Including Uni-Lateral Exercises – BowlFit Tip of the Week

When it comes to figuring out what exercises to do for bowling, I have found it is crucial to include mostly uni-lateral exercises instead of bi-lateral. We are obviously using one arm more than the other, and driving with one leg more than the other creating muscular imbalances between the right and left side of our body.

For this reason it is better to do single leg squats and deadlifts rather than your usual bi-lateral squats and deadlifts. Upper body work can be done with dumbbells and kettlebells to make it uni-lateral rather than using a barbell making it bilateral. Doing so limits the body from compensating and using your stronger arm or leg over the other.

When doing single leg and arm exercises make sure to always do the weaker side first. Only use the weight the weaker side can perform even on the stronger side. The goal is to MINIMIZE muscle imbalances so using different weights on each side would create more dysfunction and lead to injury! Function and creating balance is the goal of any athlete’s program.