Squat
warmup
325 x 3
375 x 3
425 x 4 450 x 5, 4, 5, 5 (+25lb PR)
I felt like ass going into this one. Sat in a class for 9 hours and needless to say, didn’t get to eat like I normally do and was sluggish and uninspired.
After I missed the 5th rep on that 2nd set of 450, I thought I was done. Came out of my groove and lost it forward. Mustered up enough energy for the next set and nailed it. Went at the last set with all I had left and had to squeak out the last rep. It was the toughest rep I have ever pushed through on the squat. Pretty proud about that.
Squat
warmup
325 x 3
375 x 3
425 x 4 450 x 5, 4, 5, 5 (+25lb PR)
I felt like ass going into this one. Sat in a class for 9 hours and needless to say, didn’t get to eat like I normally do and was sluggish and uninspired.
After I missed the 5th rep on that 2nd set of 450, I thought I was done. Came out of my groove and lost it forward. Mustered up enough energy for the next set and nailed it. Went at the last set with all I had left and had to squeak out the last rep. It was the toughest rep I have ever pushed through on the squat. Pretty proud about that.
Pretty good week of squattin’.
That last one was a grinder. That was very impressive, most guys would have just dumped it. The finish line is not too far away, but just take it one day at a time. That was advice that I got from Stallion and it really helped me not get caught up with what was down the road and making me lose focus on the task at hand.
I was supposed to do 5 sets of 5 with 450. I felt beat down from a hectic weekend, not eating enough, and working out way later than I normally do. The last rep of the 2nd set was quite ugly. I decided that I needed a bit of a “deload”.
Squat
warmup
300 x 3
350 x 3
400 x 3
435 x 1
475 x 3 x 2
Don’t call it a comeback…
I guess taking those sets off on Monday did me some good. I felt great going in, and felt solid in finishing. I am doing a good job staying back throughout my reps and fighting through a bit of stalling. Feeling strong.
I did break in my new knee wraps, the Strangulators. A little longer (2.5m) and a lot stiffer. They were difficult to get pulled tight but they weren’t painful, yet. They were actually kind of comfortable and I got a good bit of bounce out of the hole.
Rolling right along now. I did miss the last rep of the last set. Lost my concentration and knew as soon as I started the rep that I wouldn’t get it. I stuck with it and at least got the eccentric portion and a little push out of the hole. Feeling very confident about this next (and last) week.
On a side note, I think I get more worn out wrapping up my knees before the set than the actual squats. I think I may look into one of those knee wrap rollers so I don’t have to fight with getting them prepped tight enough that I don’t have to wrench them around my knees. I do like the new wraps though.
Pretty good start to the week. This was a volume PR with 450. I was supposed to get this last week when I decided to take a few sets off. The first set was ugly, but I found my groove on the second and on through the rest. Depth was good and I haven’t had any aches or pains in quite a while (knock on wood). I did wrap up my knees for the work sets.
incline db press
50 x 8
70 x 8
90 x 8
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 7
bench lockouts hole 15
275 x 1
315 x 1
345 x 1
365 x 1 380 x 1 (+5lb PR)
skullcrushers
105 x 6
125 x 6
135 x 6 x 2
Good work today. I have recently moved and so don’t have access to my PR’s right now. The incline db might be a PR, but I think I’ve done 8 reps with 125 before. The lockout was a slow grinder, but once I get the weight past a certain point, I know I will lock it out. I am definitely a tricep dominant presser, if such a thing exists. I threw on some BW dips and some ab work at the end of the workout for a little blood flow.
Squat
warmup
315 x 3
350 x 3
400 x 3
435 x 1
475 x 3
475 x 1 (missed 2nd)
475 x 3 x 2
It’s official, I can’t work out in the evenings. I’ve got zero motivation and am just ready to get home. Almost threw in the towel after the missed rep. And as far as that goes, I just rushed the set and sat back too far on the second rep, wobbled forward, and set it down. Last set was the best, seems to be my M.O.
And the eff’in camera battery died. Bastard.
One more heavy session and its testing time, thank God…
Squat
warmup
315 x 3
375 x 3
450 x 4 475 x 4 x 3 (+1 rep PR)
And there it is, the last heavy day of Smolov. All that’s left is an easy day on Monday and to test my new 1RM next weekend. I felt real strong and maybe could’ve gotten a 5th rep on the first set. I had it in my head to go for 5 on the last set, but it just wasn’t there.
Felt so good, I even played a little racquetball afterwards.
