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  #51  
Old 04-13-2008, 03:16 PM
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marv marv is offline
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Cool JeffO. Good luck with the new program and getting those cannons over 17".
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  #52  
Old 04-14-2008, 01:57 AM
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Smolov? Ohhh you are a braver man than I Jeff! Good luck bro, but you wont need it!! Time to get swole!!

How much do you need to gain on the pipes before you hit 17s again?, If I recall you spent a fair bit of time dieting right?

That skopec site is awesome too, heaps of great info and heaps of good vids too.

Cheers mate keep us updated.
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  #53  
Old 04-16-2008, 08:19 AM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
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Thanks guys.

GunZ are about a half inch off 17". That shouldn't be too hard to re-gain. If I can make it back up to my all time high of 171/2 in six weeks, then that will be something decent.

This cycle is all about getting closer to a 2 x bdw Squat and a 1.5 x bdw Bench though. I'd rather try to hit those at 90KG, so I don't want to go too much higher than 95KG on this. One eighty is within view on the Squat, but 135 is not even in binoculars on the Bench. Five KG can be taken off relatively easily, especially when rinsing after a high cal/carb period, so I'll try not to go over 95KG. Them GunZ are just for shits and bodyweight gains will limit how far they go.

Sessions have been hilarious so far.

Bench
pump up them triceps

Squat
bomb them biceps

Deadlift
fight almost uncontainable desire to do cable curls (save it for bicep bomb day)

I love fluff!

It's actually embarrassingly embarrassing blastin' them GunZ. After Squats, I did some high rep pulldowns then moved on to ARMaggedon. Over to the EZ bar culs and couldn't pull off 3x12 with 15KG on the bar lol!! On to DB curls and it was the 10s for about 13 reps on my first set. I felt like a little child...but what a pump!!!

I feel like a newb all over again

Cheers,
Jeff
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  #54  
Old 04-16-2008, 08:31 AM
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Good luck Jeffo
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  #55  
Old 05-24-2008, 08:55 AM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
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Hey gents,

The Smolov cycle is finally over. It was a tough and grueling six weeks. Now that it’s behind me, I can say that completing this has given me a nice sense of accomplishment.

As you know, I did Pavel’s “tame” Smolov on the Bench Press and Squat, and added a few other things around them. You can find out about the Smolov anywhere on the net. Pavel’s version is simply the 3 week base meso stretched over 6 weeks. I also did the loading part of a Russian peaking cycle on the Deadlift. Here’s how I organized it:

MON & THURS
Bench
Shoulders and Triceps

TUES & FRI
Squat
Back and Biceps

WED
Deadlift
Core


Here’s a rundown of how each day looked.

BENCH DAY

Bench Press (Smolov)
Incline DB Press
Press
Lying Tricep Extension
Pushdown

I started with the Bench work. I originally wanted to do the JR set/rep scheme, but I just went ahead and tried the SR. I didn’t have any trouble with it in the first week, so I stuck with it. The assistance lifts I listed were the norm, though I dropped things if I felt tired. As the weeks went on, more and more stuff got dropped. I started to have trouble making all the reps in week 4. I needed a spot on the last two sets of the 7x5 and 10x3. Week 5 was fine, but in week 6 I started missing reps all over the place. I had to drop the weight on both days to get all the reps in. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t be as ambitious with all the assistance stuff. That said, all the assistance stuff kept going up until the very end.

SQUAT DAY

Squat (Smolov)
Pulldown
Cable Row
EZ Bar Curl
DB Curl

Very hard, but I never missed a rep. There were several occasions I thought there was no way I was going to finish the work, but I made it. The assistance stuff moved along to the very end as well. Again, the assistance stuff I listed was the norm and things got dropped if I felt tired. This was the better day of the two.

Also, about a year ago it was my goal to squat 300 LBS for 5 reps. At the end of the cycle I ended up doing 325 for 7 sets of 5, so although it's late, mission accomplished.

DEADLIFT DAY

Deadlift (Load cycle)
Back Extensions
Ab Exercises

This day went off without a hitch. The first week I was able to complete with a regular grip, but as the weeks went on I had to change to an alternate grip earlier and earlier into the workout. The last two weeks I did exclusively with an alternate grip. Never felt like I was going to miss a rep. Good times.


Here’s a few random thoughts about the Smolov portion:

1) After the first micro, I thought there was no way I’d be able to add 5KG to the Bench and a whopping 10KG to the Squat in the second. Sure enough, the next micro didn’t feel any more difficult than the first. The third and last micro, which added 2.5KG to the Bench and 5KG to the Squat, proved to be noticeably harder. Well calculated Mr. Smolov.

