I got up to double bodyweight squat after Smolov: 365 @ 182.
Went down to 170 after that layoff I've already posted about and could only squat 275 when I got back.
Then did 300 at about 175.
Then did 325 at my current 180.
I actually stalled at ~300 at 175 for a couple weeks and realized that I need to gain weight to keep progressing (surprise!).
The reason I stalled is because I didn't want to add weight too fast. But then I realized that I squatted 365 @ 182 after a squat specialization program with my squat strength peaked. Minus the 30 lbs I got from Smolov and I had 335 @ 182. That's exactly in line with my experience wherein I gain about 25 lbs on the squat for every 5 lbs of bodyweight I gain:
275 @ 170
300 @ 175
325 @ 180
If this keeps up, I can expect...
350 @ 185
375 @ 190
400 @ 195
Things may go off the rails after that, but it's not unreasonable to expect 450 @ around 205-210.
A squat specialization program at any time could crank up the squat without too much weight gain. I think that's what happened last time. I got really good at squatting while remaining just over 180 lbs. Those gains were more skewed toward skill and practice, grooving the lift and building volume in it. Those extra 30 lbs weren't from raw, relatively ungrooved strength.
It's possible to peak a lift with something like Smolov...or to groove a lift over a longer time with frequent practice that doesn't increase mass. But for my purposes, strength from mass is better. Longer lasting too. I've banged myself up trying to maintain strength near the levels I got from peaking. I didn't understand that my squat wasn't "really" that high after Smolov, at least not permanently so.
So when I hit 365 this time it will probably be at 188 instead of 182. But it will be baseline instead of peaked strength at that higher bodyweight. Or "meat" strength versus "meet" strength. The one is due to mass and can be applied elsewhere; the other is groove/lift specific. I won't hit double bodyweight on the squat till I get over 190 lbs either.
Edit: I just realized that Raptor already wrote on article on this: "The Trick of Relative Strength".
