No matter what kind of weight training goals you have, be it powerlifter, weightlifter, bodybuilder or strongman or enthusiast, illness will always become a setback to your routine. You can train through most illnesses, and I advise you do, as its days like those when you might surprise yourself at what your body is capable of even when you feel like crap. However, the HUGE killer to your dreams and ambitions is physical sickness, particularly food poisoning/stomach bugs.
At the end of the switching cycle I caught such a bug that it had me over a toilet for hours. You lose sleep and lose your appetite and cannot absorb any nutrients you do take in, let alone most water you take in, as it all makes its way back out in some way. Strength comes from rest and nutrition, and if you can't get these your training will be to no avail. In this case rest up, stop throwing up force bland food down, drink water and Powerade - recover asap!
Luckily, somewhat, I felt better the next day, but nowhere near 100% the thought of lifting on Monday made me want to die. However, I got my ass to the gym on Monday to start the Smolov Intense cycle. Did I want to lift? Not really, I still wasn't eating properly, and hadn't for 2 days previous. Did I lift? YES. I smashed out every set. It was hard but I got through it, over such a short time I immediately noticed the loss of mass on my legs and also the loss in strength, particularly during the warm up. Previously I was more than comfortable with my 1RM weight across my shoulders and more (see overloading post) but it hurt to have 80% of that.
You can never predict these things, and it will crop up on you at the most inconvenient of times. Just don't give up, do what it takes to recover, eat, drink, sleep then get back in the gym ASAP.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Smolov Switching Complete!
Focusing purely on speed and power in 6 workouts over 2 weeks. This period, if anything, was very enjoyable and added some variety into the program. Three sessions per week, mine went as follows:
MON:
-Squat to heavy singles and eventually a squat negative (Just the negative motion, lower down to -the pins and leave the bar there).
WED:
MON:
-Squat to heavy singles and eventually a squat negative (Just the negative motion, lower down to -the pins and leave the bar there).
-Jump squats, very light weight (20-30kg).
WED:
-Power Cleans, medium weight, very tiring, lots of fun!
-Power Snatches, light weight.
-Power Snatches, light weight.
-Push Press, heavy weight, work from triples to singles.
-Farmers walk, increasing weight, quick as possible for 30m.
FRI:
-Box squats, heavy doubles, pause on box to release lower body tension completely, before positive motion.
-Vertical bodyweight Jumps.
-Horizontal Bodyweight Jumps.
(Although, you do look a bit special jumping all over the gym, be prepared to receive odd looks)
Power, speed and more power.. and some more speed! This is aimed to prepare you for the intense mesocycle. You can sculpt your own workouts here as there are no strict guidelines, just remember to focus on power and speed!
-Horizontal Bodyweight Jumps.
(Although, you do look a bit special jumping all over the gym, be prepared to receive odd looks)
Power, speed and more power.. and some more speed! This is aimed to prepare you for the intense mesocycle. You can sculpt your own workouts here as there are no strict guidelines, just remember to focus on power and speed!
Monday, 13 February 2012
Overloading
What is overloading and why do it?
You add more weight than you intend to lift just before you start a set. For example, should I wish to squat 140kg, I would overload with 20kg more. Unrack the overloaded bar and pause for around 10 seconds, quickly re-rack the bar unload the extra weight and squat the intended weight.
Overloading is an overlooked technique for getting your body physically and mentally prepared for lifting a heavy weight. I find it particularly useful when finding a one rep max.
You add more weight than you intend to lift just before you start a set. For example, should I wish to squat 140kg, I would overload with 20kg more. Unrack the overloaded bar and pause for around 10 seconds, quickly re-rack the bar unload the extra weight and squat the intended weight.
Overloading is an overlooked technique for getting your body physically and mentally prepared for lifting a heavy weight. I find it particularly useful when finding a one rep max.
Smolov Base Cycle Results
The 1 Rep Max day came and went and Holy F*ck was it a shock. To sum it up, I have managed to put 30kg on my initial 1 rep max in just the 4 weeks of the base cycle!
