Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny Croxda
Some of the information in this is informative and has it place...but
Deadlift Singles
No doubt this is an effective method of training technique in the deadlift.
With that said, singles are just as effective in training the squat, bench press and other movements, as well
Thus, there is NO exclusivity to single, it works for other movements, too.
Touch And Go Deadlifts
This has a place in conventional deadlift training.
In conventional deadlifting, most lifters sticking point is in the knee area, just below or above.
Performing a Touch and Go allows convetional deadlifters to more effectively overload the sticking point in the knee area.
Stretch Reflex
Touch and Go (as the video state) allows you to develop the stretch reflex.
Rather than sitting in the hole adjusting your hand postion and getting ready, there are a couple of methods that will allow you to engage the stretch reflex to some extent when coming off the floor.
Power Output
Touch and Go Deadlifts also allow you to produce more power.
Power is the grease that allows you to slide through your sticking point.
Car Analogy
In driving through a mud hole, you changes of making it are much better if your increase your speed before you go into the mud hole.
Optimum Total
The recommended total number of singles provide some good parameters.
However, the deciding factor in how many singles you perform is your technique.
Once it falls apart, you have to options.
1) Stop performing the exercise for that day. Continuing to perform with poor form reinforces bad technique.
2) Take longer rest periods. Longer rest periods will allow you to extent the number of singles you perform.
The overall video is good but to some extent it is a bit one dimensional.
At some point it will stop working and as the vidoe said, that when you need to rethink your training approach.
Kenny Croxdale
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Yes, singles can be effective for all lifts. That is why there are programs like Westside that have Max Effort Upper and Lower days to hit heavy singles on all the lifts. I still think it is the most important for deadlift though as far as 1RM because you don't have a negative phase to take advantage of the stretch reflex for the deadlift as compared to the squat and bench.
I don't like touch and go reps at all. I only do conventional and my lockout is my weakest point but still I don't believe in touch and go reps, especially for a beginner or someone with bad technique. Most people end up banging the reps off the ground just to get more reps in. This causes several problems like even more bad form. And you are never at the same starting point as your original rep. So now you are not training the same movement and teaching your body the correct motor pattern. If I want to train my lockout, then I'll just do rack pulls or strengthen muscles that work the most in the lockout like my glutes. I don't see the need to ruin my technique when that is most important to me.
And, yes, at some point the approach will stop working. At some point, pretty much every approach will stop working. Part of that is your body adapting to that approach. And part of that is as you get stronger and stronger, it will be harder to put lbs on your lifts regardless of your training protocol. I've gotten about 15-20 lbs out of strictly doing singles but I am going to go back to 5s for the next 6 weeks and see if that new stimulus of doing reps with higher weights now that my max is higher will bring about some new gains.
And this is a great conversation we're having, but I don't really think it is applicable to the original post. Maybe we should make a separate thread to discuss training methods or something.