I can see what you’re saying in this but:
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Weightlifters wouldn’t perform unilateral lifts simply because it doesn’t relate to the type of strength their body needs in comparison to bilateral
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unilateral lifts will provide the same simulus per leg for an athlete who cannot perform MaxS worth due to injuries or physical attributes other than core strength that limit ones ability to perform MaxS in a bilateral movement (e.g. someone with smaller waist, smaller wrists and overall smaller inserts along with longer levers will find it harder to gain the same type of strength exhibited by a shorter, bigger boned individual but can still equal or better them when it comes to a lighter load moving at speed)
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Bilateral Squats ARE good for increasing one’s strength in order to boost submaximal strength which will be used for power work, PLUS it can be great for raising endogenous testosterone as maximal muscular contractions induce more testosterone in the body BUT it’s limits are not only the load of the back and core (which do not necessarily have to be worked as strenuously in an excercise that aims to provide an athlete with relative/ mass specific strength per leg which is essentially what they want for reduced GCT) BUT ALSO that heavy back squats in particular do not allow the body to fully extend through the hips, which is a quintessential aspect of any power development as the hips play probably the biggest role in power generation during sprinting (I know the glutes, quads and hams do play a role but not to the same extent IMO)
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Unilateral movements, if increased in gradual increments, can provide an athlete with equal relative strength/ power, and although will not stress the body as much and not force it to utilize as much core stability as a heavy bilateral exercise (arguable seeing as different elements of core stability are used in exercise requiring balance), they can probably reduce muscular/ strength imbalances as well as provide a more functional and easier to monitor power output per leg. I can definitely do with increasing my strength but at the moment I’m lifting 198lbs on box step ups for 6 reps per leg, which, taking the load of my BW which is 177lbs, gives me a total of 349lbs per leg. Now although it isn’t that good at all as far as relative strength is concerned, I’m new to the exercise and because I’m raising the opposite knee in concordance with stepping onto the box, I don’t want to inhibit the speed of the movement with a heavier weight for now (note; I aim to increase the weight lifted by 2.5 kgs per week, so that weight increase is not noticed and speed of movement is not compromised)
So my overall conclusion is that despite the benefits of bilateral movements, I think they’re primary role is general base strength at the start of a season. Otherwise they do have the propensity to interfere with other CNS demanding exercise such as block starts, plyos, cleans/ snatches (the only exercises I believe should be staple throughout a season due to the explosive nature and the principle of recruiting more muscles in a single movement). Okay, it is arguable that even cleans and snatches are not that necessary but I think for taller people in particular (I wouldn’t say I’m tall but have long legs at 6"1), where explosiveness and particularly getting the brain to co-ordinate the whole body to produce force in one moment is a key issue, then oly lifts IMO are a great way, and not as taxing to the body as block starts, to improve intial power generation off the blocks (it requires a greater amount of total torque for a taller person to produce the same type of power as a shorter person and also I’m sure I’ve read something about the neuromuscular signals taking slightly longer than that in a shorter individual - will look up again and post references).
Everything else, from the type of plyos that will transfer better into sprinting or jumping (single leg) and the type of strength needed in each stride based on the load of the leg (again, singular) it makes sense that any muscular strength and additional mass gained be specific to the strength needed in sprinting (which is unilateral by nature :D).
** Just as a side note, I find it interesting to hear people’s opinions on upper body exercises. I mean, I knocw the pectoralis minor and major are utilised to a certain extent in sprinting but I see it as less so than say the trapeziums, front and rear deltoids and upper sections of the lattisimus dorsi, which I believe produces most of the power from the upper body (correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the backward driving off the arm automatically propels the opposite arm forward and is more essential in the drive phase, no?). Certainly by looking at top sprinters, you’ll notice that they almost always (bar Chambers who has quite slumpy and narrow shoulders compared to overall mass) have broad and rounded shoulders as well as fairly developed traps, and chest size, outside of your Ben Johnson’s, Dwain Chambers, Maurice Greene’s etc doesn’t seem to be that big, especially in the two fastest sprinters of this generation, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell who appear to have almost non-existent chests!
Back on topic…anterior chain development, In agreement with the OP, is definitely an understated aspect as far as the mass and strength need in flexion is concerned. Just like weightlifters or powerlifters, who although have good PWR, also have hypertrophy in the areas needed to be strongest in their events (weightlifters have quite pronounced triceps, shoulders, upper and lower quads, traps whiles having almost non-existent chests and quite narrow lats).
This thread has been very thought provoking to say the least!