My whole body felt a lot stronger, lifting weights way heavier than expected. The Smolov routine promised that I would add 10-20kg during the base cycle, but never 30kg! The best thing is, I felt like I could have achieved 5-10kg more but I wanted to play it safe and look after my back. My joints felt great to; during my squat rest period, I took in a lot of supplements and fish high in omega 3 (should you still feel pain at this point it may be glucosamine is the supplement to look out for).
Even if you don't want to endure the full 13 weeks, and your squat is lagging behind your other lifts, I recommend attempting the base cycle and see what you could achieve from just 4 weeks!
My whole body felt a lot stronger, lifting weights way heavier than expected. The Smolov routine promised that I would add 10-20kg during the base cycle, but never 30kg! The best thing is, I felt like I could have achieved 5-10kg more but I wanted to play it safe and look after my back. My joints felt great to; during my squat rest period, I took in a lot of supplements and fish high in omega 3 (should you still feel pain at this point it may be glucosamine is the supplement to look out for).
Even if you don't want to endure the full 13 weeks, and your squat is lagging behind your other lifts, I recommend attempting the base cycle and see what you could achieve from just 4 weeks!
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
How to train for a 1-rep max [1RM]
Whatever reason you lift for, finding your 1RM for a compound lift is essential in knowing your ultimate strength, what you can push at a point in time, your personal record. It is also useful if you follow a percentage based program (Pretty much all programs) as the percentages are almost always based off your 1RM.
Its hard to find a good article that explains how to train for a 1RM. Okay, it will depend on the exercise, the attributes of the primary muscles used, but it is still not clear for many people. Usually a workout will be longer for training bigger muscles such as the legs, with the squat, than with a bench press, for example.
I am technically still in the base cycle for the for the Smolov squat routine, and will be training for my new 1RM very soon. My way of approaching this will be with a couple of warm up sets, triples, doubles and eventually heavy singles, incrementing the weight each time. Never, go straight into a heavy single lift. For instance, for this routine, you should expect to add 10kg-20kg on your previous 1RM, an example of working toward this would be:
Set 1: 12 reps @ 80kg
Set 2: 8 reps @ 100kg
Set 3: 3 reps @ 120kg
Set 4: 3 reps @ 120kg
Set 5: 2 reps @ 130kg
Set 6: 2 reps @ 130kg
Set 7: 1 rep @ 135kg
Set 8: 1 rep @ 140kg
Set 9: 1 rep @ 145kg
Set 10: 1 rep @ 150kg
Set 11: 1 rep @155kg
Set 12: 1 rep @160kg
It could be any number of heavy single sets, depending on how much you feel you can lift. Keep adding 5kg each set until you fail a lift. Make sure to have a spotter, for this session for when you do fail, which you will if you push yourself. Never give in, a failed lift really eats into confidence, just get back in there and try, try, try again, only by going too far can one see how far one can go!
Its hard to find a good article that explains how to train for a 1RM. Okay, it will depend on the exercise, the attributes of the primary muscles used, but it is still not clear for many people. Usually a workout will be longer for training bigger muscles such as the legs, with the squat, than with a bench press, for example.
I am technically still in the base cycle for the for the Smolov squat routine, and will be training for my new 1RM very soon. My way of approaching this will be with a couple of warm up sets, triples, doubles and eventually heavy singles, incrementing the weight each time. Never, go straight into a heavy single lift. For instance, for this routine, you should expect to add 10kg-20kg on your previous 1RM, an example of working toward this would be:
Set 1: 12 reps @ 80kg
Set 2: 8 reps @ 100kg
Set 3: 3 reps @ 120kg
Set 4: 3 reps @ 120kg
Set 5: 2 reps @ 130kg
Set 6: 2 reps @ 130kg
Set 7: 1 rep @ 135kg
Set 8: 1 rep @ 140kg
Set 9: 1 rep @ 145kg
Set 10: 1 rep @ 150kg
Set 11: 1 rep @155kg
Set 12: 1 rep @160kg
It could be any number of heavy single sets, depending on how much you feel you can lift. Keep adding 5kg each set until you fail a lift. Make sure to have a spotter, for this session for when you do fail, which you will if you push yourself. Never give in, a failed lift really eats into confidence, just get back in there and try, try, try again, only by going too far can one see how far one can go!
