Dense muscles sound pretty great to me;)
You have been killing that Smolov!
Good Smolov trip you took Joe, I really think it treated you well overall. I would miss all the accessories though. Are you going to take 1RM at all on all your lifts?
Russian peaking cycle is next ?
[quote]lil power wrote:
Good Smolov trip you took Joe, I really think it treated you well overall. I would miss all the accessories though. Are you going to take 1RM at all on all your lifts?
Russian peaking cycle is next ? [/quote]
I had planned on testing next week but I miscalculated the time to Nats. So I’m going to take a conservative estimate and plug that into the Russian Peaking calculator and start it next week.
Great job!
You need a new name. JoeSquats. Looking forward to seeing the new max next week.
You need to change the title of the log to kicking Smolov’s ass.
james
Smolov Results
Squats: +60lbs
Deads: +15lbs (at least)
Bench: +10lbs
Smolov Breakdown
In my opinion the first three weeks of Smolov, the base meso cycle, are the most effective part of the whole program and I will repeat that at some point. This is a difficult program but I think a lot of people have overstated the difficulty of the program to make them seem more hardcore. You do need to get your sleep and food is very important, under eat and you will pay. I thought the switching cycle did more harm to my squat progress than it helped and the intense cycle was nearly as intense to me as the base mesocycle.
I think the thing that this pointed out is that I need to squat more when I go back to 5/3/1. I respond better to high squat volume.
Taking three days off and starting the Russian Peaking Program on Monday so hopefully the three days will get my rested and ready.
Great results! How long was the cycle?
That’s an interesting take on Smolov, but my experience was a little different. About the only time during the program I felt good was when I was under the bar. The rest of the time I ached, was hungry, and tired, and dreading the next workout, until I was actually under the bar. Every time I got under the bar I felt stronger and more confident, however. I also gained 22lbs. during the base phase because I just craved every type of food i could get my hands on.
I also think the intense phase is a little underrated, because the big gains come during the base/accumulation phase, so its natural to discount the intense phase somewhat. The intense phase is designed to squeeze the last few pounds out of you and get you ready for the platform. But I’d definitely agree that base phase is where its at if you want to just jack your squat and aren’t running it as a meet-peaking cycle.
One thing we totally agree on is that if you want to really boost your squat numbers, 5-3-1 just doesn’t have enough volume and intensity. The flip side is, I think the progress gains on 5-3-1 are little more sustainable and less “peaky” if that makes sense. Smolov is, after all, a peaking cycle and not designed to be run all the time.
In any event, great job Joe, your squat numbers look really great and you’ve earned them through hard work.
Jack
Great summary. I’ve only ever done the base mesocycle phase. And I thought it was really, really hard. Almost made me sick when training. I think the greatest thing is you learned a lot about what works for you. Great results, too!
Congratulations for finishing Smolov and doing really well with it! You oughta get a prize for this.
Overstated difficulty or not, gaining 60# on your sqaut is quite a result. Good work.
[quote]jjackkrash wrote:
That’s an interesting take on Smolov, but my experience was a little different. About the only time during the program I felt good was when I was under the bar. The rest of the time I ached, was hungry, and tired, and dreading the next workout, until I was actually under the bar. Every time I got under the bar I felt stronger and more confident, however. I also gained 22lbs. during the base phase because I just craved every type of food i could get my hands on.
I also think the intense phase is a little underrated, because the big gains come during the base/accumulation phase, so its natural to discount the intense phase somewhat. The intense phase is designed to squeeze the last few pounds out of you and get you ready for the platform. But I’d definitely agree that base phase is where its at if you want to just jack your squat and aren’t running it as a meet-peaking cycle.
One thing we totally agree on is that if you want to really boost your squat numbers, 5-3-1 just doesn’t have enough volume and intensity. The flip side is, I think the progress gains on 5-3-1 are little more sustainable and less “peaky” if that makes sense. Smolov is, after all, a peaking cycle and not designed to be run all the time.
In any event, great job Joe, your squat numbers look really great and you’ve earned them through hard work.
Jack
[/quote]
Oh I agree with you for the most part and if you are peaking for a meet you should do the whole cycle. But if your just trying to jump start your squat I think the basemeso cycle is your best bet.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Great summary. I’ve only ever done the base mesocycle phase. And I thought it was really, really hard. Almost made me sick when training. I think the greatest thing is you learned a lot about what works for you. Great results, too![/quote]
I think the base mesocycle is that hardest part due ot the frequency of squatting.
Joe,
You put 60 lbs on your squat in what is it? 3 Months? That is absolutely fantastic, of course after looking at your workouts it is easy to see how this happened. Your April 5th workout is ridiculous.
Russian Peaking Cycle
Week 1 Day 1
Squats
10x135
10x185
10x225
4x275
3x315
6x2x330* First four sets were at 340 because I’m an idiot.
1x360
Bench
10x135
6x185
6x3x220
Everything was wobbly and weak today and felt off. i wanted to do a single at 380 but I was pressed for time and pretty tired so I said to hell with it. I’ll do one Friday.
Russian Peaking Cycle
Week 1 Day 1
Squats
10x135
10x185
10x225
4x275
3x315
6x2x330* First four sets were at 340 because I’m an idiot.
1x360
Bench
10x135
6x185
6x3x220
Everything was wobbly and weak today and felt off. i wanted to do a single at 380 but I was pressed for time and pretty tired so I said to hell with it. I’ll do one Friday.
60 lbs is awesome. The only thing that holds me back, is worrying that the other lifts would suffer.
[quote]greystoke wrote:
60 lbs is awesome. The only thing that holds me back, is worrying that the other lifts would suffer.[/quote]
Well generally an increase in squats increases deadlift numbers but you have to do some pressing so your bench doesn’t shrink.
Good work in here Joe.
+60lbs is awesome man!
I agree the volume and Intensity needs to be higher on 5/3/1 ( I think thats why he is programming more sqauts in all of his alterations of 5/3/1 now)
I have a couple of programs ( 1 in paticular) as well that work good if interested that is right up your alley of thinking but in regards that it works on all 3 lifts.
Rick
PM me if interested.