big val's Smolov Jr. Log

[big valsalva]

big val's Smolov Jr. Log

Monday, 10/1/12

Today I began a cycle of Smolov Jr. for bench. My bench 1RM has been stuck at 185 since April. I've been lifting on a modified 5/3/1 program from April to mid September. It worked very well for squats and deadlifts, but my pressing (both bench and overhead) hadn't moved at all. For the next few weeks, I'll be trying to add more frequency and volume to the bench, while continuing on the 5/3/1 protocol for squat and deadlift variations.

For the three people out there in internet land that are not familiar with a Smolov Jr. cycle, it gets its name from a much longer program called "Smolov." Some Russian thing. Most Westerners wouldn't understand. Anyway, the regular Smolov cycle is 13 weeks long I believe, while the Smolov Jr. cycle is only three weeks long. I've read accounts of people putting 15 to 20 pounds on their bench press in that amount of time. Like everything else, mileage will vary based on proper rest and adequate diet.

The basic premise is that you execute your targeted lift (in my case bench press) four times a week for three weeks. The starting weight for your working sets is based on your actual 1RM (in my case 185 pounds). The set/rep/weight scheme looks like this:

SetsxRepsxWeight
Monday… 6 x 6 x 70%
Wednesday… 7 x 5 x 75%
Friday… 8 x 4 x 80%
Saturday… 10 x 3 x 85%

On the second week, you add 5 or 10 pounds to the above percentages. The third week you add an ADDITIONAL 5 or 10 pounds.

I'll be avoiding any other pushing exercises, and doing just enough vertical and horizontal pulling to keep things honest. I will do box squats for requisite 5/3/1 sets and reps (plus maybe a couple of full squat singles) once a week. I will do deficit deadlifts for requisite 5/3/1 sets and reps once a week.

Monday's session looked like this:

WxSxR
Bench Press
45x5
45x5
95x5
130x6x6

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (between warmup sets for bench)
125x8x3

Box Squat (w/belt)
45x5
125x5
150x5
180x5
200x5
230x5
260x5

Full Squat (w/out belt)
260x1
225x1

[markievicz]

In to see how you get on. Good luck with the program buddy

[Fazc]

Good luck Val, Smolov Jr did good things for my Bench back in the day.

[Hazzard]

Have fun mate. Worked for me although it's pretty intense!

[MikeM]

Interesting plan. Crush it! 275 bench, here you come!

[BendtheBar]

Make wumpus BV.

[big valsalva]

Thank you, markievicz. This is a bit of a departure for me, but I'm grasping at straws here.

Originally Posted by Fazc

Good luck Val, Smolov Jr did good things for my Bench back in the day.

Thank you, Fazc. I'm hoping for some sort of improvement. It would be nice to see the advertized 15 to 20, but right now, I'd just be happy to leave 190 in the dust.

Originally Posted by Hazzard

Have fun mate. Worked for me although it's pretty intense!

Thank you, Hazzard. I hope to have some fun. Its all part of that journey, you know. Picking up heavy stuff, and finding out what works and what doesn't. What sort of improvement did you experience?

Originally Posted by MikeM

Interesting plan. Crush it! 275 bench, here you come!

Thank you, Mike. In fact, 275 IS my goal. You gotta think big. Bigger than your obstacles. If my goal was 190, then 190 is what I would get. Here's to my next plateau being 275.

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Make wumpus BV.

Man, I'm looking through my recipe box for something called "wumpus." As near as I can tell that's either a Lutheran Church social type casserole, a native American dish with buffalo and corn tortillas, a third cousin of Chex Mix, or you're wishing me a good journey and hoping I kick ass.

Assuming that you meant the latter, I thank you, and hope I don't dissapoint.

[Hazzard]

Originally Posted by big valsalva

Thank you, Hazzard. I hope to have some fun. Its all part of that journey, you know. Picking up heavy stuff, and finding out what works and what doesn't. What sort of improvement did you experience?

Can't remember exactly mate, but somewhere between 5 and 10kg, which is a huge amount on the bench press, especially considering how long it takes to make 1RM improvements!

[BendtheBar]

Wumpus is like whoop ass, midwestern style.

[big valsalva]

Originally Posted by Hazzard

Can't remember exactly mate, but somewhere between 5 and 10kg, which is a huge amount on the bench press, especially considering how long it takes to make 1RM improvements!

Thanks, mate. I'll take what I can get. I'll eat everything in site. And I'll sleep extra long when I can.