Has anyone ever done a Smolov squat cycle?

[Kerpal]

So I weigh 180 pounds but I can't squat 270lbs but Im going to try this after Spring break

If I were you I'd stick with linear progression for a while, just trying to add 5 lbs per workout, and wait till I plateaued before I started something like Smolov.

I was stuck at 3 x 5 x 285 lbs @ 175 lbs bodyweight when I started it.

 

[Kerpal]

Wow...talk about a jump Kerpal. So how much gains have you seen in how much time since starting this? I've jumped about 65 lbs in squats (probably more at this point) off of efforts plan. Applying this to deadlifts, would probably kill me. No pun intended haha And have you done any other big lifts with this, or is it all squats?

My 1RM when I started Smolov was 300 lbs.

I added 50 lbs to my 1RM just with the base cycle of Smolov, which is 3 weeks long. Now I am almost done with the intense phase and I have done 5 x 5 x 315 lbs and 4 x 3 x 335 lbs. I estimate that my 1RM at the end of the intense phase will be around 380-390 lbs, but I'd really like to hit 405 lbs. We'll see what happens...

 

[Mad Manic]

Some good numbers being squatted here. Good stuff.

MM

 

[Kerpal]

Some good numbers being squatted here. Good stuff.

MM

Awww, thanks MM :flowers:

Intense Phase Week 4:

Monday:

3 x 245
4 x 280
5 x 5 x 315

Again, very difficult. Failed once on the 4th set again, same exact place as last time I did 5 x 5 @ 315.

Wednesday:

3 x 245
3 x 280
4 x 3 x 315

Easy.

Saturday: (Moved to Monday)

3 x 285
4 x 315
3 x 4 x 335

I went out of town for Spring Break and didn't have access to a gym over the weekend, so I had to move this workout to Monday.

This workout did not go well at all, I failed twice on the last 2 sets, both times after 2 reps. I am going to repeat this workout on Thursday. I was tired from my trip and didn't eat enough today, I think I would have been able to hit all the reps if it wasn't for that.

 

[Kerpal]

Tried last workout again and again I could not complete it without failing. The write-up says you can lower the weight by 5-7% if you need to though.

I've decided that I'm not going to bother with the peaking phase because I'm not a powerlifter.

When I started this program my 1RM was 300 lbs and now I am doing reps with 335 so it's definitely been a success. I should be able to hit double bodyweight easily now.

I would recommend this program to anybody. The only problem with it is that since you're squatting so much you really can't do anything else that involves your legs. I trained MMA, ran and did conditioning work along with Smolov which was a bad idea and was probably why I couldn't complete the last workout.

My focus now is going to be doing more conditioning work and trying to lose about 10 lbs while maintaining or improving strength.

 

[mrRuckus]

BTW, I don't think my legs got any bigger at all. They might have, but it's not noticeable. That's just the way I like it though. When I grab onto someone or shoot on them for a takedown, I want them to **** themselves

I was searching for smolov on here because I'm thinking about doing it. I've been basically doing texas method stuff for 6 months now and looking what I can do for squats sometime in the nearish future.

Anyway.

Doesn't really matter if your legs grew in just a few weeks. The advantage of strength for gaining size is when you go to more volume or higher reps you'll be able to do heavier weights for the volume and high reps which leads to more stimulation which means more hypertrophy.

You're not gonna grow much from 50 sets of the bar but you will grow from 8 sets of whatever at 350 lbs. Or even you'll grow a lot more from 20 reps of 350 lbs more than you will grow from 20 reps of 300 lbs.

Then in turn the bigger muscle means bigger rubber bands... and we all know bigger rubber bands are stronger! Even the westside PL implementation uses volume in their "repetition effort" days knowing that a larger muscle is going to have more capability to be stronger.


From doggcrapp's "cycle on pennies" thread

c)training is all about adaption--in simple terms you lift a weight and your muscle has one of 2 choices--either tear completely under the load (which is incredibly rare and what we dont want)or the muscle lifts the weight and protects itself by remodeling and getting bigger to protect itself against the load (next time). If the weight gets heavier--the muscle has to again remodel and get bigger again to handle it. You can superset, superslow, giant set, pre exhaust all day long but the infinite adaption is load---meaning heavier and heavier weights is the only infinite thing you can do in your training. Intensity is finite. Volume is finite (or infinite if you want to do 9000 sets per bodypart)...everything else is finite. The Load is infinite and heavier and heavier weights used(I DONT GIVE A **** WHAT SOME BUCK 58 POUND GURU SAYS)will make the biggest bodybuilder. (add high protein, glutamine and drugs to the mix and you have one large person)

d) The largest pro bodybuilders in the last 10 years (outside of Paul Dillett who is a genetic alien and I think could grow off of mowing lawns) are also the very strongest-(kovacs, prince, coleman, yates, francois, nasser (although he trains lighter now) For anyone who argues that they have seen so and so bodybuilder and he trains light---well I will bet you he isnt gaining rapid size anymore and that his greatest size increases were when he was going for his pro card and he was training **** heavy. He will convince himself and others that he is "making the best gains of his career" though cuz noone likes to think what they are presently doing isnt working and they are running in place do they.... Sadly heavy drug use can make up for alot of training fallacies.

e) Please think of the times when you make the best size gains---the first time is in the first 2 years of lifting WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR BEST STRENGTH GAINS TOO! then things start to slow down. Whats the next time? You start using steroids and boom what happens? YOUR TRAINING WEIGHTS GO FLYING UP. And you get dramatically bigger-(im taking into effect protein assimilation, recovery etc also). The greatest strength gains you make will result in also the most rapid size gains. (if your taking in the protein requirements of a 12 year old girl scout then you can discount yourself from the above group)

I beleive in Powerbuilding not bodybuilding--using techniques that build the most strength gains in the fastest time possible while using the most effective exercises for that person. I am positive I could take 2 twins--have one do his own thing training wise, but do the same drugs and nutrition as the twin I train......come back a year later and the twin I trained would have 25lbs more muscle

f)Ive seen powerlifters (who catch alot of guff from bodybuilders for being "fat") diet down and come in and destroy bodybuilders in bodybuilding shows time and time again. Over and over. Powerlifters and Powerbodybuilders are by far the thickest guys onstage when and if they decide to enter bodybuilding shows.

g) heavy is relative--it doesnt mean 3 reps --- it means as heavy as you can go on that exercise no matter if it is 5 reps or 50 reps. I personally like to do hack squats for 20 reps but I use about 6 plates on each side rock bottom--thats as heavy as I can go on that exercise for 20 reps. I could do sets of 6 and probaly use maybe 8 or 9 plates a side but my legs (and most people I train) grow best from heavy and 15-50 reps.
so now you guys know i believe in the heaviest training possible (safely)--ok i got to go to work