Heavy Singles and Full-Body Workouts

More Training with Heavy Singles

Where Heavy Singles Training, Bill Starr, and Full-Body Workout Routines Converge as One

     Once I wrapped up my last article on training with heavy singles, I realized that there were several different points that I didn’t address, and a few different workouts that I didn’t get around to discussing.  I doubt this will end up being a long series, but I do want to write a few follow-up pieces.  This one is the first.

     You can look at my last essay as more of an introduction to training with singles.  In this one—and whatever ones that might follow it—I want to focus on a single method of training (pun not intended) using singles.  Here, the method will be full-body workouts using a heavy-light-medium system.

     I am going to give you two workouts here, a “beginning” program and an “advanced” program.  The first workout routine really isn’t for beginners, per se, but it is good for anyone who hasn’t used heavy single-rep training, or hasn’t done so for quite some time.  It is NOT a “beginners” program, however.  You need to have spent at least a few months on a 3-days-per-week, full-body program before attempting it.  In fact, a highly advanced, competitive powerlifter might find that it’s all he or she needs for continued progress.  The 2nd program is definitely not for beginners.  It is a 4-days-per-week program, and, yes, each workout is a full-body program.

     Both of these workouts are essentially the same ones that appear in chapter 4 of my book Ultimate Strength.  That book was published in 2018, but I originally wrote it almost a decade before.  It languished in relative obscurity—I suppose it still does since it’s my least-selling book for some reason—through a series of different blog posts before it was picked up by Regimen Books a decade ago.  I only mention that because my personal training paradigm has evolved somewhat since then.  Not much, mind you.  I still for the most part train lifters the same way today as I did at the start of this century.  But there are some minor things that I now do differently.  For instance, as you’ll see shortly, when I train lifters on a 4 days per week, full-body program, I now prefer a heavy-light-medium-light system of undulating workloads rather than a heavy-light-light-medium regimen.  Starr used the latter system, and I rarely went against the grain of my mentor 20 years ago.  But now I prefer the former, which uses Starr’s methods for the most part, but follows a template that’s more in line with a Russian, Sheiko-style system.

     The “good” thing about both of these programs is that they don’t require you to think about your training.  Just do the workouts as written and the results will come.  Of course, if you’re an already advanced, or a highly intuitive, lifter you might make some changes based on what you already know about your body.  But there is also a certain “freedom” in simply following a pre-written workout routine.  So, if you’re looking for a training program that builds plenty of strength, power, and muscle mass, but you haven’t really known what to do, look no further.  Give these programs a try.  I think you’ll be pleased by the results—perhaps even utterly surprised at just how good they are, especially for building muscle.  (For more reasons why singles are great for hypertrophy, read my previous post.)

     After I outline the programs in detail, I’ll offer a few additional thoughts.  That’s enough of an intro.  Let’s get started.

New to Singles

     This is a 3 days per week routine that uses, as mentioned, a heavy/light/medium rotation.  Make sure that you train on 3 non-consecutive days each week, and then take off 2 days after the medium session.  The most popular days for most lifters are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with the weekends off, but choose whatever days work best for you.  In my competitive powerlifting days, I always liked a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday schedule, for instance, when training on a 3-day, full-body program.  There was just something about doing a heavy session on Sunday before returning to work the following Monday morning that helped to prepare me for the coming week.  When my work week ended on Friday, I enjoyed having off that day and Saturday to relax, spend time with my family, and renew my body again for the coming Sunday onslaught.  The point is, just pick whatever 3 days work for you.

Day One - Heavy

• Full squats: 3 to 6 singles.  I wrote full squats for a reason!  I don’t want you to get into the habit of doing half—or worse, quarter squats—because you are using more weight than you are probably accustomed to handling.  Squat deep.  Ass-to-the-grass, as they say.  Squat as deep as you can on each single.  Make sure you have a spotter or two—or, heck, even a few.  If you don’t have a spotter, train in the power rack, and set the pins so that they are either right at the bottom of your squat, or just beneath it, allowing you to set the bar on the pins if you miss the lift.  You will, at least eventually, miss a rep at some point.  Safety is paramount.  Leave your ego at the gym door (or the garage door, if you train at home as I do) when squatting for singles.  For this exercise—and the other core lifts in this program—I want you to start out with a weight where you can get 3 singles (usually between 90-95% of your 1-rep max) after a sufficient warm-up.  (Read my last post on singles to give you some ideas about ramping up to heavy singles.)  Add a single at each workout until you are able to get 6 singles with that weight.  When you manage 6 singles, add weight at the next session, and repeat the process.  This is one of the time-proven methods for building maximal strength.  It worked for such strength luminaries as Doug Hepburn, Paul Anderson, and Pat Casey.  It worked for them.  It will work for you!

