The Smolov squat program is awesome

Smolov is awesome. So…I did it…it took me a long time to get started, but I did it. To be precise, I only completed half the program, but that was the plan from the outset. For a start, the sets in Smolov’s second phase get too short for my liking, and increasing my 1RM doesn’t interest me all that much. I’m more interested in muscle mass, which the first phase should deliver. In the first phase of Smolov, you squat 4 days a week for the first three weeks, then take 5–6 days off leg training after your last squat workout before attempting a new personal record in the fourth week. As I write this, I’ve had 2 days’ rest since my last squat workout. I don’t yet know whether I’ll attempt a new record. For now, I’m recovering, and if I do try, I’ll let you know. I’ve definitely made gains—I can feel it…there’s no doubt about that.
For someone who has trained legs just once a week for most of their training career, this program is a tough challenge, so I decided to take a slow, measured approach. Regardless of my previous records, I used 200 kg as the starting point for calculating my training weights. Before Smolov, I was seriously overtrained, and my back was giving me a lot of trouble. I had to take all of that into account. From the outset, I also planned to complete the whole program—or rather, its first phase—without knee wraps, if I went ahead with it. Wraps undoubtedly help you lift more; if you’ve used them, you’ll know what I mean. With heavy weights, though, they’re definitely necessary.
Besides, training legs 1–2 times a week with heavy weights is one thing; squatting 4 times a week is quite another, even with less volume per workout. I really had no idea what lay ahead, and, as I suspected…it was a whole new experience. So…I decided to base my attempt on a 200 kg personal record.
A major headache, of course, was figuring out how to fit training for the other muscles/body parts around Smolov. There were two important considerations. First, I didn’t want to leave out the other muscles altogether. Second, I needed to organize the rest of my training so it wouldn’t interfere with squatting. I trawled the forums to see how others tackling the program had handled this, but didn’t find much help. So I had to work it out myself. Here’s what I came up with:

I’ll give you a brief commentary on each squat day. As you can see, I didn’t follow the program exactly as written. That would have been “mission impossible.” It was hard enough as it was; following it to the letter would have made it even more impossible. I decided to adjust the schedule for the first phase as I went along. Everything is the same as in the original, except that after squatting on two consecutive days, I decided to take two rest days. I don’t think I would have recovered otherwise. In the original, you squat on Friday and Saturday, rest on Sunday, then squat again on Monday—madness. I wouldn’t recommend that to you either. Adjust the schedule as you go, and you’ll at least have some chance of “surviving.”

Smolov and my squat days

Monday, 1 December 2008 (Smlov 1)
4 x 9 140 kg, resting 2–2.5 minutes between sets. After squats, 10 sets for lats and 6 sets for traps. Workout rating: 5.

Wednesday, 3 December 2008 (Smolov 2)
5 x 7 150 kg, rest interval 2–2.5 minutes. After squats, 5 sets for calves and 4 sets for abs. Workout rating: 5.

Friday, 5 December 2008 (Smolov 3)
7 x 5 160 kg, rest interval 2.15 to 2.30. Squats took 20 minutes in total, excluding the warm-up. Followed by 10 sets for chest. A comment from my training log…with every workout, I feel increasingly depleted. Workout rating: 5.

Saturday, 6 December 2008 (Smolov 4)
10 x 3 170 kg, rest interval 2 minutes. Squatted for 24 minutes in total, excluding the warm-up. Comments…my legs are holding up well, but it’s taking a toll on my back. My old back injury is making itself felt…back stiff and sore…it seized up during the fifth set. Workout rating: 5, but I feel tired. This really is a tough program. After squats, 8 sets for triceps and 4 sets for biceps.

Two rest days

Tuesday, 9 December 2008 (Smolov 5)
4 x 9 150 kg, rest interval 2.15 to 2.30. On the fifth rep of the second set, I felt a needle-like jab in my left glute, probably a microtear. After that, my glute hurt on every squat. Workout rating: 5, although I felt somewhat depleted and tired. Squatted for 11 minutes. After squats, 12 sets for lats and 4 sets for traps.

