Incorporating Singles In Your Programming
While Powerlifting is a sport of high effort, one-rep-maxes, we all know the importance of rep work, or at least, hopefully, you do. Sustainable strength is built in repetition- and beyond that- so are hypertrophy, work capacity, connective tissue strength, etc. You’ve heard the case for volume expressed ad nauseum- my goal today is not to convince you of that. We must also discuss the utilization of singles in your programming- when it makes sense to incorporate them & how that may look different depending on the phase. The truth is, maintaining specificity & practicing that skill is important, but there’s a distinction between lower-RPE singles vs. constantly maxing out. Singles can be used more frequently when a) prioritizing rep work and b) managing intensities. Not every single has to be a grind-y, all-time PR. This concept is relatively novel for many Powerlifters since it goes against our instinctual desires once we approach our top end. Yet, keeping that ego in check & making the intelligent choice will build your strength in the long run. Submaximal singles have their place, too.
When is the best time to use singles?
Training comes in different phases, characterized by reps, sets, intensities, exercise selection, etc., depending on your competing season. Closer to a meet, you’ll be performing lower-volume, higher-intensity work- since that is specific to the conditions you’ll be under on the platform. Yet, there may be a case for including *some* lower-rep ranges, even during a volume phase, and let’s dive into that.
A) In a peaking phase
When approaching meet day, you must practice the skills you’ll express in that event. Therefore, including higher-percentage sets of 1-3 reps makes sense here, helping you highlight your top-end strength and get comfortable with that ability. Heavy weight has more inconsistency, less room for technical error, and a different neuromuscular demand than sub-maximal training. While there’s some overlap, truly max-effort lifts are their own ability within you, so improving your capacity in that scope- is how you set yourself up for the platform- and gain an idea of what you’ll be doing out there, number-wise. Proper periodization means specificity increases as competition season inches closer, and for Powerlifting, that means singles.
So, during a peaking phase, more work is dedicated to higher-intensity singles in your competition lifts. You may start your peak with doubles or triples- and taper down reps as it gets closer. Fatigued singles can also be used after your sets of 2-3 to accumulate more volume- depending on your needs and experience level as a lifter. With this method, you'll perform your necessary reps, managing intensity levels: while exposing your body to heavier loads. Generally speaking, newbie lifters (and female lifters) benefit from more rep work (heavy doubles/triples), and experienced lifters need more time with top-end singles. Specific peaking protocols are a separate topic. The bottom line is that a peaking phase is when it makes the most sense to incorporate heavy singles, and your training during that time should reflect this necessity.
B) On a testing week
Incorporating “testing” phases- as part of your program- provides a helpful introspection into the progress you’re making, serving as data to help you move forward. Truly working up to a one-rep max should not be a common occurrence- you’ll be spinning your wheels & likely repeating the same weights. It takes time to build new numbers, and you must give yourself adequate work to do so. Maxing out every 12-20 weeks is generally a sensible timeframe, depending on meet schedule, athlete level, training phase, etc.
Beyond that, other forms of “Testing” or “overreaching” can be used semi regularly. I like putting a higher intensity workload on the final week of a program where your strength is highest & you’ll be deloading the following week. Top triples, AMRAP sets, and Volume tests are other forms of assessing progress & pushing your limits. Where do singles fall into this? After your main work, you may add a couple of higher-intensity reps: to get comfortable with heavier weights, normalizing that feeling under fatigue. It allows you to build consistency with your upper-level strength, maintain the ability & proficiency required at those percentages, and provide insight into your new strength levels. If you can hit a previous max, or near-max, under fatigue? You’re probably stronger.
With this method, you can prioritize your primary “testing protocol,” while maintaining those max-effort skills. In the final week of a program, intensities can be exceeded, with fewer risks, since the deload week will help reduce your fatigue. When adding post-test singles, remember that the goal isn’t necessarily to hit an all-time PR: managing RPEs is important. Don’t expect to blow past your current threshold when you’ve already hit a rep or volume PR- you’re setting yourself up to feel discouraged. Think of the singles as practice work rather than progress assessments.
C) After volume work, potentially
Further benefits may occur from including heavy singles outside of peaking or testing. Let me explain.
Rep work is essential in Powerlifting: we know that much. Including lower-intensity, higher-volume training phases helps you build the qualities you need for the heavy singles. Therefore, some periods should place more emphasis on volume.
