Q: I have an imbalance – one leg vs. the other. Do you suggest doing 100% unilateral leg-work for a while to cure the imbalance?

A: This is a tough one to answer; it’s never as simple as “right and left.” Generally, you’ll see muscles on each side that are a bit stronger or weaker. For example, in right-handed individuals, they’ll typically be stronger on lunging movements with the left leg forward. The left ITB/TFL, right quadratus lumborum, and right adductors will be tight, while the right hip abductors, left adductors, and left quadratus lumborum will be weak.* There are more complex ramifications at the ankle and foot, too. Often, the best way to address the unilateral imbalance in a broad sense is to figure out where people are tight/weak and address those issues. I’ve seen lunging imbalances corrected pretty easily with some extra QL work or pure stabilization work at the lumbar spine. The tricky thing about just doing extra sets on one side is that your body will often try to compensate for the imbalances. You might get the reps in, but are you really doing anything to even yourself out if you’re just working around the dysfunction?

This is just some stuff to consider. I don’t think doing more on that side will hurt, but it won’t always get you closer to where to want to be.

Eric Cressey