Howye.
I’m thinking of doing Smolov come March or April when my rugby season is over.
I’m just wondering what to do for the switching phase as everywhere I look for info on it is fairly vague. Also what would ye recommend doing for upper body work during the 13 weeks?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!!
I would keep bench / OHP work heavy and fairly low volume, and add upper back training in after each squat session. You can also train deadlift as long as you recover enough to hit the squat reps, despite what some will say.
For the switching phase you’re supposed to use heavy eccentrics/negatives on squat (~105% of max for 2-3 controlled negatives) and plyometrics. Speed pulls would also fit, along with fairly normal upper body training.
Thanks for the advice!!
What are your current maxes and are you planning to compete at the end of the 13 weeks?
[quote]JordanWebster wrote:
What are your current maxes and are you planning to compete at the end of the 13 weeks?[/quote]
Well I haven’t tested my maxes in a while as im just back weight training cause I had pre season fitness and ive alot of running during the week at the moment still. But at the moment I estimate them to be around 150kg squat, 105kg bench, 170kg deadlift. I hope by April the squat will be around 160kg or 170kg. Not great numbers I know but iv’e just been dabbling in weights for the last couple of years and iv’e finally decided I want to start lifting consistently and get my lifts up.
[quote]FergusK wrote:
[quote]JordanWebster wrote:
What are your current maxes and are you planning to compete at the end of the 13 weeks?[/quote]
Well I haven’t tested my maxes in a while as im just back weight training cause I had pre season fitness and ive alot of running during the week at the moment still. But at the moment I estimate them to be around 150kg squat, 105kg bench, 170kg deadlift. I hope by April the squat will be around 160kg or 170kg. Not great numbers I know but iv’e just been dabbling in weights for the last couple of years and iv’e finally decided I want to start lifting consistently and get my lifts up.[/quote]
Okay they’re pretty reasonable numbers, particularly if you have 160-170kg by April. I’d say really one shouldn’t do Smolov until they can squat 160kg+, and even then it might still make more sense to do a more basic, sustainable program.
Unless you plan on competing at the end of the program, I’d recommend you just do the base cycle. You’ll see a nice jump in your strength and you’ll keep most of the gains. The intensification cycle is a peaking cycle and you’ll pretty much lose whatever you add on in this cycle.
Ya I might stick to a more basic program till I have my squat up to higher numbers. Have you done smolov yourself? What dya think of it?
I tried it once but I didn’t respect it properly and put my max in too high. It beat me into the ground and I hit a brick wall in week 1. I’ve got a couple of friends who’ve done it though and they always say that it’s just best to stick with the base cycle.
If you do it, remember to eat lots and sleep plenty, and definitely increase your recovery methods. Plenty of foam rolling, stretching, mobility work, contrast showers, heat treatment, ice treatment etc. I didn’t do any of that and I ate poorly and I really hurt my hip which messed me up squatting for like 6 weeks.
I had surgery on my Rt. ring finger and due to my lack of grip I can’t do a whole lot. I certainly can not DL. So I decided to run Smolov. Its great for me who can only squat heavy. Everything else I can do is light and bodybuilding type upper body stuff.
I just finished my first week. It was rough but manageable. Aside from being sore and my knee aching I really felt good when I got under the bar. My focus was more intense especially after three consecutive days squatting. I did 8 40 yard passes with my tire sled after my sets. 4 forward and 4 backward.
I will do some upper body work today after my lunges.
Week 2 doesn’t worry me. But the Base Mesocycle Does. The heavy volume work looks like a bitch. I will probably go back to a more traditional approach after the Base Cycle. Not sure I have the stomach for the rest. We will see.
All sounds like good stuff. Thanks lads!!