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Smolov Jr program

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  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    I finished Smolov Jr. Squats on Saturday. It was tough but not too bad. This probably has to do with the fact that my squat is weak and sad so the weight wasn't really extreme. I haven't retested my 1RM yet but according to calculators it looks like I added a hypothetical 35 or so pounds in three weeks. The last day was 10 sets of 3 with what had been my previous 1RM. I did 5 on the last set.

    This morning I started doing it for my OHP. We'll see what three weeks of that will do.

    Even with my dislike of Smolov Jr vs full Smolov, you can't deny that much progress, nice job. I know a lot of people have similar results using Smolov Jr for bench, I imagine ohp would benefit similarly.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    At some point in the future I like to think I will do full Smolov. I still have a ways to go before I tackle that though.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    ILD's. Some people just tend to do really well wit more frequency. Yes, it is definitely more taxing on the body but I know for me high frequency squatting is what makes my numbers go up the quickest for sure.
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
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    also agree.

    my bench and squat are moving very steadily north now with the higher frequency and much higher volume of sheiko(yes).

    chris can attest to my difficulties with "normal" linear programs... :p
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    ILD's. Some people just tend to do really well wit more frequency. Yes, it is definitely more taxing on the body but I know for me high frequency squatting is what makes my numbers go up the quickest for sure.

    I agree.
    My squat responded well on 5x5, which had me squatting 3x per week.
    I couldn't keep it up for longer than 12 weeks or so as my hips were getting beat up. But a short run through a high frequency program can definitely provide a good kickstart to getting things rolling again.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Tagging to read the responses a little later.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I just tested my squat 1RM after taking a few days off from heavy squatting. It went up 45 pounds from when I started the program. Some of that must have been from improved form - 93 sets of squats over the past three weeks had to help that. I think the fact that my squat was so wimpy made a difference too. There was a lot of room for improvement. Regardless I'm really happy with the results.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    ILD's. Some people just tend to do really well wit more frequency. Yes, it is definitely more taxing on the body but I know for me high frequency squatting is what makes my numbers go up the quickest for sure.

    I agree.
    My squat responded well on 5x5, which had me squatting 3x per week.
    I couldn't keep it up for longer than 12 weeks or so as my hips were getting beat up. But a short run through a high frequency program can definitely provide a good kickstart to getting things rolling again.

    oh yeah, beat up was an understatement for my hips too. But fark me it worked well. I'm going to give it another run as I've got 8 weeks until nationals. previous pb 185kg (no wraps) aiming for 200+kg with wraps this time.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    Hell yeah man.
    It worked great for me for 8-12 weeks but after that I had to do something else.

    My squats felt awesome while on 5x5. I was confident with heavier weights.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    My squats moved fastest doing an overwarmup to a top single, then 3x3 or 5x5 depending on how I was feeling, then widowmakers until I was out of time. I really think the 20+ rep sets at the end at light weight helped with soreness and such because although it sucked during, I was usually fine after a good night's sleep and some food. That being said I tore my oblique on that protocol and had to stop lifting entirely for a few months.

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