• Barbell bench presses: 3 to 6 singles.  Same method as the squats.  As for technique, I want you to pause for a count of 1 second at the bottom of each repetition once the bar touches your chest.  No bouncing the bar.  No arching your back—unless you’re a powerlifter who knows how to arch correctly, with your shoulders, head, and butt remaining on the bench.  Once again, this is NOT for testing your ego.  Use perfect form.  Control the weight as it goes down, pause on your chest briefly, then explode back to the lockout with the same form.  (Or, at least, attempt to explode, no matter how fast the bar is actually moving.)  As with the squats, make sure that you have a spotter—or a couple, or a few if you are really strong—to ensure you are doing this with safety.

• Deadlifts: 2 to 4 singles.  For deadlifts, I don’t want you to use as much volume—for a variety of reasons that we won’t get into here (read some of my past articles on the deadlift), deadlifts, by their nature, simply don’t require as much total work as squats and benches.  For that reason, I want you doing no more than 4 singles with 90-95% of your 1-rep max.  As with the other movements, once you can get 4 singles, add weight so that you can get at least 2 singles, and repeat the process.

• Barbell or dumbbell pullovers: 3 sets of 10 reps.  After all those ultra-heavy sets, now you get a little “pump” work.  I have selected the pullover because they work the triceps, the front delts, the lats, and even the chest.  George Turner called them the “upper body squat” for a reason.  Work fairly hard on each set, but use a weight where you stop a couple reps shy of complete, momentary muscular failure.

• Chins or rows: 3 sets of 6-10 reps.  For this movement, utilize chins if you have the strength to get at at least 6 reps.  If not, then select a rowing movement of some sort.  One-arm dumbbell rows, barbell rows, or T-bar rows are all viable options.  Stop a rep or two shy of failure on each set.

• Incline sit-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.  For these, you can start with just your bodyweight.  Once you have gotten accustomed to them, start adding weight.  You can hold a plate on your chest or, even better, behind your head.  Strong abdominals and a strong core are essential for a big squat and deadlift.  For example, when I squatted over 600 pounds in competition for the first time at a bodyweight of only 173 pounds, the toughest challenge was actually walking the weight out of the rack.  (I competed in organizations that didn’t allow a monolift.)  I felt as if my lower back and stomach were about to break.  And that is not an exaggeration!  I had to work my abs hard and heavy to handle such poundages on my back and stay completely upright.  They are also important for building a strong deadlift, so don’t neglect the abdominal work.

• OPTION: loaded carries of your choice.  If you want, you can add a set or two of farmer walks, stone or sandbag carries, wheelbarrow walks, sled drags, or tire flips to the end of the session.  Don’t go all-out on these, however.  Work them the same way that you would your auxiliary movements with weights—stop before you are completely exhausted by whatever “odd” lift you choose.

Day Two - Light

• Full squats: 6 singles.  Use a weight, after warming up, that is around 80% of the weight used for singles on the heavy day.  If you’re very sore on this day when you first start the program, you might want to only use 50-60% for a couple of weeks.  Once you have adapted, however, an 80% weight is ideal.  Alternate between 3 different stances—2 sets wide, 2 sets close, and 2 sets medium.  The light day is a good day to work on polishing form and technique.  Use it to your advantage.

• Bench presses: 6 singles.  Same principle as the squats.  As with the squats, use this day to really refine and hone in your technique—pausing on your chest, keeping your hips on the bench, driving the weight up by pushing your feet into the floor, staying tight, etc.

• Power cleans: 6 singles.  For these, you can use a relatively heavy weight.  No matter how “heavy” you train, it will still “slot” into the light day because of the weight—or lack thereof—that you are forced to use.  Still, don’t train “all-out.”  Use a weight where you can get 6 singles without failing.

• Incline sit-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.  If you are using your bodyweight on these on the heavy day, then you can do the same “intensity” as that day.  If you are using weights on the heavy day, then simply go back to your bodyweight here, or use a lighter weight.

• OPTION: loaded carries of your choice.  Train these slightly “easier” than your heavy day if you elect to do them.  You can either do one less set or stop each set slightly earlier than the ones from the heavy session.

