Adding Singles the right way

**.V.** · 03-Jul-05, 02:26 PM

Hey guys, as most of you know my strength training is to build more muscle to overcome weakness as my CNS deteriorates. As my CNS tells my body that it is weaker and weaker, I have to have enough muscle to be stronger. So far, it is working well. I've gone in less than 2 years from looking at a future in a wheelchair and losing my career I had spent the previous 14 years building to the strongest person I work with - with the most endurance too.

My most recent strength losses resulted in my going from a 270 shrug to 250, 170 bench to 150, 280 DL to 250...you get the idea.

I've been training MAX OT for a while now and like the progress I've made with it. It's simple, do all the weight I can handle for 3x4 then when I can get 3x6 raise the weight. Eat to support the workouts. Get bigger, stronger, be happy with the results.

However, I'm always looking for ways to improve - for example my superset with less weight 4-6 reps alternating between concentration curls and lying one arm tricep extensions. Do this 3 times with no rest period. It seems to be helping a bit.

Now to the point of this thread. I want to add singles to the 3 big ones. Bench, Squat, Deadlift. I will be doing them after my regularly scheduled workout for that exercise. What I want to know is how much more weight should I add for each to do the singles. Escalating, for example - add 10 - do a rep, add 10 more - do a rep, and so on? Or would this be better, add 20 do a rep, rest, do another and so on? Do it to failure? Or just plan on doing 6 singles?

Example: Here is what I did today.
Deadlift - 160x3x4. Then 6 singles at 180. Is this right? Or should I have escalated the weight with each single until I could go no further? If doing one weight singles is the best way, how do you know how much to use. Right now, I use 50%x10 reps, 60%x8 reps, 90%x3 reps of my working weight for warmup. Is there an accepted percentage of working weight to add to the bar for doing singles?

Tomorrow is chest day: In addition to my regular work, including regular flat bench at 155. I plan to do 6 singles at 165 or 175, whichever I can handle. Is this right, will it help increase strength?

Then on leg day, scheduled squats are 205 or 210 x3x4. I plan to do 6 singles after that with 230 or 240 (if I can). Have to be careful here since I lift alone.

Input please?

Thanks

And sorry for the long winding post, I just wanted to 'splain my reasoning so ya'll would understand where I'm coming from and can help me get where I'm going.

gcs118 · 03-Jul-05, 02:35 PM

If you want to go ahead and try it out, I don't think it will do much harm. You just need to be careful you don't work too close to your max, otherwise you'd really overtrain quickly, especially doing them after your sets already. I've been working with singles on squat and bench lately and all I do is 6 singles. That's enough to get me a good, intense workout for that exercise. Be careful if you're doing 3x4-6 THEN singles.

**.V.** · 03-Jul-05, 04:39 PM

Again with the typos - I really should read what I type before I post it.

Today I DL 260x3x4 then did 6 singles at 280. After that, I did the rest of my regularly planned back workout.

My DL 1RM was 300 when I tested it out 7 weeks ago. Right before I had my recent strength loss which has set me on this mad scramble to get stronger.

Somehow I think my CNS and immune system loves the beating I give it. It seems to slow down the frequency of immune system attacks on my CNS - the source of my weakness.

What I'm getting at here is I hope for some of you powerlifters who do singles to tell me HOW to do them without hurting myself or overtraining.

What percentage of your working weight do you do singles at, or what percentage of your max do you use for them?

gcs118 · 04-Jul-05, 10:24 AM

My singles are pretty close to my max. I'd say on squats within 15-20 lbs and for bench within 10-15 lbs.

luke.w · 04-Jul-05, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_welch503

Today I DL 260x3x4 then did 6 singles at 280. After that, I did the rest of my regularly planned back workout.

My DL 1RM was 300 when I tested it out 7 weeks ago. Right before I had my recent strength loss which has set me on this mad scramble to get stronger.

What I'm getting at here is I hope for some of you powerlifters who do singles to tell me HOW to do them without hurting myself or overtraining.

What percentage of your working weight do you do singles at, or what percentage of your max do you use for them?

the 6-singles at 280 looks good, if your max is 300-310 then by doing 6-singles at 280 you should really be used to that weight, add little weight to the bar every deadlift session, until you are pulling 300-310 for multipule singles, then try them standing on a plate, then go for another 1-single max with like 20more pounds then work up to pulling that weight for multipule singles.
This is how I train, I feel when I train multipule singles (2-4singles) my body adapts to that weight pretty quick, and I use about 30 or so pounds less than my max, but my max will increase every month, with my singles increasing everyweek.

**.V.** · 04-Jul-05, 05:21 PM

Thank you Mr. Strongman. That is what I was looking for. How to do it, get it stronger, and then get me stronger.

**.V.** · 27-Jul-05, 12:07 PM

OK guys, your advice has helped me improve my squat and my deadlift (and soon my bench). It looks like things are finally going in the right direction.

Now I have a new question. From your advice, I widened my feet on my squats to include the hamstrings and glutes in the lift - making it better, strengthening my week butt, and generally helping me improve.

Should I widen my stance for Deadlifts too? I'm taliking conventional deadlift not stiff legged deadlift. Right now I'm doing it with feet about shoulder width apart so that my quads are positioned to really get the lift going without raising my hips first or including the back too soon. Since so far you powerlifters have been right, I'll defer to your advice on this too. Although you aren't converting me to the dark side, I'm just borrowing some of your lifts and techniques.

gcs118 · 27-Jul-05, 12:50 PM

I would not widen the deadlift stance. I keep my feet maybe 14" apart. If you widen your stance you will make the lift more difficult/less effective, unless you went so wide you did sumo, but that's entirely different.

**.V.** · 27-Jul-05, 01:51 PM

Thanks, I certainly don't want to make it less effective. The only thing I do to make it harder is to keep the grip overhand instead of mixed.

Shamrock · 27-Jul-05, 01:56 PM

A wide wide stance would be the Sumo deadlift (with your hands inside your knees). Works your, oh mind blank here.... Abductors? I find it targets your glutes pretty efficiently as well.

For adding singles I use the same stance, usually push them after 2-3 sets to make sure the CNS is "onboard" just not to the point of potassium overpowerment in the CNS. Pysch the hell out of yourself in the mirror, make sure that gullet is as full as you can get it with air. Lock all the joints, do it, and enjoy the "cover of Flex" facial expressions.

gcs118 · 27-Jul-05, 03:56 PM

Sumo is a totally different game than conventional. The wider you make your conventional stance the more difficult the lift is going to become.

**Firehawk** · 27-Jul-05, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcs118

Sumo is a totally different game than conventional. The wider you make your conventional stance the more difficult the lift is going to become.

It's just more technique than conventional, and different muscles. You're moving the bar a much shorter distance so that's an advantage.