Guest: Bret Contreras - Prof. Peter Elwood
It can be said that we live life on one leg at a time. So why don't more people do unilateral leg training? What can unilateral leg training do for you if you incorporate it into your current training? And which exercises lend themselves to the best outcomes? This and much more are discussed by Contreras. PLUS Prof. Elwood is lead author of a study that looked at the effects and outcomes of a large cohort over 30 years and discovered that exercise protects against chronic disease. What was also surprising (maybe not to this audience) was that it protected against cognitive decline as well. PLUS Carl is calling all Super Human's to download the new Smartphone App
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Show Notes:
[2:45] Why is unilateral training under-utilized?
- Powerlifters use bilateral lifts in competition.
- There is a synergy in using both limbs at once.
- Unilateral movements are harder in nature, partially due to extra balance and stabilization requirements.
- An argument could be made that more total muscle mass is activated via unilateral training.
[10:09] Are unilateral squats harder because of the hip girdle being disengaged?
- Lunges bridge the gap between anaerobic and aerobic pathways.
[26:12] Who benefits from unilateral training and how?
- Study: unilateral training produced greater gains than bilateral training, however, bilateral training produced more sustained gains.
- There is a similar core activation in both types of training.
- EMG measures can be driven just as high in each limb using unilateral as can be seen in bilateral training.
- Camp 1: All of the things that are done on a field are unilateral, therefore, one should train unilaterally.
- Camp 2: Maximizing bilateral strength will transfer larger gains to unilateral movement.
[38:43] Best unilateral exercises.
- Knee dominant: step-ups, high step ups (harder), lunges with bar in front squat position, Bulgarian split squat, pistol squat (use dumbbells as a counter-balance.)
- Hip dominant: Reverse lunges with bar in low bar position, single leg Romanian dead lifts- hold onto a support with one arm and hold a heavy dumbbell in the other, single leg hip thrust.
[1:04:20] Exercise decreases dementia in men ages 49-59.
- 35+ year study.
- Exercise group showed a reduction in diatbetes, stroke, heart-attack, and dementia.
- 30 minutes of walking. 5 days per week.
- Practically speaking: attempt to incorporate walking throughout your daily routine.
[1:18:16] Patient compliance to a change in lifestyle.
- People that follow specific habits such as low alcohol, low body fat, good sleep, healthy eating habits are much less likely to have diabetes or heart disease.
- Muscle is extremely important to stave off disease.
- BMI is a ballpark estimate but is not as useful in active individuals/ athletes.
