13-November - Rest Day
14-November - Block 1, Cycle 3, Smolov jr day 1
6 super sets:
Dead lift - 275 x 6
Bench Press - 155 x 6
Notes:
DL done from deficit for first 4 sets. All Bench press paused. Lower back was quite tired after day 3 and 4 of the last cycle. However, after one rest day it was back in bidness. The hardest part of the DL’s today was my hands being scraped up (poor me)… which I consider a good sign. For Smolov days 1-3 I rotate through hook and alternating grips. For smolov jr day 4 I use straps.
The next big question that I need to figure out: Starting a week from today our family drives out of town for Thanksgiving. It is already my planned week off/recovery prior to the second block of Smolov jr. However, the smolov jr plan calls for testing maxes during this recovery week. I have three choices:
A) Test maxes on the 21st, which provides only 1 day of rest after this current cycle. This seems like too little rest.
B) Test maxes upon return from Thanksgiving trip, which provides 8 or 9 days
rest. This seems like too much rest between.
C) Skip testing maxes and just go into the second block of Smolov jr and only test once at the end of the year.
Will ponder this one a bit. Any advice is welcome.
15-November Block 1 Cycle 3, Accessory Day 1
Box jumps: 27" x 5, 5 sets
4 x Superset:
A) Front Squat 155 x 8
B) Leg Curls 60 x 10
C) Hip Thrust 45 x 10
Notes:
Not much to say - lighter accessory day. Focus is on not going too heavy, using good form, etc. Hip thrust is still new and so still very light. Consider this a bit of a poor mans GHR.
16-November Block 1 Cycle 3, Smolov Jr Day 2
Dead lift 290 x 5, 7 sets
Bench Press 165 x 5, 7 sets
Notes:
DL was from deficit for first 5 sets. All bench press reps were paused. Took video’s of the second set of each to check form. I think that my hips are where they should be for the break off the floor. I also noted that my wrist was not straight for the bench press. In my subsequent sets I fixed this and felt stronger having a straight wrist.
So far I feel like I am getting stronger on both of these movements. The volume is high for what I normally do in these movements but overall is down from what I have been doing on a weekly basis. I think the combination of specialization and more rest is helping.
16-November Dead lift 290 x 5 from deficit. Set 2 of 7.
16-November Bench Press 165 x 5, paused. Set 2 of 7.
16-November Bench Press 165 x 5, paused. Set 2 of 7. This time with video.
17-November Block 1 Cycle 3 - Day 2 Accessory
Face pulls x 10
band pull-aparts x 10
Arnold press 25 x 10
Notes:
rotator cuff maintenance. nuff said
18-November - Conditioning
Woke up late, was tight in the rotator cuffs so called an audible and did some conditioning:
Complex:
Deadlift, Stiff leg dead, Row, <transition with clean (1)>, front squat, push press, back squat
6 reps of each (6dl, 6sldl, etc), 45 second rest, 5 reps of each, etc
Did two complexes with 90 seconds rest between. Total time about 25 minutes.
Started with 115 on the bar but ran out of steam on the push presses. Not wanting to set my bench back I dropped to 90 lbs to complete.
19-November Block 1 Cycle 3, Smolov jr. day 3
Deadlift 310 x 4, 8 sets
Bench press 175 x 4, 8 sets
Notes:
First five sets DL were from deficit and bench was paused. Not sleeping enough; only six hours last night. Did not want to lift this morning but I also very much wanted to complete this first smolov jr cycle. Felt better as I pushed through. So far I have not missed a lift throughout this entire block. Tomorrow is 30 reps of 330 lb dead lift. I am excited and just a bit scared to be honest.
20-November Block 1, Cycle 3, Smolov JR day 4
Last day of first Smolov jr program for me ever.
Dead lift 330 x 3, 10 sets
Bench Press 185 x 3, 10 sets
Notes:
All deads from the floor with straps. All bench presses un-paused (but not bounced).
Pace of the deadlifts started as moderato, regressed into adagio by the 6th set and ended up molto retardando by the last set. Last rep came straight from Mozart’s requiem. I believe that my form was tight and correct throughout.
Now I have an entire week off. I will NOT be testing any maxes tomorrow and most likely not when I return either. I believe I will go straight into smolov jr block 2 and start the weights with what I used for this previous week (week 3 of this cycle). Depending upon how I feel I may only go up 15 lbs per week on deads for the next block rather than 20.
21-29 of November
Returned from Thanksgiving. Good time with family. No lifting. Eating was under control and as close to my normal as possible while out of town.