Thursday, 11 December 2008 (Smolov 6)
5 x 7 160 kg, rest interval 2 minutes, squatted for 15 minutes in total. After squats, 5 sets for calves and 5 sets for abs. Workout rating: 5…post-workout comments…felt more or less OK during the workout, although I was already very tired before starting. My left knee and calf are slightly sore and bothering me. Interestingly, the glute I injured last time didn’t bother me. I need to get properly focused before training; I can’t take any workout lightly anymore.

Saturday, 13 December 2008 (Smolov 7)
7 x 5 170 kg, rest interval 2.15 to 2.30. Squatted for 18 minutes in total. After squats, 8 sets for chest. Rating: 5. A good workout, although the squats left me exhausted. I feel I’m getting closer and closer to my “limit.” Next squat workout, I’ll definitely rest for 3 minutes between sets; I feel I won’t get through it otherwise.

Set 1. Very hard; felt a slight stab in the injured glute.
Set 2. A small spot of pain in my right knee.
Set 3. Had to push, but completed it really well.
Set 4. Nice set, good focus…got through it comfortably.
Set 5. Managed to focus well; an easy set, with the first 3 reps very easy.
Set 6. Good; last rep harder.
Set 7. Got it done…a little harder than the previous set because I lost focus.

Sunday, 14 December 2008 (Smolov 8)
10 x 3 180 kg, rest interval 2.15 to 2.30. Workout rating: 5. Squats took 26 minutes in total. After squats, 8 sets for biceps and 8 sets for triceps. Comments…got a good arm pump…hope I’m not getting ill…feel like I’m coming down with a slight cold. No back stiffness; if anything, I feel my body and legs have somehow adapted to this “squat routine”!!!

Set 1. Completed it confidently, but as usual for the first set, it felt hard; no lifting belt.
Set 2. No belt; feels hard for some reason.
Set 3. Belt on; the set felt easy.
Set 4. Good focus; felt easy.
Set 5. Easy, felt good, good technique…everything seems to be holding up.
Set 6. Completed the set quickly; last rep harder.
Set 7. Easy set; focused well.
Set 8. Nice set, good focus.
Set 9. Easy set, but my focus wasn’t the best; I feel I’m starting to tire.
Set 10. Hard…because I was already thinking about the next exercise.

Two rest days

Wednesday, 17 December 2008 (Smolov 9)
4 x 9 160 kg(the program called for 155 kg). Rest interval 2.15 to 2.30. Rating: 4, satisfactory. The squats are taking their toll; I feel excessively fatigued. So exhausted after squats that I had to make a real effort just to finish the workout. Didn’t focus well before squatting and ramped up the weights too quickly. Felt dizzy in the morning and before training, with slight chills. Ate too close to the workout, too—about 30 minutes beforehand. After squats, 10 very light sets for lats and 3 sets for traps.

Friday, 19 December 2008 (Smolov 10)
5 x 7 170 kg (should have been 165 kg). Rest interval 2.30. Workout rating: 5; squatted for 15 minutes in total. Had a slight headache during training, but otherwise completed all the sets relatively easily. Took it easier on abs and calves because the headache got worse. After squats, 3 sets for abs and 3 sets for calves.

Sunday, 21 December 2008 (Smolov 11)
7 x 5 180 kg(the program called for 175 kg). Rest interval 2.30, workout rating: 5. I’m very pleased; squats took 21 minutes in total. Trained chest in the evening; very tired from the daytime squats. Did 10 sets for chest. Now that’s something!!!!

Warm-up:

20 kg 10 x
20 kg 8 x
60 kg 8 x
100 kg 5 x
130 kg 5 x
155 kg 4 x

Working sets:

Set 1. Hard but bearable; can’t yet tell whether I’ll get through this.
Set 2. Another hard set, but nothing impossible.
Set 3. Easier than the previous sets; last rep took an effort.
Set 4. Focused well; went nicely, even the last rep, although it’s hard :)).
Set 5. Good focus; last rep harder again. I feel I’m starting to tire; legs pumped.
Set 6. Much harder than all the previous sets—fatigue.
Set 7. Hard, including the last rep; extremely hard, using my back to help, already thinking about the end of the workout,

Monday, 22 December 2008 (Smolov 12)
10 x 3 200 kg without knee wraps (should have been 185 kg). I’m taking a risk: 200 kg is a nice round number, but I can’t say whether I’ll finish the sets!!! Workout rating: 5; squatted for 33 minutes in total (working sets). To round things off after the programmed squats, I used 150 kg for 20 full squats, then did 6 sets for biceps and 8 sets for triceps. Rest intervals for squats were strictly 3 minutes; I wouldn’t have managed with any less.

