High Set Singles for Massive Strength and Size Gains

High-Set Singles for Massive Strength and Size Gains

Probably the most popular form of low-rep training among many "old-time" bodybuilders, high-set singles are highly effective at making a muscle neurally stronger.

I believe that one of the best ways to incorporate high-set singles is with a method made popular by the great Doug Hepburn. It works something like this: On your lift of the day, start off with a weight in which you absolutely know that you can get at least three singles. (Remember, it's better to start off too light than too heavy.) Make sure you warm up sufficiently for the lift using very low reps. After about a five minute rest after warm-ups, go directly into the singles. Perform a single, rest five minutes, and then perform another single. If you manage to get eight singles, then stop the lift and add two and a half to five pounds at your next workout and start all over again.

If your goal is simply to be stronger, then stop the workout at this point. If you're after muscle mass to go along with the strength, then rest five minutes and perform three to four sets of three to five reps, with minimal rest in between these sets.

Below is an example workout that you could use that incorporates this approach to training.

Day One: Chest, Arms

Bench Press- 3 to 8 sets of 1 repetition, followed by 3 sets of 3 reps. Utilize the method described above.

Incline Dumbbell Press- 5 sets of 3 reps.

Barbell Curls- 3 to 8 sets of 1 repetition. Utilize the same technique as with the bench presses but eliminate the triples.

Close-grip Rack Lockouts- 3 to 8 sets of 1 repetition. This exercise will give you even more tricep involvement than regular close-grip benches, plus it takes the chest out of the movement so that you don't end up overtraining your pecs.

Day Two: Off

Day Three: Legs

Squats- 3 to 8 sets of 1 rep. Perform these the same as the first workout. Do not substitute another exercise for regular squats; they can't be beat as an overall mass-booster. Also, don't sell yourself short by doing a partial or parrallel squat. Go rock-bottom for the best benefits.

Front Squats- 5 sets of 3 reps. In order to get maximum quadricep involvement into the workout, use these instead of the regular squats for your follow-up triples.

Day Four: Back, Shoulders

Weighted Wide-Grip Chins- 3 to 8 sets of 1 rep, followed by 3 sets of 3 reps.

Close-grip Bent-over Rows- 5 sets of 3 reps. Use an underhand grip on these in order to get more lat recruitment (as opposed to mid-back) from the exercise.

Standing Military Press- 3 to 8 sets of 1 rep.

Day Five: Off

Day Six: Repeat

After four to five weeks of the above workout, if you want to try something new, then use the same workout, but stick more to an approach to high set singles made popular by Brooks Kubrik. Kubrik's method works something like this: Drop the poundages you are using by about 10% (from what you used with Hepburn's approach) and try performing 15 to 20 singles on all of the major exercises.

The Deadlift Ultimate

AKA: The Last Deadlift Training Article You EVER Need to Read! Tips, Techniques, Tricks, Workout Routines, and Training Suggestions for Building Incredible Deadlift Strength and Power Okay, maybe my “also known as” title here is a little, you know, over the top. But as I sit here at my laptop, tapping away at these keys, my goal is (or at least make a valiant effort) to write the end-all, be-all article for building a monstrously strong and powerful deadlift. I have the deadlift on my mind after penning my last few articles—a few on Anthony Ditillo’s training methods, another on a 3-day Russian training program, and my recent essay on an overview of Russian methods—because here’s the lowdown for the deadlift: while I love Ditillo’s training methods and Russian workout plans overall, I don’t necessarily think any of those methods are the best when it comes to the deadlift. If you want to get really big and strong, plus build up your squat...

Ditillo’s Big Three for Bulk and Power

More Anthony Ditillo Training Wisdom for Developing Size and Strength My recent essay on the training methods of the great bodybuilding writer Anthony Ditillo has proven quite popular, more so than I thought it would be when I posted it. When I wrote it, I knowingly left out a few of his training routines due to length constraints. I was afraid it was a bit too long as is when I finished it, since my shorter articles tend to get the most views. Besides, I figured I could always write more down the road, though “down the road,” in this case didn’t prove to be very long. Ditillo was a huge proponent of using the “big,” basic barbell movements—squats, overhead presses, bench presses, bent-over rows, deadlifts, barbell curls, and the like. But in one of his many articles for Ironman , he wrote that there were three movements in particular that were all you needed to, in his words, “build great massiveness a...

Bill Starr’s High-Volume, High-Frequency Training

Some Thoughts on High-Volume, High-Frequency Training, Bodyweight Workouts, Program Design, and Progressive Resistance Bill Starr is primarily known for his 5x5 training and his heavy-light-medium system of strength training. Most of the articles that I write here on Starr revolve around those methods, as well, including an entire book I wrote on his methodology, The Strongest Shall Always Survive: Lifting Lessons from an Iron Legend . Starr was a one-time world-class Olympic weightlifter and a world-renowned strength coach. When it came to the athletes that he trained, it was all about increasing their strength and performance. But he also wrote a lot of articles for the major bodybuilding rags that ruled the magazine rack during his lifetime. When I was young, for instance, I knew of him only because of his many articles in Ironman magazine and MuscleMag International . Starr was well aware that most of those readers ...

C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

Search This Blog