T Nation

Smolov Squat Newbie

Training Logs
#1

Most recent 1RM for Squat (8/4/12): 275 pounds
Squat PR to date (10/1/08): 345 pounds
Thigh Size: ~21.5 in. both legs

Hoping to get somewhere near my old max. Figured this would be a nice change of pace - I’m used to squat 2 or 3 times a week so this actually looks fun. Already did the 2 introduction weeks (although I missed some days thanks to work and finals). Moving forward…

Standard Exercise - Set X Rep X Weight format

Start: 1939
Barely stretched, did a few leg swings and squats to get ready.
Warm Up: Bar X 5, 95 X 5, 135 X 3
Squat - 4 X 9 X 190 (The last two sets were harder so ended up taking a full 3 minutes rest before each one. Definitely noticing a little balance issue on the way up. Other than that, felt good)
DB Inclines - 8 X 65, 5 X 65, 6 X 65, 5 X 65 (Obviously my chest strength sucks. I figure I can just focus on my upper chest development during the next several weeks and make some progress there)
Pull Ups - 4 X 5 X BW (For these I wanted to really explode up and touch my chest to the bar as well as slowly coming down. I have done higher volume before but for the next several weeks I want to really work on getting better at my pull ups)
End: 2021

A quicker session then I expected but I won’t complain. Trying to keep rests between 2 to 3 minutes throughout the workout unless I really need more. Still not sure if I’ll do any upper body stuff on the 10x3 days; we’ll see. Going to go home, actually stretch and foam roll for about 20, then eat a steak or two with a bunch of rice and veggies after a nice long shower.

#2

Wednesday

Start: 1433
A few leg swings, squats, and light stretching before going under the bar.
Warm Up: Bar X 8, 115 X 5, 155 X 3
Squat: 5 X 7 X 205 (I have a feeling the 4 X 9 are going to be by hardest days. Despite the fact that my legs have been a little sore since Monday, it didn’t get in the way of today’s workout. I was surprised at first how heavy 205 felt for my first set but it got lighter as I went on. No grinding out reps on this one and stayed at the 2.5 - 3 minute rest goal I have for myself).
DB Inclines: 3 X 8 X 65, 6 X 65 (Definitely better than last time but that’s probably because I decided to take longer rests between the upper body work. I’m pretty sure I’ll get all 8 come Friday; I’m toying with the idea of doing my upper body stuff first to get it out of the way but not sure yet).
Pull Ups: 4 X BW X 6 (Same as last time, explode up, touch my chest to the bar, and come down under control. Can’t wait to start adding weight to this; I have neglected pull ups for far too long).
Finish: 1525

A little longer than Monday’s session but that’s because of the longer rests between the accessory stuff. I actually feel like the 5 X 7 went by pretty quick compared to 4 X 9. At the moment, I’m stuck at school until my wife is done with class so I guess I’ll be productive and study. I’m definitely not eating as much as I should (I’d guess around 2500ish calories but who knows); I’ll start taking that more seriously as well as doing real warm - ups.

#3

Good luck with this. Will follow along. Whats your BW?

#4

168.8 pounds as of this morning.

Thursday

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup raisins
2 cups low fat milk
4 sausage patties

Snack:
2 granola bars

Lunch:
3 slices of bread
3 oz. of chicken
Condiments

Snack:
3 slices of bread
3 oz. of ham
Condiments

Total Calories: 1,893
61g Fat
242g Carbs
94g Protein

Well that sucks, I knew I wasn’t getting enough calories on my school days but that’s horrible. Only plus I can think of is that I didn’t go to the gym that day.

#5

I’ve had a very stressful few days since Saturday in addition to a sprained wrist (left). Ended up missing both Monday’s and today’s session and I haven’t been able to eat like I should have. I hate to quit after only 1 week but at least it’s due to stress outside the gym as opposed to not being able to handle the sessions. Anyway, here’s Saturday’s session:

Squat: 10 X 3 X 230 (I remember these being pretty slow, though not as slow as a max attempt. Rested about 4 minutes between each set and that was enough to get me through the workout).
Pec Deck: 85 X 12, 100 X 12, 130 X 12, 160 X 12
Rear Delt Machine: 85 X 12, 100 X 12, 115 X 9, 115 X 7
(The last two exercises I did as a superset with 2 minutes rests in between sets. I was surprised at how weak my delts were and can see I really need to work on achieving more balance between my muscles).