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stuck on a light weight? dude you can barely handle that weight. if you cut back to 20kg it would not be too light.

bss for singles reminds me of frank yang's crazy bad form bss from his training montage vids from way back (IIRC).

definitely echo vag & lbss.. lighten those BSS's up and hit 6-8 reps until your glutes/hams/quads fall off (with good form).

Just ask yourself what you're trying to achieve with singles on BSS? Even for squat, what's the objective? If you are doing submax squat singles, ie, 80-95% and working on speed, or trying to achieve some kind of stim, then that's a decent objective. As for BSS, you could technically focus on speed (with lighter loads). STIM would better be achieved by something bilateral like squat. So those are a few use cases for doing singles @ submax percentages.

For the most part though, the best use case for unilaterals is just good old fashioned general strength, hypertrophy, and creating a greater stimulus for stabilizers (muscles responsible for stability of the ankle, knee, torso). All of that can be trained just fine in the 5-12 rep range.

When your glutes completely die at ~6 reps, good stuff.

pC!

Date: 03/11/2015
Soreness: quads, back a little
Weight: 64.25kg

Warm up
   A walk, skip and run x 2 x 20m
   Hip mobility swings x 10 each leg
   Iliopsoas stretch cross leg method

Workout
   It was windy from the back and sometimes diagonally from the back, low-medium winds.
   60m sprints alternating lead leg standing start
      1. 7.93
      2. 7.87
      3. 7.75
      4. 7.83

   at this point or before the 3rd run my quads started becoming sore, so I didn't    want the sprain to come up again so I always do min 4. But happy with the time but then again I realize that it was help from the wind. I did new start method, where I would step forward, then step back and then explode out and sprint to get that momentum going.
    reverse calf raises x 20
   ankle hops 2 x 8
   tuck jumps 2 x 8

    Stretches and activation drills
   
    BSS @ 0kg x 5, 20kg x 6 easy, 37.5kg dumbells x 2 x 6 each leg
       - the first set it was comfortable for my right leg upto 4 then some struggle ensued but I had to push my body upright when coming up so form was good. I am weaker on my left leg then my right leg on this one, on the last set I lost focus on contracting my core and my muscles and dropped the weight at 3 so continued to 6, so I had to pick it up and continue. I have to rest between legs and between sets which shows how long it takes. I was also running out of time so I had to leave enough time for my RDL's.
        - Just to make sure you count 2 legs as one set?
     
   Single leg romanian deadlift 0kg x 5, 37.5kg x 2 x 6
      - This is different, my right leg is weak on this then my left leg, also my quads seem to take a lot of strain from this workout. especially on my right quads. but this more comfortable then the BSS as my hamstrings are stronger than my quads.

   This workout session took a long time, from 10:00 am - 11:35 am for track workout, even with 5 min rest between runs. Then from 11:35 to 12:45 for gym work, giving a total of 2 hrs 45min. In order to fit 3 sets I would have to get to the track by 9:20-30, while still keeping my sprints to 4 reps.

The BSS were comfortable but about 5th rep to 6 reps the struggle begins and the form tries to break but I do my best to keep it upright by pushing my head back and sticking out my chest.

So do you think I should stick with this weight until I can do 6-8 reps without any form breaking attempts.

Rating: 8/10
 

 

Quote from: vag on November 02, 2015, 05:14:11 am

Also don't cut sets/reps short like you did in the past. Like doing 6-4-4 or 6-6. Do 3 sets of 6 good reps. Better to go a bit too light than too heavy on the beginning.

Quote from: seifullaah73 on November 03, 2015, 11:33:50 am

    BSS @ 0kg x 5, 20kg x 6 easy, 37.5kg dumbells x 2 x 6 each leg
     
   Single leg romanian deadlift 0kg x 5, 37.5kg x 2 x 6

It's my fault, I didn't have enough time to do 3 sets. But feel I would have been able to do 3 sets.
One thing doesn't make sense, lets say a person A, squats 100kg for 3 sets of 6 reps properly and then progresses to 105kg or 110kg and you can't expect him to do 3 x 6 again with that weight, wouldn't it be normal to do low reps and then that would count as a fail and then you try again until you can do it properly for atleast 2 days consecutive then he progresses again, he can't be expected to do 3 x 6 for every weight consecutively there will be fails won't there.
If you understand what I mean.

