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This Overlooked Training Method Builds Real-World Strength
If your workouts aren't making you stronger in real life, what's the point? Sure, bench press and biceps curls can make your arms look great, but can they help you hoist a toddler onto your shoulders, haul luggage through a crowded airport, or wrangle an oversized couch through the front door without throwing out your back?
For that kind of strength, you need offset training. This unbalanced, asymmetrical style of lifting forces your body to stabilize under pressure, lighting up muscles you didn't even know you had (especially in your core, hips, and shoulders). It challenges your balance, corrects muscle imbalances, and builds power that translates to real life.
Here's everything you need to know about offset training, including why it works, how it stacks up against traditional lifting, and how to start incorporating it don't need to be an athlete to incorporate offset training. This way of training helps build functional strength, which is ideal for any man who wants to move better, reduce injury risk, and feel stronger in daily life.
Offset training uses uneven loads. For example, you might hold a single dumbbell or load one side of a barbell, to push your body in ways it likely hasn't been challenged before. The imbalance forces your body to stabilize, activating smaller support muscles and making your core work harder to stay aligned during each rep.
'Offset training is effective in that the offset load puts you in an imbalanced position,' explains Caine Wilkes, OLY, CNC, an Olympian and certified USA weightlifting coach at BarBend. 'Not only are you pushing through the exercise, but you're also having to maintain your balance through the entire range of motion, engaging your abdominal muscles, core, and rotational strength.'In traditional bilateral lifts like barbell back squats and deadlifts, you move symmetrically through a single plane. While that approach is excellent for building raw strength, it doesn't necessarily translate to the chaos of real life, where you're rarely lifting in perfect balance.
'Offset loading stimulates your muscle groups differently, forcing your core, hips, and shoulders to work to maintain balance throughout the exercise,' Wilkes says. 'It can help build rotational control, core strength, and balance—not just raw strength.'
Amanda Dvorak, a certified personal trainer, says, 'Unlike balanced lifts, where your stronger side can compensate for your non-dominant side, offset training forces the weaker side to work harder.'
Offset training helps you move more efficiently and handle unexpected loads that happen during real-life situations, such as carrying groceries in one arm while unlocking the front door with the other, or holding your kid on one hip while squatting down to grab their backpack.
'People who are active outside the gym, like fathers, manual laborers, or athletes, will get a ton of benefit from incorporating offset training into their routine,' Wilkes says.
Dvorak adds, 'Offset training is great for guys who sit a lot and want to improve posture and core control. It also helps lifters who've been training for a while and need something new to challenge their bodies.'Here are some expert-approved offset training exercises to add to your routine:
Hold a heavy kettlebell, dumbbell, or plate in one hand, arms down by sides, palms facing in.
Engage your core, maintain a straight spine, and keep shoulders square as you walk 25 yards down and back.
Switch sides and continue alternating on every rep.
Complete 4 x 50 yards each side with 30–60 seconds rest between sets.
'I like suitcase carries and deadlifts,' says Wilkes. 'These exercises strengthen the muscle groups, but also will engage your core to stay steady and stable throughout each movement.'
Stand, feet hip-width apart, a 20- to 40-pound kettlebell in left hand.
Press kettlebell so left hand is stacked over left shoulder, extending right arm to the side for balance, to start.
Step left foot back and do a reverse lunge so right knee forms a 90-degree angle.
Reverse to standing for 1 rep.
Complete all reps with weight in left hand, then switch sides.
Holding a kettlebell or dumbbell on one side torches your core while training your lower body.
Lie back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level.
Press both weights over your chest and then lower one down to shoulder level.
Press it back up, lower the other arm, and press.
'Single-arm dumbbell shoulder presses are great,' Wilkes adds. 'It's a simple way to challenge the shoulders while also engaging your core.'
Start in a high plank, right hand on a yoga block close to body, left hand on floor adjacent to face.
Do a set of pushups.
For the following set, put yoga block on left side.
Continue switching sides each set.
'Offset push-ups—where one hand is on a dumbbell or yoga block and the other on the floor—are simple, but they fire up your core and force you to stay tight and focused,' Dvorak explains.
Stand with feet hip-width apart with a light kettlebell between your feet, to start.
Clean the kettlebell with your right hand to shoulder height.
Press the kettlebell overhead, then extend your other arm forward for counterbalance.
Lower into a squat, keeping your bicep by your ear so the weight is directly overhead throughout.
Drive through your heels to stand.
That's 1 rep.
With one kettlebell overhead, you'll feel your core and glutes work overtime to stabilize.
Like any other type of strength training, going too heavy too soon is the biggest rookie mistake most guys make when starting offset training.
'The most common mistake I see is that people start off too heavy, too fast,' Wilkes says. 'That can get them out of proper position, making the exercise less efficient and increasing the risk of injury. Offset training is less about big numbers and more about control, form, and time under tension.'The best way to get started is to keep it simple and not overthink it. If it feels awkward at first, that's the point. The imbalance is what builds stability and strength that transfers into everything you do.
'Start by adding one offset move to the end of your normal workout. Keep the reps low and the weight manageable. Focus on control and how your body feels,' Dvorak advises.
Offset training won't replace your big lifts, but it just might be the secret ingredient your training has been missing. It's simple, scalable, and incredibly effective at building real-world strength from the ground up. So next time you hit the gym, skip the symmetry. Go uneven, unbalanced, and a little uncomfortable. Your core will burn, your muscles will adapt, and you'll leave feeling stronger and more capable than ever.
This Overlooked Training Method Builds Real-World Strength first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 2, 2025
