Week 2, Day 4 of Smolev Jr

Today was day 4 of week 2 of our Bench-specific Smolov Jr. Bench program.

I started the day out with some right shoulder soreness.. Not rotator cuff-type soreness, just some front Delt tenderness from benching 4 times a week for 2 weeks so far..

As I warmed up from the bar, to 25s, to 135.. I thought the weight felt kinda heavy, so I was unsure of the 10 upcoming sets of 265. So far in this cycle, I haven't needed any spotter assistance.. And didn't want to start now! Lol.

The first set of 265 went pretty good, but I was worried about the front Delt as it started acting up..

But good news, I learned something about my form and on the next few sets, I arched harder, making it more of a decline, and taking some of the pressure off the front Delt..

Sets 2 thru 10 went great! Video of set 9 below! Good speed, and a nice steady form!

November - March Training Plan

Below is my November-March Training Plan.. as you will notice I get into my gear 12 weeks out to make sure there are no problems hitting depth in the squat..

• Doing Sumo work and Low-Box Squatting Early in cycle to build hip strength and out-of-the hole power..
• Then moving into a Smolov Jr. Bench-only routine..
• Then into Box Squats w/Bottoms of suit only..
• At this time starting a 12 week Shirted Bench routine of Triples/Doubles/Singles
• Then Full Squats w/Straps up.. 

 

Smolev Jr.. explained

I didn't invent it.. Hell I didn't even think to use it until someone (Laura!) told me about it..
Smolev Jr. is a 3 week Bench-Only program designed to put 15-20lbs on your raw bench.. it was derived from the Smolev Squat routine, and is slightly "De-tuned" for Bench work.

The basic plan is you Bench 4 times a week, Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat.. each day increasing reps, but decreasing set # so your volume stays fairly constant each day of the week.. then each of the 3 weeks, you kick it up 10lbs the first week, and 5 lbs the second.. the percentages are all based upon your current 1RM max..

During the Smolov Bench routine, there is no accessory work, nor legs/other body part work. Also, it is not recommended to try and cut weight during the 3 week cycle. Your body needs to focus on recovery and strength building.. and take it from me.. once you hit week 2.. there will be no energy for additional body parts or accessories!!

It is not recommended to run this routine one-time-after-another.. You can run it multiple times, but always deload a few weeks in between.... 

example below:

Smolov Jr.
	1RM	325
	Add LBs Wk 2	10
	Add LBs Wk 3	15
Week 1
Mon	6x6	230
Wed	7x5	245
Fri	8x4	260
Sat	10x3	275
Week 2
Mon	6x6	240
Wed	7x5	255
Fri	8x4	270
Sat	10x3	285
Week 3
Mon	6x6	245
Wed	7x5	260
Fri	8x4	275
Sat	10x3	290

RPS Power Challenge Meet 10/21 Update

My RPS powerlifting meet update for all my friends who couldn't make it:

So today was a learning experience. Lol. What did i learn?

A. I spent the last 6 months getting stronger. And no doubt I did, but the only equipped squatting I did was with the straps down...

 B. My non-adjustable straps inzer champion which fit me at 260, no longer fits me at 274. Retrospect?
Needed to spend more time w straps up finding out what it took to get down. 525, although light on the way up - just couldn't get down. Nonetheless it was another awesome RPS  meet hosted by Gene and Ame!

  The squat suit I have was given to me by another lifter who inherited it from someone else. It was made for a 220-230lb lifter. At 260 last year I made it work. At 272 this year, plus i added size in my shoulders, it didn't anymore. I should have put the suit on earlier in my training cycle so I would have found it out I couldn't hit depth. What happens is, as you squat down, the tension in the shoulder straps increase, and if the suit is too small, it will bind or lock up before parallel.. Then the further u drop down, all it does is pull your shoulders forward and make u lean forward, and u never break parallel.

Newer suits, (and I just bought one!) have Velcro straps so u can adjust tension and hit depth. What the suit did was turn my 525 squat into a squat and a good morning as it threw me forward. The good news is I had plenty of strength, I good morning the 525 back up and squatted it 3 times no problem.. As far as the other lifts, once u bomb out, you don't continue - sometimes they let u, but its not smart to continue w bench and deadlift at my age, and utilizing 400-600lbs. All I would be doing is risking injury, with no chance of totalling or setting a record because my lifts wouldn't count because I missed the squat all 3 times...

Everythings a learning experience! See the video below for one of my 525 attempts.. bar speed was good, weight was light.. just couldnt hit depth!

October 2012 - March 2013 MesoCycle

My next competition will be at the RPS 2013 New England Revolution, held at Next Level Fitness, 12 Industrial Lane, Johnston RI 02919 on March 23 and 24th, 2013.

Below is my training MesoCycle for the next 6 months.. What is a MesoCycle? It is a general layout and scheduling of my workouts - not the exact workouts out I will do, but rather what body parts I will cycle and focus on over that period of time. As you can see I have two "3 week Bench Specific" Smolev Jr. routines I am hitting during October and November. I feel I have neglected my Raw Bench over the last year or so, and I am looking to push that up close to 400lbs raw.

What is the Smolev Jr Bench Routine? Stay tuned and I'll explain...

12 Week Shirted Bench Training Plan

For the next 12 weeks leading up to the October RPS MA Power Challenge, I have decided to adopt the Elite FTS 12 Weeks Bench Training plan as described in Dave Tate's Bench Press manual.. basically its (3) 3-week cycles, 1 cycle of benching triples, 1 cycle of benching doubles, and 1 cycle of benching singles.. all in the shirt, and each cycle broken up with a Raw bench.. working up to 1RM.. Based upon a current 1RM of 420lbs.. here's the plan:

Revisiting sumo deadlift form...

Dropped down to 60% to really focus on driving knees out, sitting back, and arching hard...