side
- (4) Engagement of core and stabilization muscles to keep balance
- (6) Improvements in functional strength since our day-to-day activities rarely engage both sides of the body equally at the same time
Now that we see just some of the amazing benefits of unilateral training in black and white, it’s so exciting to add this style of training into a workout!
Habit Homework – enjoy a leg workout with 50% unilateral training and 50% bilateral training!
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