Having balanced strength helps in your exercise performance. If you want to squat, deadlift or row more, you need strong muscles all over your body. And if you’re leaning more into one side than the other, you’re more likely to cause yourself an injury.

“Unilateral exercise is key for functionality,” adds Maddocks. “We want our training to translate into real life, and in the real world we often use one side at a time,” she says. Think: walking, running, bending down, reaching out, cycling and even using a computer with one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse.

Unilateral training can also have interesting benefits for those who are injured or have different abilities. A 2017 study found that training just one limb led to strength improvements in the other limb, too – so those suffering from a wrist, elbow or shoulder injury could maintain arm muscle by doing bicep curls or shoulder presses on the other side.

How unilateral training can improve your workouts, according to a PT