Adarq.org

Hi,

I'm about to start my 12 week journey through hell. I was wondering if any of you had any useful tips or tricks I could use throughout my Smolov cycle. I'd like any assistance possible. My log is below.

http://www.adarq.org/forum/progress-journals-experimental-routines/harvey%27s-smolov-cycle-1/

don't do it. do starting strength instead.

Yep. You're actually the ideal case for SS - chronically underweight, weak and needing to gain strength and mass. Doing a full smolov with a 250 max or whatever is just silly imho. You can probably easily set a PR every workout squatting 2-3 a week, why bother with smolov?

I'm currently doing smolov jnr which is gentler than full smolov cos its wavy in intensity meaning I get to practice a lot of squatting with submax loads because I have form problems and need a lot of practice. So far so good, ive improved a fair bit since last month. I also didnt start with a true max (i did 137.5kgx5 with shitty form done belted earlier this year at 87kg BW) and instead picked a fairly conservative 122.5kg max. I'd actually be fine with my max staying where it was as long as my form improves.

Having said that - devils advocate - why not do smolov early? If you are working hard on form, it will cement the movement pattern which is a good thing. It will give you plenty of practice to learn the groove of the lift. The weights aren't heavy enough to hurt you (maybe maybe not, it depends on your form and the robustness of your knees etc) so it's less risky than doing it with heavier weights later.

But on the balance I think it's overkill with a 250# max. If you're that keen on smolov why not jnr?

Quote from: Fat And Furious on December 21, 2011, 04:35:16 am

If you're that keen on smolov why not jnr?

Go big or go home. Why tone it down?

BECAUSE YOU ARE A FUCKING BEGINNER. jesus christ. "go big or go home" is brotastic gibberish with no basis in the real world. i know you put that smiley face in there to say, "jk guyz," but your insistence on doing something that's harder than you need suggests that you are not, in fact, jk.

you are a beginner. you can progress, for sure, on a simple program of linear progression. probably for months, assuming your diet and sleep are done right. when you max out those gains, you can start to think about changing things up.

but if you start with something very difficult and intense now, where will you go when you're done? simple, linear programming will basically never work for you as well as it can work right now. take advantage of it.

Honestly, Smolov sure looks impossible to do for me.

Well, the way I see it is that Smolov was designed to give big gains in a small time frame. Yeah, so was starting strength and whatnot, but I'm up for a real challenge. It's more of a mental test for me as it is a physical test. When I'm done? Maybe I'll do it again? Maybe I'll do something more jump-related.

If by me completing Smolov will be detramental to my training. Speak now. Otherwise, I don't see why you're not encouraging me.

that's exactly what lance and i just said. if you want it spelled out: it will be detrimental to your training.

up for a real challenge? do three sets of five squats three days a week, adding weight as often as you can while maintaining strong form.

In 12 weeks of SS if you do everything right and you have the right mental and genetic stuff - you will add 3x30kg = 90kg to your squat. That means setting a pr every workout. Trust us, it's far from easy - 3x5 is very difficult when the 5s are 80-85% of your max. Do SS for a month or two, and if you still think its easy (ha) we'll let you do smolov (i am certain I wont lose this bet!).

By detrimental, I mean it's either going to injure me or not make me improve. If it's going to make me improve, what's the issue? There's no way it could be detrimental if I'm looking for some quick strength. And I honestly don't see 3x5 that challenging at all.

fuck it, you've made your mind up, do whatever the fuck you want. the advice you've been given in this thread is sound and you've completely ignored every bit of it, with the same idiotic argument over and over: "durrr, 3x5 is easy you guys, i'm up for a challenge durrrrrr."

you squat 265 pounds. 3x5 will be plenty hard and plenty challenging if you fucking work hard at it.

godspeed.

lol let me take a last shot at this .. Please God give me courage to finish this post without breaking my pc.

3x5 can be hard, 3x5 can be easy - it depends on the weight on the bar obviously. Your idea of 3x5 might be a casual walk in the park with the empty bar. That's not it. We're talking about a 3x5 which produces (I hate myself for using this rippetoeism) a PR in EVERY FUCKING WORKOUT.  3x5 is no more easy or hard than 10x3 on smolov. I used to feel physically sick with dread walking up to a bar to do 3x5 when I did SS knowing the last 3x5 felt like death and this time around i've added an extra 2.5kg to the bar! Hell 3x3 might be take everything out of you if you're using enough weight.

Your max is 260, it doesnt matter what you're used to - the point is you've got easy newbie gains for the picking - why bother with an advanced program which is designed to painfully squeeze out a PR for an advanced lifter after months of hard work? Do you understand that you can make gains much easier than such a lifter simply by doing 3x5 and adding weight to the bar each session? A PR in every session is something you can do - but something an advanced lifter who needs smolov cannot do.

We're not talking shit - we're giving you common sense advice but you're refusing to listen because you think we somehow want to see you fail or something. Every idiot on SS.com who drinks enough milk and eats enough cheeseburgers gets to 315x3x5 in months. You will too. Do that first, you can do smolov later when you want to push for 4 plates on the squat. etc.

But seriously why are you even asking for our advice when you refuse to listen?