Quick Question for Smolov Peeps

regarding the base mesocycle:

if i have a 1RM of 275lbs, how many pounds should i increase from the 1st to 2nd week? from the 2nd week to the 3rd week?

i see the smolov is obviously for those with higher 1RM, because the writeups suggest +20 from 1st to 2nd week, and then +10 from 2nd to 3rd weeks, but that means i would doing 10x3 with 95% of my 1RM at the end of Week 3 lol.

thanks.

Are you sure you should be running Smolov in the first place?

Anyway, why not shoot for a 10 pound increase in the first week and a 5 pound increase in the second?

i just want to squat a lot and put poundage on my squat, so it seems smolov is the best choice. why do you ask?

i was thinking the same (+10 for first week, +5 on second week), but i wanted to get the opinions of people who have run smolov before.

yeah i guess i’ll go with +10 and then +5, seems to make the most sense.

fill in a lower 1rm in the calculator, that’s what a lot (including me) have done, 5 to 10kg’s lower than your actual 1rm

Better idea - don’t do Smolov. You don’t squat enough yet to consider it. Stick with a 5x5 on your squat and add weight to the bar every workout. When you plateau (and you will plateau), decrease the weight by 10-20% and work back up and through your plateau. Do this every time you plateau. When this doesn’t work, then you will be ready for Smolov OR a weekly progression type of programming like the Texas Method (heavy, light, intense). If you only have a 275 1RM on squat, I wonder what your other maxes are. If they are low like your squat, then doing Smolov will be a waste of time, as you won’t have the energy to increase your other lifts. I also wonder if you have enough time under the bar to be able to do Smolov without injuring yourself from form breakdown (especially on those 10x3 days that DIRECTLY follow 8x4 days).

thanks for the considerate reply Thors, but i am probably going to go ahead and try it anyways.

[quote]FROGGBUSTER wrote:
thanks for the considerate reply Thors, but i am probably going to go ahead and try it anyways.[/quote]

I would say stick with +20 and +10. Even though its a larger % of your max you will add weight to your squat easier than a 400+lbs squater.

FROGBUSTER - if you are going to go through with it, consider making a log for other people to refer to who are interested in starting Smolov with a similar 1RM as yourself.

[quote]Thors Spammer wrote:
FROGBUSTER - if you are going to go through with it, consider making a log for other people to refer to who are interested in starting Smolov with a similar 1RM as yourself.[/quote]

i second this start a log…do the program as stated even if your 1rm is low enough…you will gain strength easier than others

  • Run it with your actual 1RM, anything less is taking the easy way out. :wink:
  • I would go into it planning on adding 20 the first week and 10 the second week, but be open to change.
  • Just try to maintain your other lifts.
  • Focus heavily on recovery.
  • Eat everything, even farm animals and small children.
  • Be prepared to deal with injuries along the way.

thanks Modi, i’ve read your training log (Smolov part at least) and watched your Smolov vids and i have come to the conclusion that you have very big balls my friend. :smiley:

hey Modi, how long were the breaks between sets for you during the base mesocycle?

[quote]FROGGBUSTER wrote:
hey Modi, how long were the breaks between sets for you during the base mesocycle?[/quote]

Really, as long as needed. At the beginning, on the 9x4 and 7x5, it was probably 3-4 minutes and on the 5x7 and 10x3 around 5 minutes. By the last week I just took as long as I felt like. I didn’t time anything, and I left plenty of time for my workouts, so I wasn’t rushed. I’m sure there were some 8-10 minute breaks on the last day (485x3x10).

If you feel good, rest less. If you need the rest, rest more. The only thing that is important is to finish the reps. It could take 30 minutes or 3 hours. Just get them done.