Heavy singles with a purpose

Nick | 05/12/2014 | 5

The rep schemes of our strength portions repeat fairly regularly. This allows us to progressively build our ability to manipulate heavier and heavier loads. Our approach today, however, will have a slightly different purpose.

Our main goal is a ten rep max. Building this ability will help increase the loads we’re able to use during conditioning, especially when we’re looking to do large sets unbroken. Interspersed throughout our sets of ten will be heavy singles. These singles should be heavy (much heavier than the sets of ten) but not maximal. These singles will help remind our bodies how and how much we should be bracing when we deadlift. As we go back to the next set of ten (which again should be lighter than the single, but heavier than the first set of ten), the weight should feel lighter than the previous set of ten.  We’ll then proceed, once more, to load up for a slightly heavier single (but still not maximal) to get that stimulus once more before our last attempt at a ten rep max.

STR:

Deadlift
10-1-10-1-10

WOD:

25-20-15-10-5
pullups
shoulder to overhead (95/65)