Day Three - Medium

• Bottom-position squats: 3 to 6 singles.  This is, I proclaim, the single greatest exercise that no one ever does!  They really are that good.  Now, the reason that a lot of lifters don’t do them is because they lack the flexibility to get under the bar for a deep bottom-position squat.  Set the pins as low as you can, however, even if that means it’s only at parallel, or even slightly above it.  You will probably have a tough time using even 90% of your weight from the full squats on the heavy day.  If for some reason, you are capable of more, do NOT use more than 90% of your weight from the heavy session.  Otherwise, the same principles as the heavy day apply.  (If you want to see what a bottom-position squat should actually look like, check out THIS VIDEO of me doing one with 405 pounds over a decade ago.)

• Bottom-position bench presses: 3 to 6 singles.  Set the pins, and a bench, in the rack, so that you are starting with the weight on your chest.  You may not even be capable of 80-85% of the weight used on the heavy day because of how difficult it is to start the bench from the bottom position.  Stick with it, however, and you should reach the point that you can do around 90% of your heavy day’s weight on “regular” benches.  As with the squats, this is a little-used movement that pays off in big-time strength and power dividends.  Make sure that your form, as with the other days, however, is perfect.

• Deficit deadlifts: 2 to 4 singles.  Use the same methodology as the heavy day.  Because you simply won’t be able to utilize more than 90-95% of the weight used at the heavy session, this is another movement that slots perfectly into the medium day.  If you want, you can also use a different style of deadlift here than what you used on the heavy day.  If you typically pull “conventional,” then do these in the sumo style, or vice-versa.

• Barbell or dumbbell pullovers: 3 sets of 10 reps.  Same as the heavy day.

• Chins or rows: 3 sets of 6-10 reps.  You can use the same movement as the heavy day or swap it out for something different.  If you did barbell rows, for example, on the heavy day, do weighted chins here.

• Incline sit-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.  Same as the heavy day.

• OPTION: loaded carries of your choice.  Once again, same as the heavy day.

Advanced 4-Day Program

     If you can handle the workload—do NOT attempt this one unless you have the work capacity to do so—this program is as good as anything out there for massive gains in strength, power, not to mention muscle mass.

     Here, you will train on a heavy/light/medium/light rotation, using a 2-on, 1-off, 1-on, 1-off schedule.  Select to start the program on any day you wish, but, for instance, you might train Monday (heavy), Tuesday (light), Thursday (medium), and Saturday (light).  With that out of the way, let’s get to it.

Day One - Heavy

• Squats: 3 to 6 singles (preceded by an optional max effort single), followed by 1 set of 5 reps and 1 set of 8 reps.  On the 3 to 6 singles, use the exact same methodology as the 1st program.  However, every 2 to 3 weeks (this will depend on the individual, and requires that you know your body well enough to know if your body will thrive on it—or not) you can start the workout by working up to one all-out, maximal effort single.  On days that you do this, go for a PR—never attempt a weight that you have already done before.  If you decide to do this, then follow the max effort with your 3 to 6 singles.  When you are finished with your last single, drop down in weight and do 1 heavy set of 5 reps.  It should be hard, but you should still have 1 or 2 reps left “in the tank.”  When you are finished with your set of 5 reps, drop down in more weight and do a set of 8 reps using the same technique, hard but not all-out.

• Bench presses: 3 to 6 singles (preceded by an optional max effort single), followed by 1 set of 5 reps and 1 set of 8 reps.  Exact same methodology as the squats.

• Deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, or deficit deadlifts: 5 to 7 progressively heavier singles, followed by 3 sets of 3 reps.  Here is where you will see a little “Westside” influence.  Each week, rotate between conventional deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, and deficit deadlifts.  You can do the deficits however you wish, either sumo or conventional.  Work up to a “near max” on most days, not quite a true maximal effort.  However, when you are feeling strong, perhaps each week that you do your “standard” deadlift (how you deadlift in competition or how you would deadlift if you were to compete), work up to a true max and go for a PR.  After your max single, drop down to around 80% of that weight and do 3 sets of 3 reps.

• Overhead presses: 3 sets of 3-5 reps.  Once you are finished with your deadlifts, select some sort of overhead movement (military presses, one-arm dumbbell overhead presses, push presses, etc.) and do 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps.  These should be hard but not all-out—leave a rep or two in the tank at the end of each set.

• Barbell curls: 3 sets of 3-5 reps.  Use the same methodology as the overhead work.

• Incline sit-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.  Same as the heavy day from the first program.

