For the record, I do not oppose unilateral training…we have done Bulgarian split squats, step ups and lunges for years. I believe they are welcome additions if you have the time and can afford the CNS drain that additional exercises bring with them in terms of volume. I would also never state that an athlete must do squats or any other bilateral lifts. My argument was simply in reaction to statements that squats weren’t needed in general, and that unilateral training was superior for developing limit strength and hypertrophy. One thing I have learned as a scientist is to be skeptical of model driven theory (lacking existing empirical evidence, even if its anecdotal). And again I say, if unilateral, or even quasi unilateral as is now being referred to (lunges etc.) were the best training means for limit strength and hypertrophy, those seeking these as an end product of their training (weightlifters and bodybuilders respectively) would have already been using them as the base of their training, not as supplementary or auxialliary means. Simple observation suggests the contention that bilateral works better for whatever reasons, and no amount of theoretical posturing, absent empirical data, should form the basis of knowledge from which real world applications are developed…in any field.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know the ratio of their double leg press to their single leg press? I think I’m going to try this out on some of my guinea pigs and report back.
I wish we could separate out the single leg squat and call that unilateral and classify the split squat etc as bilateral to avoid confusion over where the problem lies- or maybe I need to specify better. (hope you have insurance for your guinea pigs)