One set per Exercise
 

Our little talk about "one set per exercise" got me thinking, were there any old school lifters that did a fullbody routine where they would do only one set per exercise, 3 days per week?

Say, something like this...

Bench Press
DB Bench
Flyes
BB Rows
DB Rows
Pullups
Overhead Press
Upright Rows
Side Laterals
Rear Laterals

...etc.

I know beginners often did 2 sets per exercise, but just wondering if you've ever seen an advance old school keep sets to one, but keep a greater exercise variety?

I can't say for 100% sure, but a one set program was often the intial program that was reccomended. You did this for about 2 months and then added a 2nd set. You added sets till at about 5-6 months you wre dong a 3x10 scheme.

A 3x10 or a 4x10 was a common set rep scheme. You did two progressive warmup sets, and then either one all out workset or for advanced lifters 2 worksets.

I can tell you that the 3x10 scheme I was using was done like this. 2 warmups, and 1 heavy workset, done 3x week. I was still able to work myself into a hole doing this. There was plenty of work being done.

As always it's not the individual workout, but the weeks total amount of work that you have to look at. this is how my week broke down for squats

90 reps total for the week on squats.

3x10@50% of known max
3x10@60% of known max
3x10@70-75% of known max



Each session was like this

1x10@155
1x10@185
1x10@225

I was working my way back up on worksets dong full ATG squats. I wanted to hit 300 as my workset. This was just squats, and the whole program was a fullbody program.

The basic fullbody looked like this.

Squats/ superset W pullovers
BB rows/ deads
Bench/ CGBP
Presses
Calf raise

BB curls/chins
Dips/french press

By the end of the week your wasted, and need the weekend off to catch up.
Work a program like this hard, and you will grow. It worked for a lot of years back in the day, and it still works today.

What do you think about this approach for an intermediate or advanced lifter?

Say doing about 9 total sets per week on major bodyparts...3 sets per day...one working set bench press, one working set dumbbell bench or dips, one working set flyes, etc.

I was in bed last night wondering if this would be a fun way to train.

Let me get back to you on that. I'll need to think about how to make that work.

Gotta go run some errands. back in a few hours.

I wouldn't want to do squats or deads on those days. I think I would rather pull a Paul Anderson and do squats and deads on a Tuesday and Thursday.

Or maybe do the upper body workout every 3-4 days, with squat dead work throw in between.

The major problem which can compromise a 1 set per body part routine is joint fragility imo. Taking the full brunt of a HIIT set can be rough. Compound this to the fact you should be sticking to compounds with a routine like this and you are constantly alternating the angle of the strain on a joint (i.e. squats ->dips, or BTN Press-> Pullups), you'd be suprised how much damage you can inflict in the term of a few sets. What I find is helping my joint get used to the strain is the vary the frequency (by this I mean working out 3 days in a row full body, and then taking 2 or 3 off directly afterwards, rather than just going every other day).

If I were to implement something like that I would stick with a 3x10 as a main move, and that would also serve as a warmup for the assistence move.

So maybe something like this for a weeks schedule.
Monday

Bench
3x10
Flyes
1x10
BHN press
1x10

Wednesday
CGBP
3x10
Chest dips
1x10
Upright row/ front press
1x10

Friday
Bench
3x10
Flyes
1x10
BHN
1x10

Rear delts would get worked as part of back work.

So no one set per exercise then...

Routine = fail?

No, I wouldnt say that.

There is another way to work things that I'm thinking about. I need to work on it a little bit though. This would be based off of an Olympic type program that I have used in the past.

The thing to remember as well with the 3x10 is that the first two sets are progressive warmups. No matter ow you look at it you do need to warm up before lifting.

You could just call it a 1x10 if your only counting the actual workset.

Gotcha.

Man, how I would love to be a kid again and try it though :)