Warm-up:

60 kg 8 x
60 kg 8 x
100 kg 5 x
140 kg 3 x
170 kg 3 x

Working sets:

Set 1. Vision went blurry on rep 1; can’t say whether I’ll get through this.
Set 2. Easier, but with that weight on my shoulders, I have no idea how this will go.
Set 3. Good focus, solid set; anything is possible.
Set 4. Harder again; don’t know whether I’ll make it. Last rep hard.
Set 5. Focus disrupted because I’m afraid I won’t have enough left; hard set.
Set 6. Better focus; easier than the previous sets.
Set 7. Hard again; lost focus because someone came into the gym.
Set 8. Hard set; relying heavily on my back to help.
Set 9. Rep 1 easy, rep 2 hard, rep 3 needed help from my back, and I was stuck in a half-squat for quite a while. Still got it done.
Set 10. Done, good focus; hard set, but actually cleaner than quite a few of the earlier ones.

Now I should take 5–6 days off squatting and then attempt a new personal record, but I still don’t know whether I’ll try. The second phase, with squats three times a week, is then supposed to use that new record as its basis. What can I say? On the first day of Smolov I weighed 110 kg; on the last day, after training, 107 kg…entirely logical after such an exhausting workout and training cycle. I’ll definitely take three full rest days, and then my weight should shoot back up. What matters most is how I look, and at least I believe that has changed…my legs have filled out.
When choosing your weights, I recommend using 85–90% of your actual personal record as your training max. You definitely can’t base it on 100%, or you’ll stall—and quickly. That recommendation to use 85–90% also came up repeatedly on the forums.
What else? To make this work and avoid stalling on the program, you need to take it very seriously. Don’t approach any workout casually. When you’re training with heavy weights, you need to stay mentally switched on and focused throughout every set…chatting with others ruins everything. Your rest intervals don’t have to be this short—powerlifters rest for 5 minutes, after all—but as a bodybuilder, I’m not used to standing around that long.
As for supplements, before training I took ACC, beta-alanine, creatine and…strong coffee. Of course, I didn’t always take them all together; if I took one, I skipped the others. Don’t do anything foolish like training fasted, either…eat a good amount of carbohydrate about an hour beforehand so you have fuel for lifting…white bread with honey and milk works well:))).
As you can see from my own workouts, training for the other muscles did suffer somewhat in terms of set counts, but not significantly. First, after squats you’re so exhausted that you can’t do much else, so don’t plan a crazy number of sets for other muscles. Second, if you train the other muscles with high volume too, your squats the next day or the day after will suffer badly. Squats come first here—you’re prioritizing leg development, after all. I wouldn’t recommend trying to deadlift during this period either. I believe that including such a demanding exercise in the program will prevent you from getting far with the squats and prescribed weights!!!

In any case, I recommend that all gym fanatics give this a go. You certainly can’t call it a program exclusively for powerlifting, at least as far as the first half is concerned. After all, 75% of your sets and reps fall in the 5–9 rep range, which isn’t such a short set when you’re squatting heavy.

NB!!! I attempted a personal record as early as 25 December, aiming for 250 kg—but didn’t get it. Two main reasons:

1. Only 2.5 days since my last workout.
2. On 24 December, I went skiing for 5 km.

I couldn’t let it go, and although my back and legs were sore from the previous attempt, I tried again on 27 December: 250 kg on my first attempt—a NEW ALL-TIME SQUAT PERSONAL RECORD!!!

SMOLOV WORKS…AT LEAST HALF OF THE PROGRAM DOES :))!!!