Smolov Squat Cycle

[ScottW]

I was just wondering if anybody has ever tried this (4 week cycle or the real thing) and what they're results were.

It's definitely an insane amount of volume, especially for someone as lazy as me. But if I can put 50 pounds on my squat I can suffer through it.

[shizen]

I did the whole 13 week program in summer. It is only for the insane. You have to make sure you have a lot of time dedicated to it, not just for the lifting-can't miss days- but also for extra rest and food. You are constantly sore, I did it for front squats and had a huge red line across my shoulders which would bleed at times and was very bruised. My legs core and back were constantly in pain, only thing that made it feel a little better was eating all the time. I did the entire thing beltless, with my real 1rep maximum, all reps done with full depth. I did miss a few reps in the second portion-intense meso where you had to go up to 90% of your new maximum for 5x5- and a few in the first one though not many overall-maybe 5- mostly from not having perfect form and weight falling forward from being so exhausted. You will see stars during the sets and feel like quilting after the first week. It is truly an experience.

The amount of mental strength you gain from this program is great also. In the end I went from about a 320front squat to an 385 beltless with good form. I could have gone higher but I was happy with those results-didn't eat really well before final max day-. I gained quite a bit of size in my legs also which I was happy about.

Its not for everyone, some might not make any gains and hurt yourself. For the 4 week program you could expect from 15-50lb increase though it definitely depends on how much experience and what your squat is now. Most will say the program is not possible without 'assisitance' since thats what the russians would use when doing this insane program-though of course they were doing other stuff also like olympic lifts. Yet I think anything is possible if you push yourself, and this is a program you really need to push yourself.

If you try it, I'm not going to say be easy, because it was the hardest program I have ever done. But good luck anyways.

Edited September 25, 2008 by shizen

[kyle102887]

I did the whole 13 week program in summer. It is only for the insane. You have to make sure you have a lot of time dedicated to it, not just for the lifting-can't miss days- but also for extra rest and food. You are constantly sore, I did it for front squats and had a huge red line across my shoulders which would bleed at times and was very bruised. My legs core and back were constantly in pain, only thing that made it feel a little better was eating all the time. I did the entire thing beltless, with my real 1rep maximum, all reps done with full depth. I did miss a few reps in the second portion-intense meso where you had to go up to 90% of your new maximum for 5x5- and a few in the first one though not many overall-maybe 5- mostly from not having perfect form and weight falling forward from being so exhausted. You will see stars during the sets and feel like quilting after the first week. It is truly an experience.

The amount of mental strength you gain from this program is great also. In the end I went from about a 320front squat to an 385 beltless with good form. I could have gone higher but I was happy with those results-didn't eat really well before final max day-. I gained quite a bit of size in my legs also which I was happy about.

Its not for everyone, some might not make any gains and hurt yourself. For the 4 week program you could expect from 15-50lb increase though it definitely depends on how much experience and what your squat is now. Most will say the program is not possible without 'assisitance' since thats what the russians would use when doing this insane program-though of course they were doing other stuff also like olympic lifts. Yet I think anything is possible if you push yourself, and this is a program you really need to push yourself.

If you try it, I'm not going to say be easy, because it was the hardest program I have ever done. But good luck anyways.

Sounds like fun....

Is there a link where I can read about the training method?

[shizen]

I did the whole 13 week program in summer. It is only for the insane. You have to make sure you have a lot of time dedicated to it, not just for the lifting-can't miss days- but also for extra rest and food. You are constantly sore, I did it for front squats and had a huge red line across my shoulders which would bleed at times and was very bruised. My legs core and back were constantly in pain, only thing that made it feel a little better was eating all the time. I did the entire thing beltless, with my real 1rep maximum, all reps done with full depth. I did miss a few reps in the second portion-intense meso where you had to go up to 90% of your new maximum for 5x5- and a few in the first one though not many overall-maybe 5- mostly from not having perfect form and weight falling forward from being so exhausted. You will see stars during the sets and feel like quilting after the first week. It is truly an experience.

