I don't agree about single joint movement beeing a poor way to measure strength. For me a strict single joint movement like the Curl is a good way to measure strength. It's better than an Overhead Squat which is much more technical movement and doesn't allow heavy enough weight to optimaly work the Legs. If I ask a BIG bodybuilder to do a 1RM on the Wall Curl he'll be able to immediately do a good performance even if he doesn't practice the "wall curl" but if I ask the same guy to do a Pistol or Overhead Squat he'll be very weak because those exercices request a lot of technique and intermuscular coordination.
Doing a 1RM once a while will not overtrain you but doing a 1RM every workout will make you weaker after a few weeks or months at best.
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Wolf I'm happy to see you are ready to learn something different. I'll answer your question as simply as possible (even if it would take a whole book to describ my methodology, which is something I want to do but I need to become much stronger to have a legitimity). It's also why I started to lift heavier on DL despite a rounded back. I'm not patient enough, I want to prove my theory by practice as quickly as possible but impatience is not a good thing at all.
SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demand) principle : if you want to increase your strength (contractile-mass) you have to train for strength not endurance. The best rep range is ONE (singles), the others rep range are only good for force-endurance and won't deliever the best gains.
GAS If the stimulus is too low (force output is too low) there is no adaptation. If the stimulus is strong enough (force output is high enough) there is an adaptation. If Force output is maximum the stimulus is maximum. If the stimulus is not repeated soon enough you'll lose the adaptation (decompensation) if the stimulus is repeated at the optimal frequency you'll make the best gains. If the equation Stimulation x Frequency is too High you'll overtrain (exhaustion stage).
Puting the theory into practice : Use 95% of your 1RM. Maximum Force can only be maintained ~2-3 seconds so you have to use a load which is heavy enough for maximum force production and not so heavy that the movement lasts more than 3 seconds. Typically a 1RM can last 5 seconds or more. When you do such a repetition the CNS/PNS are working as hard as they can despite the LOSS of Force (due to the lack of energy) which occurs after 3 seconds with a very heavy load. Training frequently at this level of Effort will lead to overtraining : depleted or damaged PNS (or maybe muscles themsevles). Repeating the stimulus BEFORE adaptation is termined is not necessarily. You cannot cumulate FORCE from one single to the next. So only one single is required and optimal. Repeat it every day. Well I'm not 100% sure about the optimal frequency but so far it seems that a daily frequency is the best.
BTW if you do sets of 10 insteed of singles what will happend ? You'll recruit your biggest motor units and even if at the end of the set they will work hard they will also have to adapt for endurance (to maintain a low tension for a prolonged time) which is counter-productive. It's why americans now use Max-Stim and Deutsch People use PITT-Force which are similar methods : Singles with short rest between. BTW it's for Bodybuilding not Strength Training. For Strength you don't need multiples singles, ONE HEAVY single is better because you train for PURE FORCE (contractile-mass) you don't need fatigue (non-contractile-mass).
I hope it makes things more clear for you. If not you'll have to wait for my book
Maybe you never thought Strength Training could be as simple as that... but it is !
Workout n°4 :
Deadlift : 145kg
Curl Left : 26
Curl Right : 26
Floor Press Left : 41
Floor Press Right : 41
No more warm up, after months on a daily frequency warm up is not required anymore. I think the CNS desinhibted the joints due to the frequent use.