In Praise Of The Single Rep Set

Single Rep Sets Build and Strengthen Both Mind and Body

I think it is a mistake for progressive resistance trainers intent on increasing power and strength to purposefully avoid single-rep sets, all-out maximum efforts. The proviso is this: it must be a certain type and flavor of all-out effort.

Rep King Don “Bubbles” Berry, shown above, is in the hole with 390 pounds.

One of the classic tenets of progressive resistance training is the uncontested conventional wisdom that single repetitions are to be avoided at all costs, as if they were landmines. The thinking behind this orthodoxy is that single repetitions are inherently unsafe and totally unnecessary.

Single repetitions most certainly can be safe, and they are absolutely necessary if one is to actualize strength potential — but only when the lifter has technique, judgment, loading discipline, appropriate equipment, and a clear reason for using them.

Why Lifters Fear Singles

One not-so-small point: if the benchmark in maximum strength is the single rep, done in the important progressive resistance movements, why would you avoid doing the benchmark?

Rep charts were invented to allow the petrified to extrapolate their all-out single repetitions without ever actually having to do one. Most of these charts are woefully optimistic. You cannot generalize. Some athletes are better at sustaining an effort and some athletes excel at all-out short bursts of effort.

I knew an athlete who was capable of 405 pounds for 22 reps in the barbell squat. His best single rep was 485. Another friend, Chuck Deluxe, told me that when he did 405 for 20, he squatted 600 for a single rep, raw, wearing nothing other than a leather weightlifting belt.

Some guys are really good at reps and other guys are really good at singles. I would advise those good at single reps to counterbalance and include some high-rep training. I would advise those who make a steady diet of higher reps to get some single reps under their belt.

Mark Chaillet’s 100-Meter Sprinter Argument

As world-record holder, world powerlifting champion and my training partner for six years Mark Chaillet once quipped, “A powerlifter purposefully avoiding single reps is like a 100-meter sprinter refusing to run the 100 meters in practice. ‘I only run 80s, 100s might burn me out.’”

Mark had a great point. Want to get better at singles? You have to do some singles. There is an art to single reps. It takes time and practice to master them.

For readers interested in the purest single-rep minimalist in my training orbit, read The Undisputed King of Weight Training Minimalism and House of Pain Part II: Mark Chaillet.

Singles Are a Skill, Not a Dare

Why is the single rep considered so dangerous? Because trainees use piss-poor technique and try way too much poundage.

What is the best way to introduce single-rep training into your current progressive resistance regimen? The first step to single-rep mastery is to make sure your exercise techniques are correct. We are speaking of the important lifts: squats, front squats, various bench press variations, deadlifts, overhead presses, power cleans, and other key movements.

The key to staying safe when doing single-rep maximum efforts is to forget everything you think you know about a lift. Be courageous. Go back to zero. Embrace light weights and ingrain proper technique. Use maximum range of motion on the power movements. Stress the controlled negative, full ROM, and perfect technique, exhibiting exquisite control — all of which combine to make light weights heavy.

Get more using less by eliminating slop and inconsistencies in technique. Poundage be damned.

When you commence your exploration of single-rep sets, the negative must be controlled and the concentric explosive. Any grinding, any struggle on the concentric, and that exercise is done. Grinding single-rep sets after technique breaks down is asking for injury.

The eccentric of every rep needs to be controlled and technically perfect, followed by an explosive concentric. When technique evaporates and the lifter continues to struggle, injuries occur.

Having praised singles, and while they deserve a regular spot in the resistance rotation, I do not think they should be deified or overemphasized any more than the other power rep ranges, five and below. Singles need to be embraced, not ignored.

Our athletes logically spiral down to single reps when seeking to peak power and strength, be it for a lifting competition, an athletic training camp, or an athletic event.

Our classical rep taper, the final four training sessions, finishes with the last three sessions reserved for single reps: a dress rehearsal. If the boys are going to be doing singles in competition, logic dictates that they practice the benchmark.

Don “Bubbles” Berry and the Five-Rep Problem

My friend Don “Bubbles” Berry is extremely adept at reps and not so good at singles. We put him on a remedial program of singles. Usually, mastery of the five-rep set automatically leads to single-rep mastery. Hall-of-fame powerlifters like Ed Coan, Doug Furnas, Hugh Cassidy, and Kirk Karwoski all swore by the five-rep set. Because each had five-rep mastery, each had incredible single-rep prowess.

I got Bubbles Berry on sets of fives in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press, and he took to fives like a duck to water. For him, mastery of fives did not convert into a massive single rep, which it did for the superstars of power. Getting really good at fives made Bubbles really good at doing fives. Period.

When he squatted 375 for 5, raw, at age 60, weighing 198 pounds, I expected an age-group national record of 440 pounds for a single repetition. If one of my experienced lifters repped 375 for 5, they would most certainly be expected to hit 440 x 1 on a regular day and 460 x 1 on a good day.