The amount of mental strength you gain from this program is great also. In the end I went from about a 320front squat to an 385 beltless with good form. I could have gone higher but I was happy with those results-didn't eat really well before final max day-. I gained quite a bit of size in my legs also which I was happy about.

Its not for everyone, some might not make any gains and hurt yourself. For the 4 week program you could expect from 15-50lb increase though it definitely depends on how much experience and what your squat is now. Most will say the program is not possible without 'assisitance' since thats what the russians would use when doing this insane program-though of course they were doing other stuff also like olympic lifts. Yet I think anything is possible if you push yourself, and this is a program you really need to push yourself.

If you try it, I'm not going to say be easy, because it was the hardest program I have ever done. But good luck anyways.

Sounds like fun....

Is there a link where I can read about the training method?

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-add-100-poun...r-squat-smolov/

http://www.ontariostrongman.ca/Resources/t...vsquatcycle.htm

Those two good info on it

[TKtheGreek]

so ironic im starting this tonight. but im doing the whoel thing with front squats

[shizen]

so ironic im starting this tonight. but im doing the whoel thing with front squats

Are you using your real 1 rep maximum also and doing it beltless? First week is pretty rough, don't give up always remember that its possible.

Also the increase in my front squat brought up my deadlift a lot also, as well as my high bar oly squat. I loved the results, its just the program was basically hell.

[TKtheGreek]

so ironic im starting this tonight. but im doing the whoel thing with front squats

Are you using your real 1 rep maximum also and doing it beltless? First week is pretty rough, don't give up always remember that its possible.

Also the increase in my front squat brought up my deadlift a lot also, as well as my high bar oly squat. I loved the results, its just the program was basically hell.

yep all of the above

[TKtheGreek]

wow that sucked so bad

[aquilonian]

I did it back when I weighed 170lbs. I was not hard for me, and it actually was a welcome relief from the stuff I was doing before. The low reps and long breaks in between really make it a good flowing workout. I would just recomend that you don't get on a "healthy/weightloss diet". If you are getting sore please EAT MORE, and you should be fine. NO EXTRA WORK that includes aerobic work (I never did it anyways). Other than that it was pretty easy, heavy but easy.

I gained 5lbs. I looked more dense (if that makes sense). I added 70lbs to my squat alone. It went away though after about 2 months of stopping.

EAT! It doesnt matter if its just a glass of milk, or a snickers, but if the more feedings you can manage the more fun you'll have. If an exercise is hurting, change your form slightly for that workout, and do it slightly different. LIke putting your feet a little wider on the squat, putting the bar higher or lower. mess around with it.

GOOD LUCK!

EDIT: I also did the powerlifting program too when I was about 210. That one I liked too and I actually preffered it.

Edited September 25, 2008 by aquilonian

[shizen]

The program is not easy, you might not have used real maximum or did not do full depth on every rep or something-not trying to attack you just stating this program is ridiculous, doing 90% for 5x5 nearly 3x a week is inhuman, as well as very insane squatting 4x a week-. I have known people with over 400lb front squats doing this program who were used to insane leg workouts prior to that and thought smolov was ridiculous. I ate everything in sight and gained more then 5lbs-not that much fat also, you really have to eat a lot to do this program-, I have kept most of my gains which is nice, though mostly back squatting now.

Tkthegreek how was your first 4x9? Those are one of the hardest days, just wait till your adding like 20lbs to it in like a week.

[TKtheGreek]

The program is not easy, you might not have used real maximum or did not do full depth on every rep or something-not trying to attack you just stating this program is ridiculous, doing 90% for 5x5 nearly 3x a week is inhuman, as well as very insane squatting 4x a week-. I have known people with over 400lb front squats doing this program who were used to insane leg workouts prior to that and thought smolov was ridiculous. I ate everything in sight and gained more then 5lbs-not that much fat also, you really have to eat a lot to do this program-, I have kept most of my gains which is nice, though mostly back squatting now.

