Isolateral Power – 2 Very Unusual Lifts to Get You Big Strength Gains!

If you are looking to make some serious gains in your total-body strength then you need to look into incorporating isolateral exercise into your program. This can be done in a variety of different ways, but the following 2 lifts that I am going to introduce and challenge you with are in a strength building category of their own.

1. The One-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press: This is a pretty self explanatory lift, but is highly effective when it comes to developing tremendous upper-body strength. All you need for this lift is a flat bench and a single dumbbell. To execute the lift simply pick up the dumbbell in the hand that will be doing the lift and lay flat on the bench. Place your free arm across your abdomen and press the dumbbell from your chest like you normally would. You will quickly find out just how much more intense this lift is because of the additional body control that is required to balance and stabilize the weight. You will develop much more core strength and upper-body power by performing this lift.

2. The One-Arm Barbell Deadlift: That’s right, I said the one-arm barbell deadlift. This exercise is right out of the pages of old time strongmen! For starters, I’m going to assume you know what I am referring to when I talk about the traditional barbell deadlift. If you are familiar with the traditional barbell deadlift then you know that the one-arm version is a very intense version of that lift. To execute this lift simply set up the barbell like you normally would. You will certainly being using a lighter load though. From here simply execute a normal deadlift with the exception that you will only be using a single arm. Make sure your grip is centered on the bar. You will quickly find that if it isn’t the bar will see-saw with you. You will also find that your grip will be challenged unlike anything else you have tried.