Has anyone ever done a Smolov squat cycle?

[Mad Manic]

Bodybuilding emphasizes aesthetics. It is about posing various muscle groups for a panel of judges. It has nothing to do with fighting. In combat sports, nobody cares if your 6 pack is symmetrical or not. They are two completely different things.

True, but is the road to both that different? Lets move on ...

A bodybuilding routine is the absolute last thing a fighter should use. Bodybuilding routines emphasize sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (getting bigger, but not necessarily stronger) thru high reps with lower weight. This leads to unnecessary (from an athlete's point of view) weight gain.

Wrong. They include sarcoplasmic along with myofibrillar hypertrophy, basically maximize growth. That means you need a range of reps, or at least a number that lies between both ends. You must get stronger in BBing, considerably. Weight gain has nothing to do with routines.

Remember, combat sports have weight classes. A fighter would be much better served using weightlifting and powerlifting principles in their strength training routines because weightlifters and powerlifters know how to train for relative strength and power. In other words, they know how to get very strong without getting a lot heavier.

All to do with diet though. You are basically saying forget about volume work and whatnot just focus on low rep bread and butter compounds. Ok fair enough. But the BBs still do those compounds too.

Also, excessive muscle mass messes up your conditioning. Not to mention that bodybuilding routines emphasize low intensity, long duration cardio to lose fat. This is not optimal conditioning for combat sports, to say the least.

That's all about diet again, but yes not ideal to get too big.

Bodybuilding is a completely different thing from combat sports. Someone who used bodybuilding principles to train for a fight would gas out almost immediately, just like someone who used combat sport training principles to train for a bodybuilding contest would get laughed off the stage.

In our level at least, a BBer would do better than the combat guy. BBer still needs to be fit and to be strong, there's no way around that; to have muscle and to have conditioning to get that muscle and low bf. The combat guy would just be small with lagging bodyparts though.

Again, strength necessitates size MORESO than the reverse, so my point holds moreso than yours ...

MM

 

[Quagmire911]

In our level at least, a BBer would do better than the combat guy. BBer still needs to be fit and to be strong, there's no way around that; to have muscle and to have conditioning to get that muscle and low bf. The combat guy would just be small with lagging bodyparts though.MM

This is just laughable.

 

[Mad Manic]

This is just laughable.

I'm stronger AND have bigger chest/arms/legs than you so how is it laughable?

MM

 

[Quagmire911]

What does this have to do with fighting?

 

[Kerpal]

I'm stronger AND have bigger chest/arms/legs than you so how is it laughable?

MM

But someone who focused solely on gaining strength without gaining weight could be stronger than you and be in the same weight class. So now you have to fight a guy who is stronger than you. On top of that, you will run out of gas much sooner than he will because you trained for bodybuilding while he trained for fighting. See the problem?

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with bodybuilding routines. If you only care about aesthetics, they're great. It's just not for me, that's all.

 

[Mad Manic]

What does this have to do with fighting?

Because it shows how by pursuing BB I am stronger and bigger than you. So logically there's no reason why I can't compete or even beat you in a combat fight (strength) as well as a BBing comptition (BBing) even though you train for strength. So my reasoning that a BBer does better in combat/strength than the combat guy does in BBing is correct.

MM

 

[Mad Manic]

But someone who focused solely on gaining strength without gaining weight could be stronger than you and be in the same weight class. So now you have to fight a guy who is stronger than you. On top of that, you will run out of gas much sooner than he will because you trained for bodybuilding while he trained for fighting. See the problem?

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with bodybuilding routines. If you only care about aesthetics, they're great. It's just not for me, that's all.

Yes but the byproduct of strength in BBing has a much greater propensity than the byproduct of muscles in strength specific training with suited diet, that's why I was saying the BB route is a better option overall and that strength necessitates size moreso than the reverse.

MM

 

[Kerpal]

Yes but the byproduct of strength in BBing has a much greater propensity than the byproduct of muscles in strength specific training with suited diet,

I'm sorry, I just don't understand what you're saying here...