Tkthegreek how was your first 4x9? Those are one of the hardest days, just wait till your adding like 20lbs to it in like a week.

to be completly honest with you i was about to quit after almost dumping the weight during my second set. But for some reason sets 3 and 4 felt like set 2 and i got through it. I feel great about it now and even though i have my doubts abouting being strong enough to do my next 4x9, im looking forward to it lol

[ScottW]

Well that's it, you guys convinced me.

I don't think I'll have time to do the full cycle right now with school though. I'll probably do the 4-week one over the Christmas and see how it goes.

And feel free to post how your workouts are going with this thread if you want TKtheGreek. I wouldn't want you to suffer alone.

[aquilonian]

The program is not easy, you might not have used real maximum or did not do full depth on every rep or something-not trying to attack you just stating this program is ridiculous, doing 90% for 5x5 nearly 3x a week is inhuman, as well as very insane squatting 4x a week-. I have known people with over 400lb front squats doing this program who were used to insane leg workouts prior to that and thought smolov was ridiculous. I ate everything in sight and gained more then 5lbs-not that much fat also, you really have to eat a lot to do this program-, I have kept most of my gains which is nice, though mostly back squatting now.

Tkthegreek how was your first 4x9? Those are one of the hardest days, just wait till your adding like 20lbs to it in like a week.

No way man I dont take any offense, you are very polite. Yeah the program is hard. But I have a very low tolerance for exercise. Meaning that low reaps are "natural" for me. A program that consisted of say 10x10 would seem alot harder for me, than to you. Infact the only time I passed out while working out I was doing a 10x10 German volume training routine. come to think of it the only times I have puked working out I was doing higher reps like that (once doing curls). You would probably tell me that Its not as hard I make it out to be, but for me that type of training is very stressful.

You can measure your own tolerance to exercise, by taking %80 of your max pushing your hardest and seeing how many reps you can get. Most people will get between 10-13 reps. I have myself witnessed one individual who could get 18+ reps with %80 of his max. I thought he was superman lol, he just kept going! that individual had a very HIGH tolerance to exercise. I on the other hand can only get 4 reps. 6 on a couple of exercises, and 3 on overhead presses. I get the same reps with 245 and 305 on the squats (one just feels heavyer). I was just not made for this. Its great for powerlifting, but I am tall and have a small frame, so I dont have the structure necessary to succed at that sport.

On the flip side I dont have much trouble gaining weight. It's the DIETING that drives me nuts! I hate eating all that food.

I still think its great even for other people and its worth a try. just like I think that the 10x10 GVT is good for me too. Gotta work on what you're weak at. I squat very low, or else the hamstrings and glutes don't get activated enough. Its the glutes that will help you squat alot not the quads.

I just left a program I did for the last 2 months that did 4-6 sets of 3-6 reps

day1 squats

day2 squats

day3 deadlifts

day4 squats

day5 squats

day6 deadlifts

day7 rest

Then I would do Other exercies separated in "push/pull" fashion. So squatting 3x a week is not that big a deal. Didn't Joe kinney squat daily, "even on sundays" before breakfast? You get used to it.

[aquilonian]

Not entirely of topic, but this is a boris sheiko routine that I tried when I first learned to do the basic 3 lifts properly. Perhaps you might like it instead of the more advanced smolov squat program.

http://www.enhancedfp.com/workouts/strengt...ining-program-1

[TKtheGreek]

The program is not easy, you might not have used real maximum or did not do full depth on every rep or something-not trying to attack you just stating this program is ridiculous, doing 90% for 5x5 nearly 3x a week is inhuman, as well as very insane squatting 4x a week-. I have known people with over 400lb front squats doing this program who were used to insane leg workouts prior to that and thought smolov was ridiculous. I ate everything in sight and gained more then 5lbs-not that much fat also, you really have to eat a lot to do this program-, I have kept most of my gains which is nice, though mostly back squatting now.