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Wanna Bench Like A Boss? Russia Calls... Again.
As I now have a light 3 week period during my Smolov squat routine, due to the switching cycle, I have decided to sample another of his routines named Smolov Jr..
Smolov Jr. is an intense 3 week routine commonly used to improve one's bench. It can be used for other compound movements, some have used it for deadlifts but I would advise against this as the sheer volume would put a lot of stress on the central nervous system (CNS) as the back takes a longer time to heal.
I love chest workouts, there's nothing like the aching feeling in your chest the day after. So this should be a lot of fun with the bench. I personally prefer the dumbbell bench press, as it uses more muscles to stabilise your entire body (well, that and it gives a thicker look to your chest over a wide!). However, I will be using the bar for this routine as my DB bench press is way better than my barbell, which shouldn't necessarily be the case!
The routine involves benching 4 times a week similar to the base cycle of the Smolov squat routine: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Each session sees a percentage increase in weight from an initial 1RM. The sets are as follows:
Mon: 6x6
Wed: 7x5
Fri: 8x4
Sat: 10x3
This type of program has been criticised before. The chest muscles are smaller than the legs and so do not react so well to the volume of the program. They are not given enough time to recuperate. On the other hand, many people before have tried and succeeded, adding up to 20kg to their bench press in 3 weeks!
Smolov Jr. is an intense 3 week routine commonly used to improve one's bench. It can be used for other compound movements, some have used it for deadlifts but I would advise against this as the sheer volume would put a lot of stress on the central nervous system (CNS) as the back takes a longer time to heal.
I love chest workouts, there's nothing like the aching feeling in your chest the day after. So this should be a lot of fun with the bench. I personally prefer the dumbbell bench press, as it uses more muscles to stabilise your entire body (well, that and it gives a thicker look to your chest over a wide!). However, I will be using the bar for this routine as my DB bench press is way better than my barbell, which shouldn't necessarily be the case!
The routine involves benching 4 times a week similar to the base cycle of the Smolov squat routine: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Each session sees a percentage increase in weight from an initial 1RM. The sets are as follows:
Mon: 6x6
Wed: 7x5
Fri: 8x4
Sat: 10x3
This type of program has been criticised before. The chest muscles are smaller than the legs and so do not react so well to the volume of the program. They are not given enough time to recuperate. On the other hand, many people before have tried and succeeded, adding up to 20kg to their bench press in 3 weeks!
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Smolov Progress III
The bulk of the base cycle is complete. Only one more session for next week which involves working up to the new one rep max. My joints will thank me for the rest to come!
Most would think you'd get used to the volume by week 3, but for me, it has been the greatest challenge with every session taking everything I had. On two occasions I tried to finish with pull-ups or dips but with nothing left in the tank, just couldn't manage a single set.
Even if my 1RM hasn't increased, I can at least prove my strength gains, in that today's session needed 10 sets of 3 reps at the entered 1RM for the start of the cycle (without a struggle).
But at this point I would like to pinpoint a flaw in this routine. It is taxing on the joints, in particular the knees. I've spent countless sessions working on my technique for the back squat using others opinions and my bodies reactions and never before have my knees hurt after squatting.
Most would think you'd get used to the volume by week 3, but for me, it has been the greatest challenge with every session taking everything I had. On two occasions I tried to finish with pull-ups or dips but with nothing left in the tank, just couldn't manage a single set.
Even if my 1RM hasn't increased, I can at least prove my strength gains, in that today's session needed 10 sets of 3 reps at the entered 1RM for the start of the cycle (without a struggle).
But at this point I would like to pinpoint a flaw in this routine. It is taxing on the joints, in particular the knees. I've spent countless sessions working on my technique for the back squat using others opinions and my bodies reactions and never before have my knees hurt after squatting.
It seems to me my muscles are used to the volume and heal fine, but my joints don't, and this has become noticeable this week. The problem I have with the staggered volume is that everything doesn't heal at the same pace, so some sessions you could be pushing with strong muscles over weak joints, which, with heavy weight, could lead to injury.
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