One 6 mile run with a friend. Moderate pace. First run in 3 months. Tightened my glute and hamstring. Also did a 5k with the family. First mile was jogging with kids. When they tired, performed fast 2.1 mile on my own.
30-November Strength Circuit
Performed circuits of 5,4,3,2,1 reps:
Front-Squat 155, 165, 170, 175, 185
Bench Press 125, 135, 145, 155, 165
SG High Pull 125, 135, 145, 155, 165
Pull Ups BW, BW, BW, BW, BW
Press 80, 85, 90, 95, 100
Notes: Generally started at about 60% max and went up a bit per set as reps dropped. The goal was to wake everything up and get set for the last training block of the year. Which again is Smolov jr for deadlift and bench press. Feel fine the next day except traps. Basically if I think of high pulls my traps get sore.
1-Dec Rest Day
2-Dec Block 2, Cycle 1 Smolov jr day 1
Dead lift 275 x 6, 6 sets
Bench Press 155 x 6, 6 sets
Notes:
First heavy day after a week off. First day of the second block of Smolov Jr.
Deads felt the easiest that 275 has ever felt to me. Which is exciting. First four sets done from deficit. Last two from the floor.
Bench felt easy as well. First four sets were paused. Then I became fatigued on the last set and the last rep was a grinder.
Total time was 20 minutes and 30 seconds, so I may need to introduce a bit more rest time as the weights go up.
3-December Block 2 Cycle 1 Accessory Day 1
Box Jumps - 27" x 5, 3 sets
Front Squat - 155 x 8, 4 sets
Leg Curl - 60 x 10, 4 sets
Hip Thrust - 55 x 10, 4 sets
Notes: nothing noteworthy. Except that the past two days I have been almost nauseated due to hunger during my workouts. I have not changed my food intake for months so maybe my metabolism is running faster now? Won’t change anything until this is a longer term pattern.
4-Dec Block 2, Cycle 1, Smolov Jr. Day 2
Deadlift 290 x 5, 7 sets
Bench Press 165 x 5, 7 sets
Notes:
Was very hungry again this morning so ate a protein/carb bar (home-made) immediately prior to the workout.
Deadlifts felt strong though my lower back is a bit sore. Bench press felt good too but I did start to run out of gas toward the last sets. Paused the first 5 sets of Bench. First 4 sets of DL’s were from deficit. Total time (after warmup) was 24 minutes. Very humid in the garage due to the rain - not complaining about the rain in So Cal. Was breathing pretty heavy.
5-Dec Block 2, Cycle 1, Accessory day 2
Band pull aparts x 10
Band face pulls x 10
Arnold Press 25 x 10
Notes:
Spending 30 minutes each night working on hips and rotator cuffs with the rumble roller. Lower back is quite sore. I can understand why smolov jr is a peaking routine.
6-Dec Block 2, Cycle 1, Smolov Jr Day 3
Deadlift 310 x 4, 8 sets
Bench Press 175 x 4, 8 sets
Notes:
Lower back is always sore but not yet debilitating. First 6 sets of deads from deficit. First 6 sets of Bench were paused. Two form check videos in next two posts. Total work time was 24 minutes.
6-Dec Bench Press 175 x 4 (second set of 8).
6-Dec Dead Lift 310 x 4 (4th set of 8) from 1.75 inch deficit (that’s what she said).
7-Dec Block 2, Cycle 1, Smolov JR Day 4
Dec 7th 1941. Remember Pearl Harbor. Always be vigilant. Always be ready.
Deadlift 330 x 3, 10 sets
Bench Press 185 x 3, 10 sets
Notes:
All deads from the floor with straps. All bench ‘un-paused’ - though with the attempt not to bounce.
Deads were progressively heavier throughout the session. Only the last set or two were approaching grinding though. After completing the last set of the last rep I firmly believe that three new man-hairs burst forth from my chest.
8-Dec - Day off
9-December Block 2, Cycle 2, Smolov Jr Day 1
Dead lift 285 x 6, 6 sets
Bench Press 160 x 6, 6 sets
Notes:
Total time 20 minutes exactly. Training was challenging from a breathing standpoint at times.
I wonder if slowing down and resting more will allow for better strength development? The speed is great for getting a conditioning effect as well as putting more hair on my chest. But I am curious if taking more time for recovery between sets would somehow translate to faster strength gains? Each movement easier… faster recovery for the same workload… Definitely grasping at straws here. Will have to do some research to educate myself.