The original blast single system was developed by weightlifter Charles Ross during the early 1950s. I quote from an article on Dennis Weis’s website titled The Last Vestige of Mass and Power , “The basic idea is to choose one exercise only and do ten to fifteen non consecutive blast-singles with a minor rest-pause of ten deep breaths between each rep. Each blast-single is done in iso-tension style, with the muscle tense as hard as possible for five seconds at the peak contraction (where the strength curve is at its greatest tension) of the movement.

During the rest-pause between each rep, re-rack the barbell for Barbell bench presses and for Barbell back squats (on a set of height adjustable squat stands). For a conventional exercise such as standing barbell curls, place the barbell back on the floor. After you complete the ten to fifteen nonconsecutive blast-singles, take three hours of totally uninterrupted rest & relaxation from this super-intense method of training. After the rest, perform the blast-single procedure again, then take another three-hour rest, and then do a final ten to fifteen single reps. This will give you a total of 30-45 brutal growth-producing blast-singles for the suggested exercise. The original Charles Ross Blast-Single System is supposed to done three times per day at 10:00 A.M., 2:00 P.M., and 5:00 P.M., on a Monday (Barbell Curls), Wednesday (Supine Barbell Bench Press) and Friday (Barbell Back Squat) frequency using one-exercise-only.”

Naturally the above method is just too brutal and time consuming for most working class folks. However there are other variations of blast singles that are more time efficient for bodybuilders. The article covers them in detail. But what if you are not a bodybuilder like me and you only have kettlebells? Can you make it work with one kettlebell? Can you improve your strength? Well, we are just about to find out.

Tweaking it to Kettlebells

Blast singles essentially calls for using a heavy ‘bang for your buck’ drill such as the squat (for example) and knocking of 10-15 reps with a brief rest between each rep. I used a kettlebell that was 80% of my one rep max, and coincidentally half my bodyweight (32kg in my case). To make my workout more time efficient, I created a complex that would work the whole body and multiple attributes simultaneously. So in this case, I chose the clean & press overhead squat combo. The next step was to come up with some sort of schedule. Here is very simple one that allows ample rest and recovery time:

Day 1- Blast Singles

Day 2- Rest

Day 3- Endurance Day

Day 4- Rest

Day 5-Blast Singles

Day 6- Rest

Day 7- Free Activity Day (anything but weightlifting, such as cycling or table tennis)

Once that was decided, it was now time to come up with some sort of progressive cycle to make this work. I chose to do blast singles twice a week for about 4 weeks max. At the end of the 4 weeks, I would do some sort of test to see where I stand.

Week 1
2 sessions a week of 10 Blast Singles (20 reps total per session)

This is the introduction so I just took ten normal breaths between each set. I was surprised as to how cardio intensive 10 sets were, so I decided to monitor my heart rate from week 2.

Week 2

2 sessions a week

Gymboss Timer set to 1:00 /1:00 ratio. In other words, you are going to be doing a blast single rep left and right (1 set) each minute on the minute.
10 sets, 20 reps total per session
Heart rate-174 BPM. 93 % of HR Max (187)

Week 3
2 sessions a week

Now, it is time to tweak some variables. I will increase a rep left and right, but lower the time.8 sets each minute on the minute of C&P and OVSQ. On my first session I got
1^st minute- 4 reps

2nd minute- 4 reps

The rest- 2 reps

20 reps. Brutal!
Heart rate-174 BPM. 93 % of HR Max (187)

2^nd Session
1st minute 4 reps

2nd minute 2 reps

X5 rounds
PRs

10 sets, not 8 like before

30 reps total

Heart rate-168 BPM. 90 % of HR Max (187)

Week 4-The Test

Hmmm… What should I test? This was a tricky question. After some thought, I decided to test something that I haven’t done in a while-the clean & press. My reasoning was that the C&P OVHSQ combo works every muscle including all the muscles needed for torso stability. This attribute should crossover to the standard C&P. Now I usually opt for snatches, jerks, or getups instead because shoulder resilience is very important in table tennis (my chosen hobby sport). And the last time I tried heavy C&Ps in ladder style, I couldn’t get past 32 reps (which was a PR), not to mention that it took more than 45 minutes to do. So let us find out if the proof is in the pudding and if the blast singles method of training does contribute to improvement in C&Ps. To make the test effective, I came up with some rules for the C&P so it would be strict reps only that counted.

The Rules

Weight Selection: A kettlebell that is closest to half your bodyweight.

Time limit: 5 minutes

What counts:

Lifter must clean the bell by swinging it back between his/her legs, rack, lock the knees, and press overhead in one fluid motion

·            Techniques from The Russian Kettlebell Challenge or Enter! The Kettlebell

·            Multiple hand switches

·            Setting the kb down to take a breather

·            Chalk and nothing else

No counts:

·            Any form of body kipping, swaying, and/or jerking

·            Excessive sideways tilting (head & upper body tilting up to 45 degrees max. Any more is a no count)

·            Touching the kettlebell with the nonworking hand during any part of the lift

·            Pausing in the rack

·            Failing to complete a rep at any portion

·            No re-racking. If you fail to press, re-clean again

Scoring:

The sum of both sides is added up and here is a simple scale I came up with

Beginner-10-15 reps

Intermediate-20 reps

Upper Intermediate-25 reps

Advanced-30 reps

Mutant-30+

Results

My target was 15 reps. Instead, I got 20 perfect reps with a weight that is half my bodyweight. This is a PR and if this had been a 10 minute test, I would have further blown all my old C&P PRs out of the water by getting 40 or more reps.

Observations

·            I didn’t gain any weight while doing blast singles. On the contrary, I lost some weight and got more ripped. Nutrition is a key player in this factor also.

·            The recovery from this kind of training was amazing. I had no soreness or stiffness anywhere, but instead felt surprisingly tonic after each workout.

·            Mike Mahler once stated somewhere that the C&P works virtually every muscle in the body. He was right. I felt my whole body working during the 5 minute test, but surprisingly no part of my body (including my shoulders) was sore the next day. This could simply be from the fact that you can’t rest in the rack or get away with half ass reps during the test, making the test harder but safe.

Conclusions

Even without a test of any kind, the amount of volume that I was doing in 45 minutes before, got done in virtually 10 minutes without any soreness and worked my heart in the process like never before. Did it make my shoulders more resilient? Most likely. Was there some carry over to my C&Ps? I believe so.

In short, blast singles can be incorporated safely and time efficiently with kettlebells. Furthermore, if you schedule and cycle the load properly, they can yield surprising results and contribute to overall strength in a short amount of time. Give it a go, see it if works for you.