Single Side Exercises

I was reminded this past week of an exercise that I use occasionally with my personal training clients; the single arm fly. I like single side exercises. They call on the use of core muscles and some help to improve balance. They also help identify single side weakness. You get more for your time spent. For the single arm fly, I have my client on her back on a bench with legs at a table top position (knees are over hips and lower legs are parallel to the floor). While she starts out doing a few reps of the traditional chest fly, I soon cue her to hold both weights at the starting position (over chest) and only lower one weight, lift it up and then lower the other. Even with a light weight it takes control to keep the body from rolling off the bench.  It takes everything she's got; almost every muscle in her body, to maintain form as only one weight is lowered out to the side. Talk about working more than one thing at a time! The abdominals are working, the core is engaged, the shoulders are in place, and the chest is working.  The big toe is just hangin' out, but every other inch of the body is challenged!