Alas, despite his five-rep prowess, he has yet to break the 400-pound barrier in competition. How is it possible for a man who can rep 375 x 5, each rep well below parallel, to be stuck at 395 x 1? The answer is that Don has guts, grit, a high pain tolerance, and is really good at establishing rhythm and momentum the deeper into a set he gets.

For Don, the first three reps are tougher than the last two reps, which is, of course, ass-backwards. He has an ability to slightly struggle on the first few reps of a five-rep set and then flip a switch and develop a discernible rhythm, much in evidence on reps 4 and 5. His five-rep sets are heroic, like watching a bungee leap or an Acapulco cliff diver.

As a Wing Chun instructor, he knows about getting smashed in the face and kicked in the groin. He takes pride in being able to stroll deep and long into the pain zone. He carried over that same fighting spirit into lifting. When the pain forces others to quit, Bubbles Berry is just getting started.

Berry has built slabs of muscle with his five-rep mastery and that in and of itself is fantastic. Now he is on a mission to convert his five-rep strength into a bigger single.

Coil the Eccentric, Explode the Concentric

Mastery of single-rep sets is physical and mental. Singles in lifting must be equal parts technique and explosive release of coiled energy.

Learning to squat or deadlift expertly is like learning a pro-level golf swing, bat swing, or tennis serve. You swing a bat, golf club, or tennis racquet with all your controlled might. You release all your energy in a single, all-out swing that uses every muscle in the body. There is an optimal balance between power and control.

A progressive resistance single is done with control and precision: coiled power is released in an instant, like the ignition of an atomic bomb. After a resisted negative, the concentric is exploded. You do not get five shots to get it right. You get one. Get it right.

Explode instantaneously — but only after a coiled eccentric.

On the first rep of a deadlift you do not even get that. You must start from a dead stop. No rolling start like in the squat or bench press.

At some point, if you keep increasing the poundage in a single-rep session, the explosiveness disappears and is replaced by grind. There is nothing wrong with grind and it is used to our advantage at different times and in different situations — but not now, not while learning how to perform technically perfect, crisp, explosive single-rep efforts.

How a Single-Rep Bench Session Might Look

A single-rep training session can be constructed around the idea that one crisp, technically correct, explosive rep is the goal. Once the single slows or turns into grind, you are done with singles. Move on.

Here is how a single-rep session might look for a man with a 225-pound best single-rep effort in the bench press:

Note: 225 x 1 slowed, so singles end there.

Over time and with repetition, singles become more explosive and easier as you learn to harness maximum coiled tension before exploding. Single-rep mastery can infuse the trainee with explosiveness that may carry over to sport or athletic activity, provided the rest of the training is intelligently arranged.

The Mental Component of Single-Rep Training

There is a mental component that accompanies single-rep training. The athlete must learn how to explode instantaneously and fully commit mentally and physically, Mind and Body melding in the all-out effort. You must get it right immediately and instantly. No redos, mulligans or makeovers.

Coil the eccentric and explode the concentric. No need to stroll deep into the pain zone. You will not be there long enough to experience pain. A single-rep set is over in three to five seconds, or less.

Do not expect to become a master of the explosive single overnight. Make haste slowly. Singles do not suffer fools lightly, and singles teach with a big stick.

To paraphrase Blue Öyster Cult: don’t fear the single.

Equipment Notes for Single-Rep Strength Training

Single-rep work does not require a complicated room. It requires dependable basics: a stable bench or rack, a trustworthy bar, accurate plates, secure collars, and enough room to lift without chaos.

For bench-based training, a stable adjustable bench such as the Body-Solid ProClub Line adjustable bench can support pressing variations when matched to the lifter, load, and facility. For barbell work, a general-purpose bar such as the Body-Solid chrome Olympic weightlifting bar may suit many training environments when used within its stated specifications.

Lifters training power movements, Olympic-style lifts or dynamic pulls should match the bar and plate selection to the task. American Barbell colored urethane bumper plates are one option for facilities needing durable bumper-plate loading. Readers comparing broader categories can review Olympic weightlifting bars, weight plates, weightlifting belts, and weight benches.

The equipment does not make the single safe. Technique, load selection, setup, spotters, safeties, and judgment make the single safer.

Safety Note for Single Reps and Maximal Efforts

Single-rep training is advanced enough to deserve respect. Beginners should build technique and base strength before chasing maximal attempts. Experienced lifters should use conservative warm-up jumps, properly set safeties, competent spotters when needed, secure collars, and honest technical standards.

Do not attempt a true maximum when sick, dizzy, distracted, sleep-deprived, injured, or emotionally reckless. Stop when the rep slows in a way that changes technique, when pain appears, or when another attempt would require a different lift than the one being trained.

Heavy singles are not inherently evil. They are also not magic. They are a tool. Use the tool with skill.