However, as lifters advance, the need to maintain maximal strength qualities & specificity increases. Newbie lifters’ 1RMs will increase from straight volume work: they just need to get reps in under the bar & practice their technique. After a few years of this process, later-stage intermediate lifters may de-train their ability to perform under heavy weight (or their confidence) if singles are removed for too long. Singles should NOT necessarily show up throughout every training phase, but: as a meet approaches, there’s more reason to program them outside of peaking. As an experienced athlete, your discrepancy between intensities & conditions for rep work vs. singles increases, and the level of hypertrophy a lifter can continue building decreases. Once you’ve been training your SBD consistently for years- building strength & muscle proves more difficult. You've developed a base level of both a) muscle mass and b) neuromuscular coordination- to get you to where you are. As a beginner, newbie gains occur because both qualities are increasing simultaneously: your motor rate coding & muscle mass are rapidly growing, resulting in faster progression. So, unless you're going up a weight class, more gains will result from increased motor unit recruitment. Since the conditions of rep work vs. heavier lifts are different, on a neuromuscular level, you need more practice with the specific ranges you’re trying to build- to help stimulate strength development.
Additionally, utilizing singles after volume helps build confidence. When you can hit previous “heavier” weights after performing a few gnarly rounds of your main work, you normalize them in your brain. Singles feel less intimidating, like a regularly occurring event, helping validate your strength progress. When heavy singles are reserved for only a few weeks out of the year: inherently, more pressure surrounds them. They seem like this scary, anticipated, hyped-around experience, increasing the chance that you’ll get in your head and lose your shit when you get under the bar. Incorporating them more regularly allows both- your body and brain- to get comfortable executing under heavy load, building technical proficiency and mental assuredness.
Singles don’t have a place in every training phase- since variety is important & you’re not peaking year-round, but there’s something to be said for including them more often- when your goal is directly increasing your maxes. Let’s discuss the reasoning behind controlling their usage- and how to incorporate and apply this methodology.
2. When NOT to use singles
While there is a benefit to including singles in multiple phases, they don't have a place in all of them.
As an athlete, the goal is not to be *forever* peaked, perpetually ready to jump on the platform. Doing so deprives you of developing other necessary qualities to improve you in the long run. There’s a degree of interference between maximal strength and other aspects such as hypertrophy, work capacity, general technique development, etc., so prioritizing your training on singles somewhat takes away from these goals. We need different phases with different emphases, and- keeping max-effort percentages there forever- removes that. Building up your base and prioritizing GPP training- outside of meet prep- sets you up for strength in the future.
Without this approach, staleness can occur: variety in rep ranges is one controllable variable to help drive adaptations. Doing the same shit over and over, without any change, keeps you stuck in the same cycles & makes it harder to break past your current limits.
So, keep singles in there as you get closer to a meet, maybe beyond that final three weeks out, but when you’re further away, take a break from them, to develop the qualities you’ll require when reintroducing heavy again.
3. Staying within RPEs, prioritizing rep work
If and when adding singles into a volume/strength program, the priority remains on the actual rep work. It’s not an excuse to try and break your PR daily: remember what the reasoning is. Maintaining your expression of strength, your ability to perform at your top end, not peaking. Go for volume and rep PRs, push yourself on your submaximal weights, focus on technical proficiency, and your goal within your singles is to make them clean & fast. Emphasize moving those weights better than ever, making them feel smoother, prettier, and more comfortable.
Chase mental, technical, and RPE PRs vs. PR-PRs.
That will save fatigue- so you can prepare for the actual volume. The reps are the work that’s driving the qualities you need, and the single is solely “bonus.” You're upholding the ability to exert more force in a single rep- while building the qualities that will help you do that- with more weight on the bar. Your brain space & physical energy should be given to your primary sets- accordingly. As an athlete, take on the different focus that each phase demands. When that’s a 5x5 PR, stay focused on that target, and don’t get ahead of what’s to come. Bring the same energy to your reps that you’d bring to a max-effort single.
There are a couple of different ways to go about this programming style, but typically, I like to do 1-3 RPE 7-8 singles after your main stuff- during an average training week. This percentage could be anywhere from 85-95%, depending on the athlete’s strength level, work capacity, what came before, etc. That way, you can preserve some energy and fatigue for the remaining training days- leading up to your final week. During a testing week, higher RPEs may be warranted for the reasons listed above.
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Gritting through one heavy, forceful rep. It’s the feeling we crave, fueling our dreams and investment in this sport. As experienced lifters, we all practice the importance of rep work, yet, there’s a benefit to including singles in the midst of that- in some applications. As you approach closer to a meet, especially after completing multiple, maintenance and specificity are important for the qualities you’re looking to build. This is not a free-for-all-period to max out, and you must manage intensities to prioritize your main training work. Building confidence & normalcy with heavier weights makes you better at them, and that’s what this method entails.
