The essential guido to gains with Smolov Jr

Based on what I gathered you can expect gains between 5 - 15kg within a month or 10 - 30 pounds. This blog post will outline the smolov jr program, publically available results reports and a mathematical approach to underpin these most likely outcomes, if you decide to go on the program. 

Stronglifts with Accessory work

This post will walk you through why I think that there is not enough accessory work in Stronglifts 5x5, which options are out there, and which of these I personally see best fitted to create a well around an athlete for strength performance. The main points 5x5 misses in its programming are the lower back and posterior chain. Utilizing the good morning and glute ham raises to compensate for that instead of pull-ups and dips as recommended by Stronglifts. 

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When to move on from Stronglifts 5x5

A question that is usually posed either at the beginning of the program or when someone starts to stall on the template for the first time. The main reasons to switch to something else are injury, lack of progress, being bored, lack of challenge and a changing goal set. All of these points will be discussed in this article in more detail.

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Smolov for bodybuilding

Do not take this article too serious when we are looking into whether Smolov is a good idea for bodybuilders or not. If you apply common sense with half a brain and read the program, it will be quite obvious to you that Smolov is generally not a good idea to be done for the purpose of winning a bodybuilding competition with very few exceptions. If you still need more convincing, read on ;)

How often do you train on Smolov Jr 

In short four times a week for a month. You can prolong this if you so may wish, but it is not recommended as Smolov Jr is designed very unbalanced and is better used as a shock cycle rather than a solid program to build a basis. Therefore also consider different programs like Stronglifts 5x5 or starting strength if you are a beginning lifter. Two years or more experience would be a good fit for doing Smolov Jr.

How to use Smolov jr

 Smolov Jr can be used as a boost cycle between less aggressive training schemes when you are plateauing or training around an injury. With a lower back injury, I was able to push my bench press from 140kg to 150kg while putting less stress on my lower back. 

Why deload on Wendler?

A deload helps you to protect yourself, get used to a new rep scheme, progress for longer, and stay alert and humble. All of these elements have been incorporated for a reason in Wendler. If you speed it up, you pay the price like I did getting a back injury in my 8 months on Wendler.

Somolov Jr Review

I personally have done Smolov Jr for the first time in April 2016. Within a month, I was able to add 10kg to my bench press moving the needle from 140kg to 150kg at 86kg - 88kg bodyweight at the time. The program is easy to follow and you see my stats above. If you want to run it yourself you will find an excel spreadsheet at the end of this post to print and take to the gym. 

Why are there only 1 x 5 Deadlifts in Stronglifts 5x5 ?

Overall volume

Stronglifts is a program that already has a considerable amount of volume in a week on the big three lifts compared to other more advanced programs. The squat is being emphasized most, as this is the movement which will have the most carry over to overall fitness and strength performance. The reason for this is that the back squat as incorporated partially or fully in other many other movements in fitness and it also works on your overall mobility.

How to program Smolov Jr

The program itself is pretty simple to calculate and the details are outlined in the post. I would highly recommend digging a bit deeper on how to pick your numbers and why you are doing such a focused, high-intensity program, before doing it for longer than a month.