Why You Should Use Singles to Increase Your Max

[@jeremyorme6822]

There’s no way that Powerlifting Now didn’t offer this man to join them, right? Easily some of the best-organized and valuable information for powerlifters

[@mastersironmantarmstrong7148]

Great video! I am an old school powerlifter who competed in the ADFPA from 1988-1991. Back in those days our main source of information came from the magazine Powerlifting USA and they had a 198 lb record holder with a great physique named Roger Estep answer questions. He was really big on promoting singles and in that era of linear progression most peaking phases would go from like 8s to 5s to 3s. Anyway we had very little information back then and less understanding and not much was actually explained in detail. I was always a thinker and studier but still not able to fit all the fragmented pieces of training together I received but now I am much closer to putting it together. Of course I am way past my prime at almost 56 but still train like a powerlifter using singles at about rpe 7-8 and do hypertrophy training year around. I guess I am saying I really enjoyed the video because I agreed with everything and feel I have developed similar ideas intuitively over the years.

[@feathermilkalley551]

“Singles make people feel like they are powerlifters” well said, that’s how I feel after I hit relatively heavy top singles, that emotional satisfaction is nothing to compare to haha Physical wise, it does get me used to that weight and furthermore, improve my overall strength. 👍🏼

[@BlackBearBarbell]

The emotional aspect of missing your goal weight on a single contributing to fatigue isn't something I ever thought about, but man does it make sense! Thanks for the video 👍

[@Shluttys]

Earned yourself a subscriber with this video, bud. Excellent information presented well and with no stupid music or douchebaggery. Well done.

[@richardpartin9378]

I love hitting single. It has changed the game for me. A single definitely builds strength. It isn’t just practice.

[@devanshbharti2437]

Not getting extremely hyped before or during the single has a lot of utility wen it comes to mitigating the emotional fatigue and i really like the concept of training unaroused without caffine or music

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

The problem is that arousal and caffeine to make you stronger. It can be a good long term thing to keep those things down some, but there is actual tangible value in leaning into those things for strength. It’s just a balance.

[@devanshbharti2437]

@@BrazosValleyStrength absolutely, balance is important and I've seen lifters in my gym who take so much caffeine that they get desensetized to the positive effects of it. But I can totally understand the utility of using caffeine and other methods of arousal when done smartly and methodically

[@HenchPig]

Awesome video man thank you! With the single rep @ RPE 8 being a decent stimulus to get strong could that approach be taken to the point where we have one main lift for the day working up to a training max and then just doing bodybuilding work to build the muscle mass? I’m a bjj athlete and just looking to get generally bigger, stronger and look better for my sport. Been doing starting strength but I find it super fatiguing and very hard on all my joints. This was my thought. Have a bench, squat, press and deadlift day and run it over a 3 day week and carry the next workout onto the following week. Here’s an example of a bench day: Bench - Training Max Paused Bench 3x10 BB Row 3x10 BB Curl + DB Ext 3x10-12 Machine Laterals 3x12-15 What do you think of this approach? I feel it would be useful especially for a non strength sport athlete to get strong in a way that’s much easier on the joints. Let me know what you think!

[@mariomolnar3184]

all the nuances make sense

[@DoaaAmouri252]

A genius of powerlifting coach 🙏

[@anabolicamaranth7140]

I tend to place more emphasis on the back down sets when I’m far from the meet and vice versa close to the meet.

[@Thshiznitz23]

The amount of information in this video! Can’t believe Dave is putting it out there FOR FREE!

[@d3f3kt57]

Very insightful video. The part comparing the fatigue of singles versus high session duration or high reps is something I have noticed personally. I moved away from doing high volume "submax" training for that reason -- long sessions coupled with too much volume and a stressful life outside the gym made me into a zombie. Now I am training with reasonable amounts of intensity and volume, with singles too, and my energy levels have improved.

[@abhisheshbaghel7389]

Waiting for shoes from sooooooo long......

[@prospect_joe9813]

Dave is gonna put out a shoe review just like Candito is gonna put out his 7 week program just like Pioneer is gonna come out with knee sleeves.

