January 22, 2012

The Smolov Jr. Cycle

The Smolov Jr. program is a high volume, three week strength cycle, in which the primary lift – which can be any compound extension-oriented movement (ex. deadlift, squat, bench press, overhead press), is performed four times each week. All accessory, or maintenance work, is performed after the main lift, or on a separate day, at a reduced volume to avoid overworking the body’s capacity to recover. Below is an example of the parameters of the lift that is being specialized.


The Smolov Jr. Cycle

WEEK 1

DAY 1: 6 X 6 @ 70%

DAY 2: 7 X 5 @ 75%

DAY 3: 8 X 4 @ 80%

DAY 4: 10 X 3 @ 85%

WEEK 2

The parameters are identical, with 5-10 lbs. more than the respective percentage. Make sure to be consistent with whatever increment is chosen. If 5 lbs. is added to the day 1 weight, only add 5 lbs. to the day 2, 3, and 4 weight.

DAY 1: 6 X 6 @ 70% + 5-10 lbs.

DAY 2: 7 X 5 @ 75% + 5-10 lbs.

DAY 3: 8 X 4 @ 80% + 5-10 lbs.

DAY 4: 10 X 3 @ 85% + 5-10 lbs.

WEEK 3

The parameters are identical once again, with 10-15 lbs. more than the weight used in week 1, NOT the weight used in week 2. The same principles apply in week three, that were implemented in week two, as far as increments are concerned.

DAY 1: 6 X 6 @ 70% + 10-15 lbs.

DAY 2: 7 X 5 @ 75% + 10-15 lbs.

DAY 3: 8 X 4 @ 80% + 10-15 lbs.

DAY 4: 10 X 3 @ 85% + 10-15 lbs.

Percentages must be based off a current, true one rep max, therefore, prior to the cycle, it’s important to physically test for a one rep max for whichever lift that is chosen to be used for the Smolov Jr. cycle. If the loads used during the cycle aren’t based off a true, current one rep max, they may be too heavy, which won’t be realized until a few workouts into the cycle, as it won’t be possible to perform the scheduled amount of work, and by then, lots of time will have been lost, which is easily preventable.

At the end of the third week, take a week to deload before testing for a one rep max again to see how much progress was made during the program. Testing too soon may not give the body the time it needs to allow gains made over the course of the cycle to solidify.

It doesn’t really matter which day of the week each training day takes place, but a common split looks like this:

Monday: Day 1
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Day 2
Thursday: Off
Friday: Day 3
Saturday: Day 4
Sunday: Off

While doing a high volume strength cycle like the Smolov Jr. it’s important to lower the volume for all other bodyparts by roughly 50% (anywhere between 40% and 60% is ideal), to prevent overworking the body’s capacity to recover, an example, in which the bench press is the chosen specialized lift, looking like this:

Week 1
Monday: Day 1 – after Smolov Jr. work, 1 row, 1 curl, 1 extension, 3 x 12
Tuesday: Squat, stiff dead, 1 ab, 3 x 6-10
Wednesday: Day 2 – after Smolov Jr. work, 1 postural movement (ex. face pull, external rotation) 3 x 12
Thursday: *Speed dead, split squat, 1 ab, 3 x 5 for deads, 3 x 15
*Deadlifts are too neurologically taxing, so lighter pulls are preferred
Friday: Day 3
Saturday: Day 4 – Smolov Jr. work, 1 pull-up/pulldown, 3 x 6-10
Sunday: Off

Week 2
Monday: Day 1 – after Smolov Jr. work, 1 row, 1 curl, 1 extension, 2-4 x 12
Tuesday: Squat, stiff dead, 1 ab, 4 x 6-8
Wednesday: Day 2 – after Smolov Jr. work, 1 postural movement (ex. face pull, external rotation) 3 x 12
Thursday: *Speed dead, split squat, 1 ab, 3 x 5 for deads, 4 x 15
Friday: Day 3
Saturday: Day 4 – Smolov Jr. work, 1 pull-up/pulldown, 4 x 6-10
Sunday: Off

Week 3
Monday: Day 1 – after Smolov Jr. work, 1 row, 1 extension, 2-3 x 12
Tuesday: Squat, stiff dead, 1 ab, 2-4 x 5-8
Wednesday: Day 2 – after Smolov Jr. work, 1 postural movement (ex. face pull, external rotation) 3 x 12
Thursday: *Speed dead, split squat, 1 ab, 3 x 5 for deads, 2 x 12
Friday: Day 3
Saturday: Day 4 – Smolov Jr. work, 1 pull-up/pulldown, 2 x 6-10
Sunday: Off


If you have any questions about the Smolov Jr. specialization cycle, feel free to contact me at ben@paramounttraining.ca. I'm available for online consulting and personalized program design, as well as one on one training if you are located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

3 comments:

  1. not a huge fan of the whole percantages thing because depending on your fiber make up.. 70 percent of your 1rm may be too little or too much for you to lift for a certain amount of reps if you want to fail on that rep. I like using 6RM, 3RM, 12RM when talking about intensities because it is consistent with whoever does it. Just fail on that rep and its the right weight. if its too easy than you know its too light, even if its exactly 70 percent of your 1RM.

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    Replies
    1. Very good point Fabrice. FIber type is something that should definitely be taken into consideration when loading any movement. However, it should be noted that the Smolov Jr. training system is not about reaching failure with each set, so the percentages should feel too 'easy' (and I use that term loosely) at first, if you picked the appropriate amount of weight. If you were to take your 6RM, it isn't likely that you'd be able to get 5 more sets of 6 after that, or better yet your 3RM, and repeat that 9 more times, regardless of your fiber type (unless you took an inappropriate amount of rest, as in too much). That's the difference between your approach (which is a very logical approach that I totally agree with, just not in this case) of taking a 3RM, 6RM or 12 RM, and using percentages. The percentages used in this system, are used for a reason, and the reason is to expose the neuromuscular system to a high volume of work, with the highest intensities possible to withstand repeated efforts

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  2. Good write up on Smolov Jr. I recently used the program to add 30lbs to my bench and 15lbs to my bench and am really happy with those increases. I did find this calculator that you might find useful for computing Smolov Jr. loads in the future.

    Definitely considering repeating the cycle, though I've read many people use the program for "peaking" only. Do you have any experience running back-to-back cycles? Thanks again for the great resource.

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