That’s it. This day was listed as optional in the Smolov cycle. Seeing as I normally work up to an opener on this day if I were prepping for meet, I figured what the hell. Belt only.
It’s been funny. It’s gotten to the point that everyone in the gym assumes that if I’m lifting, I’m squatting. It’s going to be a shock to many, including myself, to only be in the squat rack once next week.
incline db press
warm up
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 5 135 x 4 (+10lb PR)
floor presses
225 x 5
295 x 3 x 3
Good PR. Shoulder has been holding up since January (AC joint). Kept the volume low, as I am using this week as somewhat of a deload. Until Saturday, that is.
Squat
warmup
485 x 1 505 x 1 (5 lb PR)
515 x 1 (15lb PR)
530 x miss
I went into this treating it like a meet. An easy opener with 485, and it flew up. In a real meet I would have opened at a lower weight, just to make sure and conserve a little energy. My second attempt (505) would be to set a personal PR, and I flew threw this weight as well.
Third attempt (515) to win the meet. This one I was probably too conservative, I should have gave 520 a run here. I think 515 felt stronger than 505. Instead of jumping just another ten, I went on to 530. Don’t know why, I shouldn’t have. Hell, I should have pushed through the lift.
Not to give any excuses, but while wrapping my second knee the roll came out of my hand and unraveled. Had to get someone to roll it back up (not really how I like it) and so I left on the first wrap. Needless to say that I lost a little focus along with the feeling in my lower left leg. So yeah, I should have made the lift.
So, I’m now done with Smolov. I had, IMO, a successful run. A little bit of aches and pains during the base and a couple of misses in the Intense. But for the most part a solid run through a tough program. I do feel like my technique has gotten a lot more efficient and of course I’ve gotten stronger.
My weight went up a couple pounds, and it would have gone up more had I not had to worry about making weight.
All said and done, a 50lb gain from 465 to 515, in 11 weeks.
I’m now 5 weeks out of a Push/Pull event and 12 weeks out of a full meet. I’m setting up my training to peak for the full meet. Of course I plan to be competitive at the Push/Pull, but what kind of gains can I really make in 4 weeks after a draining program like Smolov?
The full meet is Irontoberfest in southern Alabama on Halloween. I have a few lofty goals for this meet. I plan on hitting an elite total in the 181 class. I am moving up a weight class after getting my elite total. I was only 20 pounds off at Nationals. Squat will take of that.
Pre-Smolov, the goal was a 500lb squat. Now it’s closer to 525, which would be 3rd ranked in my weight class. I would also really love to pull 585, on my way to 600.
I’m still working on the structure of the program. I know I will be using Coan for the pulling. Its gonna be real weird not squatting more than once a week. I feel like I can still gain a couple more pounds in my squat, maybe by getting in more accessory work. I’m gonna try twice a week benching again.
Last time I did that I developed a shoulder and wrist issue. The shoulder was inflammation and the wrist was from using to wide of a grip. I think I can head those issues off. My bench sucks and needs a lot of work. I’m also gonna start working with my sled, still gotta pop the cherry. I feel like I need some conditioning work. Smolov is a good excuse to not work hard outside of squatting.
incline db press (neutral grip)
75 x 8
85 x 8
95 x 8
JM press
95 x 6 x 3
First workout post-Smolov. I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of gas in the tank. I haven’t gotten a lot of volume in for anything besides squats in a couple months.
I got the idea for the neutral grip on the presses from someone’s log here, can’t remember who. He said that it helped with the elbow tuck and staying tight out of the hole, that always helps. It was my first time using the JM press, and it is quite humbling. I figured 95 would be an easy 8 or 10. Should get that next workout.
Overall, I took it easy to build up some tolerance to the higher workload.
banded Box Squats (black bands)
warmup
225 x 3 x 5
GHRs (natural)
bw x 5 x 5
That’s it. Nice and easy.
Felt like I could throw those squats through the ceiling if the bands weren’t attached. I didn’t know what to expect from the GHRs, its been a while. I should be able to add a little weight to them soon.
Moving very gingerly after the GHRs 2 days ago. It’s been a little while since the hammies were this sore. I expect pulling on Saturday should do the same, but probably worse…
This upper back workout is one of my favorites. I try to put as little stress on the low back as possible because I have a DL session on Saturday. I started implementing high rep db rows after I dropped an easy pull in a meet about a year ago. I don’t use straps most of the time, for the grip benefits of course. I really feel these have had an impact on my DL.
I also haven’t pulled since I started using the Kelso shrugs. I’m interested to see if they will help with lockout.