[@GDoggy-em2xc]

Yeah Man, I’m 49 and I no longer do sets over 2-3 reps. High rep sets absolutely destroy me, I can’t do them anymore without feeling like I’m halfway in the ground. I only care about strength and cardio now. I ain’t getting any more muscle.

[@Lonewolf__666]

47 and just the same.

[@dansmith9724]

Agree, I also find keeping reps low 1-5reps helps you maintain form for the whole set, higher reps my form can get bad. Also I think when it's mentioned of training with low reps, many mistakenly think it's to failure. I find doing singles with 90% of my 1 rep Max and do several sets and a drop down set to increase volume. Last few years there seems to be more people on utube tearing pecs, most are bodybuilders who train in the 8-12reps and then go for a Max. In reality they need several months training in low reps to acclimatise to low rep work and strengthen tendons and ligaments.

[@jeqsteaer]

⁠​⁠@@dansmith9724 the Tear is because of the roids they are on the muscles grow faster than there tendons

[@rigoFGC1]

This video is incredible

[@jodogg101]

How is one supposed to modulate the progression of said single over time if they're just going by RPE8 (in this example) which is essentially going by feel, which will be up and down depending on the day. I also understand that there are still backdowns and other volume accumulated via variations, but if your volume work is tethered to the single you hit by percentage (which I see many people prescribe) how can one reliably progress their lifts with that kind of variability?

[@dylanconnors1180]

My training is more hypertrophy focused but I'd love to get my bench press strength up, would it be beneficial to throw in a single at 8-9 RPE after my usual working sets?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I would do it first

[@AMorrowAW]

4:59 this is what my coach has been having me do twice a week and my deadlift has gone from 385 to 605 in four months. Heavy singles work for me.

[@finallyfriday.]

I do 10, then add weight and do 8, add and do 5, add and do 3, finally doing 1 at personal best. Next sessoon I start 5# higher. Each time my best gets +5#

[@mikerodriguez556]

Great video and insight into fatigue

[@kellybardwell3290]

I’m 50/50 on fatigue singles during my offseason (straight after comp any ways) - I enjoy tops sets of 6-3 reps but still feel singles are such as skill.

[@IamLEGENDkb24]

On a 12 week PPL strength program.. top sets for 1st 5 weeks are 3-4 reps starting at rpe 6.5 going up each week.. but i myself added in a top heavier single and squat/deadlifts have never felt soo good..

[@Whurlin]

Started a new bench cycle today and one of the days will be dedicated to singles at 90%. No real progression in mind other than maybe adding sets if I feel good. Progressing working sets on the other days. I definitely do singles less on bench then on squat and deadlift, probably subconsciously. But watching this vid reinforced what I already thought about doing. So this was right on time. Lol Thank you!

[@deadandbored]

what kind of variation do you like to use for sinky benchers? Spotto doesnt work well IMO since its sooo different to comp bench and paused bench feels too similar to comp

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

My soft vs sink video is probably a good place to start. But longer pauses and close grip tend to be pretty solid.

[@donaldkasper8346]

Bench I can do all sorts of smaller wts, sets, 5 reps, etc. Deadlift is totally different. I screw around on middle wts, I am not going to my established max or get a new one. All the stretching stops. All the small wts stops. One lift near max then lift at max or new max attempt. Yesterday, was sitting at 265 lb max, 255 lb working wt, stopped all the small stuff and warmups and did 225 then tried for 275 lbs, so impossible to get to before, and did one rep. I tire for short intervals at bench, but tire for the day at deadlift. That is, there is really only singles in deadlift unless I am going to play at low wts for the session.

[@brunocoltrane]

speaking about singles, i have a q: why on earth all of my FIRST EVER reps on bench press are always garbage? For exemple, if i'm doing 4 sets of 5 reps, all my frist reps on every set are pretty ugly on the descent, but all the others, even the last ones are pretty well executed.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Because you get feedback from the reps themselves during the set and can adjust. All the more reason to practice singles. We don’t have that opportunity for intra set feedback.