Tkthegreek how was your first 4x9? Those are one of the hardest days, just wait till your adding like 20lbs to it in like a week.

No way man I dont take any offense, you are very polite. Yeah the program is hard. But I have a very low tolerance for exercise. Meaning that low reaps are "natural" for me. A program that consisted of say 10x10 would seem alot harder for me, than to you. Infact the only time I passed out while working out I was doing a 10x10 German volume training routine. come to think of it the only times I have puked working out I was doing higher reps like that (once doing curls). You would probably tell me that Its not as hard I make it out to be, but for me that type of training is very stressful.

You can measure your own tolerance to exercise, by taking %80 of your max pushing your hardest and seeing how many reps you can get. Most people will get between 10-13 reps. I have myself witnessed one individual who could get 18+ reps with %80 of his max. I thought he was superman lol, he just kept going! that individual had a very HIGH tolerance to exercise. I on the other hand can only get 4 reps. 6 on a couple of exercises, and 3 on overhead presses. I get the same reps with 245 and 305 on the squats (one just feels heavyer). I was just not made for this. Its great for powerlifting, but I am tall and have a small frame, so I dont have the structure necessary to succed at that sport.

On the flip side I dont have much trouble gaining weight. It's the DIETING that drives me nuts! I hate eating all that food.

I still think its great even for other people and its worth a try. just like I think that the 10x10 GVT is good for me too. Gotta work on what you're weak at. I squat very low, or else the hamstrings and glutes don't get activated enough. Its the glutes that will help you squat alot not the quads.

I just left a program I did for the last 2 months that did 4-6 sets of 3-6 reps

day1 squats

day2 squats

day3 deadlifts

day4 squats

day5 squats

day6 deadlifts

day7 rest

Then I would do Other exercies separated in "push/pull" fashion. So squatting 3x a week is not that big a deal. Didn't Joe kinney squat daily, "even on sundays" before breakfast? You get used to it.

dude the smolov that im doing has high reps at like 75%? you sure its trhe same one. And update i did my second wrokout for it tonight and it was hard but doable, im enjoying this program

[shizen]

Not entirely of topic, but this is a boris sheiko routine that I tried when I first learned to do the basic 3 lifts properly. Perhaps you might like it instead of the more advanced smolov squat program.

http://www.enhancedfp.com/workouts/strengt...ining-program-1

if you saw his bench video I would say he is a pretty advanced lifter. The sheiko routine is alright, I didn't like it that much it took too long to finish and just didn't work well for me. I like short workouts with very high intensity those give me the best results.

Yeah wait till you get to 10x3 days, those are just killer also. It was just something about doing that many sets that was just ridiculous. Though the days that are hardest vary from individual. Looking forward to your completing it and getting some good results out of it.

Yeah also in the smolov you are doing nearly 80% for high reps-as you add weight after the first week-, and the more advanced you are the higher the weight you are moving so its gets more and more ridiculous. Not to mention you have 4 days of it.

Also not sure if squatting everyday is good for gains-can't see it being good-. This program you wouldn't make gains if you did it for longer then it says, it is an overtrianing program but works since it doesn't last that long.

Edited September 27, 2008 by shizen

[ScottW]

I'm with Shizen on this one. I would rather do a short but really intense workout than a long one anyday.

[TKtheGreek]

I just finished my 8th workout today this russian is f#cking insane. The intense sunday workout followed by another intense monday workout is brutal. But i have to say this is the best workout program i have ever touched. WOW i love it, 2 weeks ago wed it took me straigh to my limit and now im confident that this wednesday ill hit a weight 35 pounds heavier for 4X9. Highly recommended, im doing this all front squats with no belt and no wraps and no power rack lol. I have to squat down onto my bench and unrack the weight from the dead position. Having a blast thought HIGHLY recommend, its very intense but its brillant in that you are capable of completing every workout.

