Everyday Strength vs. “Gym” Strength?
Want to feel stronger in everyday life?
You may have seen women at the gym doing exercises that work both sides of the body at the same time, like bicep curls, overhead presses, or regular squats.
You might have even been that woman.
Doing exercises like those are what we commonly think building strength looks like.
But in real life, strength often looks very different.
JUST ONE THING
You Need Strength That Works in Real Life!
During a normal day, you might carry something heavy with one arm while reaching with the other.
Like carrying a bag — okay, 10 bags — of groceries in one hand while opening a door with the other.You might also have to crouch on one leg to grab something under the couch.
Or stretch to pull a sock stuck to the back of the washing machine.
Your JUST ONE THING to Build Everyday Strength
Train more Unilateral Exercises
Unilateral exercises work one side of your body at a time.
Bilateral exercises, like most traditional strength moves, use both sides at once.Bilateral exercises include things like bicep curls, regular squats, lat pulldowns, deadlifts, and leg presses.
Those exercises are a great place to start!But ultimately, training one side at a time is better for building full-body strength because it makes your core work harder and helps even out any imbalances between sides.
Don’t worry — you don’t have to jump into pistol squats or one-handed push-ups! 🥴
Start by taking a simple exercise you already know, like a squat, and try offsetting your feet a little bit into a staggered squat.
How to Do Staggered Squats for Building Functional Lower Body Strength
- Place feet wider than hip-width, with one foot slightly forward.
- Squat down and then push through your thighs to stand up. Be sure to keep your knees tracking over your legs - don’t let them fall inward.
- Do 5-6 reps with one foot forward, then 5-6 reps on the other side - 2-3 sets total.
Extra Tip: Make sure that as you sink into the squat, your hips are centered evenly between your legs. You’ll naturally want to either lean more into the back leg or the front leg. And as you squat down, it’s ok if the back heels lifts a little.
Did You Know...
- The next time you lift weights, try holding just one dumbbell on one side (e.g. one dumbbell on your right shoulder when squatting). This is called “offloading” and it’s another great way to develop functional core and total body strength.
- Make sure to master the “bilateral” version of an exercise first before introducing a “unilateral” version - otherwise your technique could get messy!
- Staggered squats are one of the best exercises to do if you want to successfully do lunges someday. The best progression to follow is regular squats > staggered squats > split squats > reverse lunges > regular walking lunges.
Until next week... Be strong💪