• OPTION: loaded carries of your choice.  Same methodology as the first program.

Day Two - Light

• High-bar, close-stance pause squats: 3 to 6 progressively heavier singles.  For your 1st light day of the week, simply work up over 3 to 6 progressively heavier sets of singles until you work up to a hard but definitely not all-out single.  This workout, even though you will probably be sore from the previous day, should be “easy.”  You should feel good when you’re finished with them.  Work on form and technique over everything else.

• Weighted dips: 3 sets of 3-5 reps.  These should also be relatively easy sets.  Stop a few reps shy of complete failure.

• Good mornings or good morning squats: 4 to 5 progressively heavier singles.  Work up to a weight that is around 90% of your max for a single.

• Incline sit-ups: Use the same methodology as the sit-ups on the light day from the 1st program.

Day Three - Medium

• Bottom-position squats: 3 to 6 singles, followed by 1 set of 5 reps.  Do these the same as the squats from your heavy day, with the omission of a possible max single to begin with or the final set of 8 reps.

• Bottom-position bench presses: 3 to 6 singles, followed by 1 set of 5 reps.  Same as the bottom-position squats.  You can also elect to do close-grip bench presses or incline bench presses as alternatives.

• Barbell shrugs: 5 to 7 progressively heavier singles, followed by 3 sets of 3 reps.  Use the same methodology as your deadlift movement from the heavy day.

• Alternate dumbbell curls: 3 sets of 3-5 reps, each arm.  Use the same methodology as the barbell curls from the heavy day.

• Incline sit-ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps.  Same as the heavy day.

• OPTION: loaded carries of your choice.  Same as the heavy day.

Day Four - Light

• Squats: 3 to 6 singles, followed by 1 set of 5 reps.  Use 80% of the weights used for singles and your set of 5 reps as the heavy day.  Also, do the same number of singles as what you utilized on the heavy day.  So, if on the heavy day, you only managed 4 singles, you would do 4 singles here with 80% of that weight.

• Military presses: 3 to 6 singles, followed by 1 set of 5 reps.  Use the same methodology as the heavy day.  The nature of this movement will mean that there is virtually no way for you to use 80% of your bench press weight from the heavy day, making it a perfect light day exercise.

• Power cleans: 5 to 7 progressively heavier singles.  Same methodology as the deadlift movement from your heavy day, just without the 3x3 back-off sets.

• Incline sit-ups: Use the same methodology as your 1st light day.

Tips and Suggestions

     In addition to building boatloads of strength, these programs will also build muscle mass.  However, to do so, you must eat plenty of calories and get enough hypertrophy-inducing protein.  Try to eat 20 times your bodyweight in calories each day if you’re trying to really pack on the mass.  This means if you weigh 200 pounds, you should shoot for 4,000 calories on a daily basis.  Get enough protein, but also plenty of good fat and carbohydrates.  Carbs are necessary for the serious muscle builder.

     If you’re a powerlifter who is trying to stay in a weight class, calories aren’t as important, but protein is.  Ensure, no matter your exact goals, that you are getting at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis.

     Do as little as possible outside of the weight room other than rest and relaxing as much as possible.  Having written that, I must add that when I was a serious competitive powerlifter, I worked a full-time manual labor job and still managed to gain plenty of strength, power, and muscle.  In fact, when using a program similar to the advanced one here, I often had a problem staying in my weight class.  I was gaining weight even when I didn’t want to gain any.  That should tell you something about the mass-building efficacy of these programs for those of you who have struggled to gain muscle with more “conventional” bodybuilding methods.

Final Thoughts

     If you utilize either, or both, of these programs for a few months, I can guarantee you will be bigger, stronger, and thicker than before.  You’ll also have muscle in all of the right places since these routines focus on the lower  and rear of the body as much, or more than, the front.  Trust me.  Even if your main goal in training has always been hypertrophy, your body will greatly benefit from this style of training.  There’s a noticeable difference between the look of muscle built with heavy, low-rep training, and the kind built with high-repetition pumping workouts.  Never forget it!

     If you enjoyed reading about these programs—or, even better, have great results using them—then consider purchasing my Ultimate Strength book (which they originated from) or my latest book on Bill Starr entitled The Strongest Shall Always Survive: Lifting Lessons from an Iron Legend.  You can find out more about them, and all of my books, at the My Books page of the blog.

     As always, if you have any questions or comments, then leave them in the “comments” section below or send me an email if you prefer a private, and more personalized, reply.  Until our next post, stay strong and stay at it!