That's what I am doing, I don't want to jump 3 x 6 for all weights.

Quote from: seifullaah73 on November 03, 2015, 05:31:31 pm

It's my fault, I didn't have enough time to do 3 sets. But feel I would have been able to do 3 sets.

Haha, fair, next time.

Quote from: seifullaah73 on November 03, 2015, 05:31:31 pm

One thing doesn't make sense, lets say a person A, squats 100kg for 3 sets of 6 reps properly and then progresses to 105kg or 110kg and you can't expect him to do 3 x 6 again with that weight, wouldn't it be normal to do low reps and then that would count as a fail and then you try again until you can do it properly for atleast 2 days consecutive then he progresses again, he can't be expected to do 3 x 6 for every weight consecutively there will be fails won't there.
If you understand what I mean.

That's what I am doing, I don't want to jump 3 x 6 for all weights.

Well, this is fundamental talk about progressive overloading.
Of course you are not supposed to be able to add weight and get all reps EVERY next time. Otherwise all of us that train for years should be world-class level.
The progress curve is linear in the beginning, but then it gets exponential. Fairly weight-untrained people can keep a linear progress for months. After that you will be stuck and you will need to add special tricks ( periodization, high-frequency, potentiation etc ).
However at your level you don't have to worry about that. The rule is this:
-Do your 3x6.
-If you missed a rep,  use the same weight next workout.
-If you didn't miss a rep, add weight next workout. But add as little weight as you can. The 100kg squatter you mentioned should try 102 next time, not 105 or 110 as you said.
-If you missed to get 3x6 with the same weight for 3 consecutive workouts, remove 10% weight and start over.

That is it, you have to be patient.  Don't improvise, don't cut set, don't cut reps, don't add too much weight, don't do half reps.
Follow the above plan TO THE LETTER and be sure you will thank me later. Well not me, i didn't invent progressive overloading, i am just trying to teach it to you right

Now everything makes sense.

Thanks I will try, but I will do as you said but I hope you won't grill me if I fail to do 3 x 6, which means I will have to go 10% down if i fail 3 consecutive workouts.

If I fail to do some reps, like I drop the weight or lose focus and I pick it up and continue e.g. do 3 reps, drop it and continue with 3 more reps or does that count as a failed attempt. That is a bad habit of mine, I cut sets because I wrongly convince myself that 2 and 3 sets are the same.

Once I do 3 x 6 for 2 consective workouts the next progress is 40kg as they don't smaller progression dumbells.

Of course I will thank you for this as you taught me as well as the others who are helping as well.
 

If someone ever grills at you for not being able to lift a weight, he is a major asshole. I grilled for not acting rational and not following repeated/certified/trustworthy advice.

So this 35 to 40kg DBs jump, you are right, it is a problem. It is upping your load from 70kg to 80kg , 14%, waaaay too much. But DBs have this problem, i had the exact same problem last year with DB rows, DBs were 32kg-36kg-40kg.

A few solutions i would use at this case:

1) What you said, do 2 successful 3x6 workouts with 35 before advancing to 40kg.

2) Use different DBs? Like use 40kg only at the working leg hand and keep 35kg at the other one, then switch. That way total load is 75kg so increase is only 7%. The imbalance is small so can't harm much, both SL exercises you do are imbalanced by nature anyway.

3) Do it set-by set. So when you get 3x6@35kg , next time do 40kg only at the third set only, so 6x35kg 6x35kg, ?x40kg. If you got less than 6 at this third set, repeat the same thing next time. When you finally get 6 reps with 40kg at third set, next time do 40kg on second set too. So 6x35kg ?x40kg, ?x40kg. When you can get 6 reps at both last sets proceed to first set too.