[shizen]

I just finished my 8th workout today this russian is f#cking insane. The intense sunday workout followed by another intense monday workout is brutal. But i have to say this is the best workout program i have ever touched. WOW i love it, 2 weeks ago wed it took me straigh to my limit and now im confident that this wednesday ill hit a weight 35 pounds heavier for 4X9. Highly recommended, im doing this all front squats with no belt and no wraps and no power rack lol. I have to squat down onto my bench and unrack the weight from the dead position. Having a blast thought HIGHLY recommend, its very intense but its brillant in that you are capable of completing every workout.

I had the same feeling through the whole program, it eventually began to put a drain on me as I went for the 13 week program but more people should try this program. It seems pretty much impossible on paper, yet you will be VERY suprised on how much the body can handle. Anything more then 2x a week squatting is considered ridiculous-for most-, and anything more then once a week of heavy squatting is considered ridiculous. Yet this program has you do 4 days of heavy squatting, very intense-and the weights are increasing in huge jumps-.

I'm glad you have a positive attitude, the one thing that stops people from completing this madman program is they lose faith in themselves thinking they can't do it. Hopefully you get some good results from this program be interesting to see how much you increase on your maximum.

[ScottW]

I just finished my 8th workout today this russian is f#cking insane. The intense sunday workout followed by another intense monday workout is brutal. But i have to say this is the best workout program i have ever touched. WOW i love it, 2 weeks ago wed it took me straigh to my limit and now im confident that this wednesday ill hit a weight 35 pounds heavier for 4X9. Highly recommended, im doing this all front squats with no belt and no wraps and no power rack lol. I have to squat down onto my bench and unrack the weight from the dead position. Having a blast thought HIGHLY recommend, its very intense but its brillant in that you are capable of completing every workout.

Glad to hear you're still going strong.

[TKtheGreek]

sigh, my back started spazzing out right before my 11th workout, its mainly because i have to unrack the weight from my bench which is at squat level and its very lower back intensive. I finished all my 4X9's, and 5X7's which were the hasrdest days, but caus eof my lower back i had take extra rest this week. sigh, i was strong enough to complete the first four weeks, but lowerback gave out, all in all ive put about 40-50 pounds on my max in under 3 weeks.

[Magnus]

Just throwing an idea out here...anybody ever try this for deadlifts?

[ScottW]

Only forty or fifty pounds eh? Sounds like what I've put on my squat in the past year.

Were you originally planning on doing the full 13 weeks?

And I've heard of people doing this with deadlifts but it seems like an easy way to injure yourself in the later weeks.

[shizen]

Just throwing an idea out here...anybody ever try this for deadlifts?

I have not heard of it being done, moslty because deadlifts have not shown to work well with that much volume like the squat has. The legs can take a huge beating, yet lower back and such not quite as much. Also form is easier to deteriorate on deadlift then squat, since squat is a natural movement. You could try it, but working the squat WILL bring up your deadlift no question.

40-50lbs is about the maximum you could get out of it, partly due to the fact smolov helps technique a lot also so his technique could have gotten a lot better in the front squat. Not sure if he tested it though, but 10-30lbs is average gain for new person to smolov for the first part.

Edited October 20, 2008 by shizen

[TKtheGreek]

well, i just finished my last workout two days ago. I started with a 295 max (But this was very fabricated, i had never actually maxed and th emost i had done was 245 x5, in hind sight i dont think i could have done even 285 for a single), this workout I was able to do 290 for 10X3. The 40-50 increase was just an estimate based on how i feel. Im gonna max out this wednesday, so ill be able to give a moire precise gauge of my gains fromt he program. Im looking forward to it and feeling really strong, ill let you all know how it goes. Im thinking ill video tape it, even though its not really impressive weight.

Quick question though how much rest is usually suppose to be taken between sets, I was taking a good 2-3 minutes during the later sets and it was needed, just wondering. Next step the intense phase base don my new max.

Edited October 20, 2008 by TKtheGreek