The Effects of Unilateral Resistance Training on Muscular Strength, Power, and Measures of Core Stability in Resistance Trained Individuals

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the effects of unilateral resistance training on lower body power, muscular strength, and measures of core stability in resistance-trained college students. Methods: Participants (N=22; mean age= 19.86 ± 0.9 years) underwent 10 sessions of either unilateral (UL) or bilateral (BL) resistance training on three non-consecutive days per week for three weeks. Pre and post training outcome measures included one repetition maximum (1-RM) leg press for lower body strength, standing vertical jump (VJ) for lower body power, and double leg lowering (DLL), hip abduction isometric strength (HAIS), and Sorensen (SOR) tests for core stability. Results: There was a significant (p≤ 0.05) main effect of time across all variables, such that both groups improved scores on 1-RM leg press, VJ, DLL, HAIS, and SOR. Additionally, the magnitude of improvement (Cohen’s d) was larger in UL for all variables except VJ, which was larger in the BL group. Conclusion: This study adds to the growing body of literature investigating the effects of UL resistance training in athletic populations. Similar improvements following UL or BL resistance training suggest that both methods can effectively enhance strength, power, and core stability. UL training may potentially yield greater improvement of core stability variables.