1 & 3 are better imho, i would use 3.

They do have 37.5kg dumbells but will do number 3, I like the idea, it's interesting.

thanks
 

Date: 07/11/2015
Soreness: quads super sore painful when climbing stairs, shins a little sore when pressed a little, glutes
Weight: 65.15kg (weights going up and it's not fat I don't think, it could be the fluctuation)

Condition: Shower style rain, it was raining a lot, wet track and the wind was constantly changing direction. The track entire's lanes were being used so I used the lanes on the other side. Took time to find 60m line but found it in the end.

Warm up:
   A walk, A skip, A run x 2 x 20m
   Leg swings hip mobility x 10 each leg
   Standing Iliopsoas 10 secs each leg

Workout
   60m sprints, again the quad sprain fired up again.
       1. 8.29    L     Rain, wind side
       2. 8.35    R       "         "
       3. 8.25    L        "        "   quads got sore
       4. 8.22    R       "        "    quads a bit more sore

    Went inside to do the ankle hops and tuck jumps as it was still raining a lot, I am soaking wet wearing t-shirt
    Reverse calf raises as much as I could use it as an activation for my ankle hops to prevent the pain getting bad on my shin
    Ankle hops 2 x 8
    Tuck Jumps 2 x 8
     
    Activation and mobility stretches, quads, hamstring, calfs, hips
   
    BSS w/ Dumbells, my quads are sore
      - @0kg x 3 reps (deep and stretch)
      - @20kg x 5 reps
     - @35kg x 3 x 6 
     My left leg was the strong leg, it was a comfortable challenge, even though my quads was sore and sprained sort of, but my right leg was sore and weak but my left leg was more sore but stronger than my right leg. But I knew I could do 3 x 6 with 35kg but am still nevertheless happy with it.

      Single Leg RDL (25 mins left)
        - 0kg x 5
        - 35kg x 2 x 6 My quads were sore, that it was difficult to go down as my quad is stabilising my knee bend, but was able to pull off 6 reps for 2 sets, more easier with my left leg. I ran out of time had 10 mins to do 2 sets more, so could only fit 1 more set and then finished.

Stretch
   cool down stretch - quads (normal, place knee on bench and other foot on floor and push hips forward), hamstring (straight and bent knee), hips and iliopsoas, calf.

walk back very sore quads.

Comment: Managed to pull of 3 x 6 with sprained quads, but had to do it just to show I could do it, it was a comfortable amount of effort required, now to transition into 40kg using vag's method. Rain just pouring. Just placed heat rub and support bandage brace on my quads.

Rating: 6/10

Date: 10/11/2015
Weight: 64.6kg
Soreness: quads again

Condition: windy from the side, track was dry, quad was sore a little at this point.

Warm up
    same

Workout
    60m sprints alt lead leg
       1. 8.10
       2. 8.10  (it felt fast but... wasn't)
       3. 8.13
       4. 8.28  Quads were too sore again

     Ankle hops (felt very bouncy) 2 x 8 but shin sore after
     Tuck jumps 2 x 8
     
     Started gym with sore quads
     activation and mobility drills, tennis ball rolling, activation stretches
     
      BSS
         - @0kg x 5
         - @20kg x 5
         - @35kg x 2 x 6
         - @40kg x 1 x 1 The previous 2 sets just really inflamed my quads a lot more
       
      SLRDL
          - @0kg x 6
          - @35kg x 2 x 6
          - @40kg x 1 x 0 (FAIL) my quads were too sore to maintain my knee bend

       I also finished just a few minutes past the time allowed so had to rush to my appointment, got there 5 min late.

Cool down stretch
   - calf massage and stretch
   - hip stretch
   - quads and hamstring stretch
   walk back 30min with sore quads

Comment
Sore quads makes it harder for me to do 6 reps with BSS and even worse after the BSS it becomes even more harder to do single leg RDL's as I lean over there is strain my quad when I reach the bottom.

Rating: 4/10 (not happy with my time)