Why you should half-azz your workout

November 3, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments

When it comes to working out, I love the idea of multitasking.

Anything that works out all of me in half the time gets all the marks in my book.

But, if you’re like me, you might also find that something about your strength training routine’s falling flat. And by “flat”, I mean your tush tires looking a li’l lower on PSI than they should for all the squatty air pressure you’ve been pumping into them. Or how your thighs could be tighter. Or how your biceps could be bicep-ier. What gives? When you do all these booty dropping routines – how is it possible that you look like anything other than a chiseled goddess built from brawn?

Well, the missing piece to our somatic sculpture might be getting stolen by the multitasking culprit.

I mean, sure, workouts that attack both sides of the body can be great. But, when it comes to fine tuning, many sweat experts praise something called unilateral training. (In other words – treating each body side like the special unicorn it is). Instead of just going for a 100 squats (where both’ve your biscuits get put through the same ringer), maybe you split up your squats with moves that max out your left and right maximus (and minimus, and medius) separately.

Why?

Well, you get more of a workout, for one. ’cause, when you halve your balance and put it on just one side, something magical happens. It forces your core to compensate (AKA work harder AKA tighten up and burn more). Also – as I learned the second I started doing single leg scissor squats – unilateral training will quickly sniff out any weaknesses you might be hiding. Run kinda funny and don’t know why? Have trouble doing certain moves? Try unilateral training in front’ve a tattle tale looking glass (or record yourself). Compare your strong with your weak, tweak ’em to be even, and boom. Superhuman. And, finally? The vanity aspect. When you focus on just one side at a time, you put more brain power into that muscle’s movement (compared to trying to slice concentration between two sides). And that makes for superior results, because you’re not slacking by doing only half the the effort on either edge of your body. You’re putting in 100% for each – and weaving them into the hand crafted, sexy trinkets that they’re destined to be.

Examples of how to do that?

I’ll let these images of some’ve my faves do the talking…

First, something dubbed “stiff leg deadlifts”.

Can we assess – pardon the pun – that succulent upper bubble bun she’s rocking here?

Next?

Make your body an overpass to tighten dat azz. Single out those glutes with these uni-pod bridges.

(Protip: if your hips collapse more on one side, give that side some extra love.)

(And by love, I mean reps – and better form)

Next? Single leg square sits.

Or… “box squats”, as the basics call ’em.

For an added challenge? Don’t actually come to a rest between reps.

Just let your sitter kiss the edge, and muscle your bod right back up with your Thor thighs.

And, finally… for those’ve us who still love multitasking but wanna follow the unilateral rules, is the donkey flamingo. (Or “single leg kickbacks”, if you love to be boring.) All you do is balance on one leg and kick with the other. Sure, you’re getting a butt workout on the rear one. But you’re also getting a fanny-tastic one on the side of whichever stump’s supporting you.

And, that, kids, is how you get a rump that looks like two dimes instead’ve two fives diving toward your thighs.

So, what’s the takeaway today?

Well, obviously, that we all need to start half azzing our training.

(But then, ya know, work the other half too.)