Because it shows how by pursuing BB I am stronger and bigger than you. So logically there's no reason why I can't compete or even beat you in a combat fight (strength)

Strength is only a small facet of the attributes a combat athlete must possess. If it was all about strength, the UFC champions would all be powerlifters. But if a powerlifter got in a ring (without any fighting training) he would be submitted or knocked out immediately. On the other hand, I doubt anyone in the UFC can squat 1200 lbs or deadlift 900 lbs. But that's what I'm trying to say, different training programs for different activities.

Also, again in combat sports there are weight classes, that changes everything.

 

[Quagmire911]

Edit-Ahhh f*** it you have the reasoning of a child.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

hahaha BB vs PL again huh...well i must say thinking about an army of Arnold Schwarzeneggers and Ronnie colemans is funny, but impractical. Strength, speed, and technique are more important. Bruce lee or chuck norris anyone?

Back on subject...how are those squats going?

 

[Kerpal]

Week 3 completed today:

Monday: 4 x 9 @ 250 lbs
Wednesday: 5 x 7 @ 265 lbs
Friday: 7 x 5 @ 280 lbs
Saturday: 10 x 3 @ 295 lbs

My 1RM was 300 lbs before I started. Today I did 10 x 3 @ 295 lbs.

 

[Quagmire911]

Week 3 completed today:

Monday: 4 x 9 @ 250 lbs
Wednesday: 5 x 7 @ 265 lbs
Friday: 7 x 5 @ 280 lbs
Saturday: 10 x 3 @ 295 lbs

My 1RM was 300 lbs before I started. Today I did 10 x 3 @ 295 lbs.

I'm gonna have to do this soonish I think.

 

[Kerpal]

Definitely do it, it's a good program. I'm thinking about doing the Smolov Jr for either front squats or deadlifts once I'm done with this cycle.

 

[Quagmire911]

Hmmm, I don't think you could do Smolov for the deadlift. The volume would kill the CNS. Were you thinking a variation instead?

 

[Kerpal]

Yeah I definitely wouldn't do the complete Smolov program for deadlifts, I'd do the Smolov Jr., which is a 3 week long "mini-smolov" program.

 

[Kerpal]

Tested my new 1 rep max today, results: +50 lbs to my squat in 3 weeks

Here's how it went down:

Warm up

315 x 1 (went up easily)
335 x 1 (went up easily)
350 x 1 (went up easily)
365 x 1 (got stuck at the bottom)
360 x 1 (got stuck at the bottom)
355 x 1 (got stuck about halfway up)

I weighed about 183 this morning, and some if it is water weight because I'm on creatine. This means I am very close to my short term goal of 2x bodyweight. Can't wait to see what it does to my deadlift.

 

[Quagmire911]

Very nice.

Looks like I'm gnna have to give this a shot soon.

Wonder what MM has to say about this? LOL.

 

[Mad Manic]

Very nice.

Looks like I'm gnna have to give this a shot soon.

Wonder what MM has to say about this? LOL.

Sounds like a good idea, lots of frequency and volume so those legs will get nice and strong and bigger too. The only query I have with it is that you're basically focusing on the squat, ideally I would do mini cycles on other types of lifts to get the same desired effect on other body parts. Maybe not at the same time though. But it's hardcore so I like it. Infact I may do this in the summer when I have finished my bulk and then cut.

MM

 

[Quagmire911]

Sounds like a good idea, lots of frequency and volume so those legs will get nice and strong and bigger too. The only query I have with it is that you're basically focusing on the squat, ideally I would do mini cycles on other types of lifts to get the same desired effect on other body parts. Maybe not at the same time though. But it's hardcore so I like it. Infact I may do this in the summer when I have finished my bulk and then cut.

MM

*Sigh*

 

[Kerpal]

Definitely do it, it's awesome. And you can still do upper body stuff while you do it. I bench pressed, overhead pressed, dips, pull ups and chin ups. Just be careful on the OHP because your lower back will be fatigued from squatting so much.

When this is over, I think I'm going to do a 5-4-3-2-1 deadlift cycle. After that maybe a Smolov Jr. for front squats, I've only done those once before.