[@fredcastleman3104]

Great video. As use.

[@catedoge3206]

Competition single is the closest you can to actual comp standard set. Specificity is the name of the game.

[@herrnoname2.094]

Cluster Sets tend to work for me quite good 😊

[@soranhernandez6425]

Lately I've been trying to stay strict with myself and stick to it hybrid strength hypertrophy range. I do really prefer the lower rep stuff like singles and anytime I do get strict with myself I know I'm going to end up being rusty at my singles afterwards. Would you say just include an RPE 8 single and front of the main work to stave off that rust as well as keeping motivated?

[@robertstevens5588]

In a 12 week training block prior to competition, how often would you program in singles? I'm an older lifter, and only bench 2 to 3 times a week, squat once a week, and deadlift hard once every two weeks. Would you program singles every session? By the way, incredible videos! Your sumo guides literally pushed my lifts up 30 to 40 pounds immediately! Thank you!!

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I think you have to experiment with singles in your normal training to find what feels appropriate. Like I said in the video, I think people should keep singles in their training very often. To me, year round singles is a much better option than just competition blocks only.

[@robertstevens5588]

@@BrazosValleyStrength Thank you so much! I'll start incorporating them more regularly.

[@Emresinho]

I love a good single even tho the most of the progress is made from the backoffs. 👌

[@Oi-mj6dv]

10 RPE singles makes my body kind of shiver in fear. Why not doing them at 90% instead kind of in the ballpark of 7-8RPE? Thats not RPE 10 and you surely can do them in a repeating style. Say 5 singles and then volume work. Couple of higher rep sets

[@thealmightyoragutan612]

I did 8x1 @ 495 today for deads will this help? I have hit 600 as a max before. The last time I did heavy singles was with 405.

[@krisjanis282]

Hi! Been trying to convert to a sumo deadlift for a while now (your video have helped alot), but I’ve been plagued with Sartorius pain (I think) when I pull sumo more. Any tips?

[@justinmorelli5010]

try bringing your legs closer together and pulling conventional

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Try not being such an idiot, Justin.

[@majestytd]

I rarely see a squats with a sumo stand...

[@fredcastleman3104]

Is it possible to get set up as tight bent over with straps as when starting standing up?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I’m not sure I understand the question. But I do have a video on straps that might help.

[@fredcastleman3104]

@@BrazosValleyStrength thank you for answering me. In my opinion, I have a good tight sumo setup to lift. My problem is that if I hinge and get my hamstrings basically tight and then apply the wraps, I can’t get my core set and tight in a bent over position. I don’t like taking my breath and getting my core set, then hinging and apply wraps. I am holding my breath to long to be safe, in my opinion. How do you do it?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I would watch the video I mentioned.

[@georgepolemos2722]

Any ideas on how to improve “intent” or aggression for calm lifters like my self ?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Genuinely think you can practice finding the emotion you want to have before those sets. Visualization goes a long way.

[@jinyoungjang1059]

Bb row single time🗿🗿

[@21lamar21]

So how do you feel about a 12 week cycle that features singles all the way through vs one that does a block of triples, a block of doubles and a block of singles. Traditionally most coaches do the triples one block , doubles, another and then single ls the block leading into the meet. Do you feel that singles leading up to it is better? I know I may vary with each individual but in general do you see a trend of which seems to have the best results?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I don’t think the periodization that you mentioned is that common anymore. Or at least very common in athletes that are performing well. What you outlined might be fine, but I think it is more likely that keeping singles in for much longer is likely to work better for a higher percentage of people than periodization like that.

[@utkn]

So tl;dr - max out every session? Don't mind if I do! (jk)

[@dalumfitnessph]

Does practicing singles ever week is optimal?

[@donaldkasper8346]

Really wide stance in your squat.

[@scottgomez1]

You think it’s good for a 50yr old to do singles? (RPE 7/8)

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Why wouldn’t it be?

[@scottgomez1]

Haha, I like that answer. Thanks.

[@donaldkasper8346]

In your sumo, your feet are turned way out.