Oh yeees, finally hit 100kg bench huge milestone for me, plus a 3x90, failed a double at 90 just 1½ month ago, pretty sick strength gains, considering i’ve been stuck at 90-95 for like 3 years.
Been wondering what i should run next, but why change something that works? Been kinda on the fence about repeating it, from what i’ve read, this isn’t a program that you do back to back… Might have to find out why this isn’t suggested.
For this deload week i’m pretty much doing the same movements, slight variations, trying different techniques and stuff… Other than the bench max day.
Honestly not sure, right now i wanna see how much i can grind out of my bench… 90x5 would be cool, and then probably work on my squat… I did make up a random goal of doing 1/2/3/4 plates for P/B/S/D, so i guess i can scratch the bench off already, so squatting 140 would be next…
Aight week 2 of Smolov didn’t go too well, mad elbow pain on day 3, decided to take another day rest, and just push day 3 and 4 one day, so today i did day 3 and after grinding 2 sets of 4, and failing the last rep on set 3, im gonna call it this time around… I guess i figured out why people don’t suggest running this program back to back.
Im gonna run a cycle of 531 next, not sure what template yet.
Day 1
Bench - 6x6x75
Squat - 3x3x115
1 arm Rows - 3x20x20 /side
Laterals - 3x12x10
Day 2 (Elbow started to feel scuffed here, which is why i went light on curls)
Bench - 7x5x80
Deadlift - 8x90, 8x100
Curls - 3x12x12.5 /side alternating
Neck Extensions - 2x20x10
Neck culs - 2x20x10
Day 3
Bench - 2x4x85, 8x3
Wide grip bench - 3x10x50 (takes stress off of the elbow)
Squat - 4x8x90
5x20/side DB Rows / 10xBench ab curls between bench sets
All good man, thanks for asking. Just needed a few days off from benching heavy.
Been going easy this week, outside from testing some 1RMs - Push press 65kg, Front Squat 90kg, and establishing my training maxes for the next program, i’ll be starting Brian Alsruhe’s Mass Builder program, hopefully i can log daily, since there’s alot of new fun things in the program.
Already messed up the programming, was supposed to do jump squats as well in the giant set, feeling kinda glad i didn’t looking back at how i felt during conditioning work.
Program said nothing about warmups, so ill just do it like this (the first 3 sets)
10m EMOM Deadlifts
10x3x70
Planking the remainder of the minute
10m EMOM Bulgarian SS
5/side with 10kg
Surprised with how little i could do here, started with 40kg but had no balance…
8m EMOM Conditioning
2 KB ManMakers
KB Squats remainder of the minute
(Goal was to get 80 total front squats, i got 67 and finished the remainding 13 after the set)
This was rough, really challenging my conditioning, not only in the actual conditioning phase but everywhere, funny how an exercise called ManMaker can make you feel like a bitch.
I like this style of training, constantly moving, actually feeling smashed after a session, sleep has been off lately, maybe this work can help me drift off easier.
Bench felt like alot more than 60%, flutter kicks are a bitch, had alot of mini breaks.
Assistance 2 rounds 40s on/ 20s off
Arnold Press 5kg
Lateral raise 2.5kg
Face pulls banded
Plate press 10kg
60s rest
I love doing sets for time, it really makes me want to push harder to get more done in the time frame
Conditioning pushup hell
Close grip pushups - 90s on/ 90s + 60s on/ 90s off + 30s on/ 30s off
Deficit pushups - same procedure
Release Pushups - same procedure
this was a joke, did like 20pushups at first, took a few breaths, went again and from here i did sets of 1-5, probably ended up doing 80% of the total pushups on my knees… Couldn’t do a single real release pushup by the end.
Strength set
KB Swings - Rack pulls - 30m Farmer walks - Hanging leg raises
15x20 - 15x60 - 25kg/h - 10
15x20 - 10x75 - 25kg/h - 10
15x20 - 16x90 - 25kg/h - 10 (did 6 pulls, and then 10 with straps)
My dude is a mad man, pull, farmer walk and hanging leg raises… My grip was destroyed.
For the farmer walks i walked back and forth 15 times in a 2 meter space.
Technique set 4 rounds
Squat 7x80 - 20 deep squats - 10 hanging leg raises
How am i supposed to do “Technique” when doing 20 deeps squats between sets, was good work, but the last few reps on set 3 and 4 might not have been so technical
Went with just 20kg on these, probably could’ve done a little more, but i wanted to make sure i got through it.
Conditioning 8 mins
1 Pullup/2 Burpees/3 Pushups/4 Jump squats/5 Swings
6 Pullups/ 7 Burpees/ 8 Pushups - Time out.
Add 1 rep to every exercise and keep going till 8 mins are up
How can such a kind and loving person write out something so miserable
Goal of the workout is to do 300 reps with a bar
Buy in at the top of every minute 5 Burpees
First set did 5 good burpees, followed by 30 reps on the bar, definitely went too hard, after this i did sets of 10 and down, untill 5 reps pinned me and i stopped. The burpees were more like sprawls.
I actually had my mind on finishing this, but if i had to do sets of 3-5 with the bar, i would have to postpone christmas. Next time this workout comes along, ill start easier.
Was supposed to do every round like i did round 3, but i messed up quite a bit.
Conditioning
55 pushups
Drop - 1 Pushup - Stand
Drop - 2 Pushup - Stand
All the way up to 10 pushups. Should’ve timed this, so i could try to beat it next time.
The jump squats were killing my quads, very low pace… Tried to make up for it with effort on prisoners and lunges.
Did some neck work, i got a neck harness for christmas, so i will definitely be training alot of neck in the future.
30m vested walk
This week i’ve been breaking down roof, up and down stairs, awkward positions, dragging and just alot of manual labor, definitely feel beat down, mostly through-out the day… Once i start my workout it’s like my energy gets replenished.
Technique 4 rounds
Chins - strict press - 30m crucifix walk
Chins - 7,8,8,8
Press - 8x30
Crucifix - Did 5kg first time, used like 5-6 breaks, then 2.5kg, still had to break it up, then 2.5 i could do with just one small break, so weak lol.
Assistance 2 rounds 40s on / 20s off
Bench, dips, decline pushups, tricep extenions
60s rest
Got picked up for new years celebration, so didn’t get into the conditioning.
What a grip killer, after hanging for time aswell…
Conditioning “Clock workout”
156 stepping lunges
Massbuilder Wave 1 Week 3 Day 2
Strength set
Chins 9 - Pin press - V Sit-ups 20s - Burpees 30s
Pin press - 10x30, 8x35, 10x40
Technique EMOM 10m
Bench 3x55
DB Rows 5x40/side
Assistance 2 rounds
8 press, 8 steps waiters walk, 7 press, 7 steps waiters walk all the way down to 1 press, 1 step
Broken up like 10 times with 10kg, and then like 5 times with 7.5kg… Starting to figure my shoulder stability is weak, i can’t do anyway near what im supposed to, not even 50% of what i “should” get…
