Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Training with unilateral resistance exercise increases contralateral strength.

Joanne Munn1, Robert D Herbert, Mark J Hancock

  • 1School of Physiotherapy, The University of Sydney, PO Box 170, Lidcombe NSW, 1825 Australia. J.Munn@fhs.usyd.edu.au

Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|July 19, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

"I'm breaking my back for this sport and they're not supporting me": Socioecological factors that impact elite athletes' persistent low back pain experience.

Journal of science and medicine in sport·2026
Same author

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and measurement properties of the Back pain knowledge and beliefs survey (BacKS) for the Brazilian population.

Brazilian journal of physical therapy·2026
Same author

Triceps surae muscle architecture in ambulant children with cerebral palsy: architectural adaptations vary between children and muscles.

Journal of biomechanics·2026
Same author

Does Cognitive Functional Therapy Reduce the Amount of Opioids Dispensed for Chronic Low Back Pain Over 12 Months: A Secondary Analysis From the RESTORE Trial.

European journal of pain (London, England)·2026
Same author

Antibiotic treatment for low back pain, radicular pain, or both.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2026
Same author

Motivators, barriers, and facilitators for starting and continuing a swimming program for chronic back pain: a qualitative study.

Musculoskeletal science & practice·2026

Performing three sets of unilateral resistance exercise can increase contralateral strength. This finding suggests that training one limb may benefit the untrained limb, particularly with higher training volumes.

Area of Science:

  • Exercise Physiology
  • Sports Science
  • Human Movement Studies

Background:

  • Evidence regarding unilateral training's effect on contralateral strength is inconsistent.
  • Previous studies may have lacked robust designs, including control groups and randomization.
  • Insufficient statistical power has potentially limited definitive conclusions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of unilateral resistance training on contralateral strength.
  • To determine if training volume (number of sets) and speed influence contralateral strength gains.
  • To address limitations in previous research on the cross-education effect.

Main Methods:

  • 115 subjects were randomly assigned to a control group or one of four training groups (one or three sets, high or low speed).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Supervised elbow flexion contractions were performed 3 times/week for 6 weeks using a six- to eight-repetition maximum load.
  • Contralateral elbow flexor strength was assessed via one-repetition maximum arm curl before and after the intervention.

    • Main Results:

    • Training with one set, regardless of speed, did not significantly increase contralateral strength.
    • Performing three sets of unilateral training resulted in a statistically significant increase in contralateral strength (mean of 7%).
    • There was a trend suggesting faster contractions may yield greater contralateral strength gains, though not statistically significant.

    Conclusions:

    • Three sets of unilateral resistance exercise are effective in producing small but significant contralateral strength increases.
    • Training volume appears to be a critical factor in eliciting the cross-education effect.
    • Further research could explore optimal training parameters for maximizing contralateral strength adaptations.