2) The 4x9 and 5x7 days felt like a mental and physical break. The 7x5 and 10x3 were grueling torture. The last 10x3 Squat work took, including warm-ups, 80 minutes. It’s inhuman, but puts hair on your chest.

3) I timed my rest periods. First micro: 2-3 minutes; Second micro: 3-4 minutes; Third micro: 5-6 minutes.


Here’s a few random thoughts about the assistance portion:

1) I was too ambitious on Bench day. It was just too much for my shoulder griddle to handle for the full six weeks. The last week proved that. If I had to do it again, I’d tone it down considerably.

2) Putting back exercises on Squat day was fine. I had no problems doing Deadlifts the day after either. Good times.

3) I started with three higher rep sets in week one, and progressed down to five lower rep sets in week 6. I took a lot of sets to failure or at least one rep shy.

4) I timed my rest times to 1-2 minutes, depending on the day. I did this to keep things moving and to keep the workout times relatively reasonable.

5) It was a fun throw-back to do all these BBing exericses. Armageddon was legendary. Great pumps


By the time week 5 rolled around I started to see some minor signs of overtraining. Besides the fact that I started to miss reps on the Bench, my shoulders started to ache slightly and my sleep patters weren’t optimal. By the middle of week six these signs were even more so. I started to dread the sessions, my knees also started to ache a little bit, sleep was getting worse and my appetite started to wane. Worst of all my resting heart rate has increased somewhat. These things are all minor and will be back to normal soon enough.

I also ate like I meant it the whole way through. I wanted to gain about 10 LBS but I gained 17 LBS instead, putting me at 218. I was more concerned with supporting the training and satisfying my constant hunger pangs. I did have a certain amount of food that I wanted to get down every day, and some days were easier than others, but if I was still hungry I just ate more. Realistically speaking, I probably ate somewhere between 3800 and 4500 per day during the week, and less on the weekends. The 17 LBS is all over me. I’m bigger everywhere, including my waistline. My arms are about an inch bigger, just shy of my PR of 17 ½, and my legs and chest are at least an inch bigger than they’ve ever been before. To be honest, it’s not all that comfortable with legs this size. My jeans aren’t nearly as comfortable around the thighs as they used to be. The were expensive too.


I’m going to taper over the next 4 weeks and test around the 20th or 21st of June. I’ll figure something out over the next few days. It’ll be similar to how I tapered after the Sheiko program, but I’ll include a few more heavy attempts along the way this time. I’m also going to lose some weight as well; try to get down to about 205-210. I eventually want to get back to 198 (90KG) as that’s the “weight class” I feel most comfortable in, but that’s too ambitious for myself in this time frame.

I’ll update if something significant happens.

Thanks for reading,
Jeff
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  #56  
Old 05-24-2008, 03:56 PM
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HIThopper HIThopper is offline
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Damn Jeff
Those workouts are brutal to read about let alone do!! 325 for 7 sets of 5 is no joke bro, you'll probably max damn near 405 for sure, any thoughts on what you think your max bench and deadlift will look like?

Quote:
5) It was a fun throw-back to do all these BBing exericses. Armageddon was legendary. Great pumps
Back to the old Musclenow days huh Jeff!!

Anyways mate cant wait for some maxs to show up, any chance of some Vids???
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  #57  
Old 05-25-2008, 05:50 AM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
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Yup, a six week pump bonanza was sweet. I used a few ideas from MuscleNow, but obviously didn't make it a big concern. It's a great hypetrophy program for sure and I'm glad I picked it up when I did. It gets the job done in that department.

Hops, those workouts are rough. I don't know how it compares with just doing the original three week Squat base meso, but the way I set it up, doing the Bench and other stuff as well over 6 weeks, was just plain rough.

The 7x5 and 10x3 Squat sesssions were literally "scary." The first 10x3 at 140KG was scary enough, and then I thought there was no way I'd get through 150KG two weeks later. When I barely scrapped through that, I was convinced there was no way I should even think about dreaming about considering wondering if I'd make it through 155KG. That was the hardest workout I'd ever done; 80 minutes of heavy Squats, but I made it. I've noticed some guys pause between reps on heavy sets. I normally just bang the reps out, but the last 5 sets I also had to pause between reps two and three. On the last set, I was convinced I'd get stuck at the bottom, but grinded it out. It actually felt pretty good.

Though you don't need it to gain, if you've ever thought about trying it but are hesitant because of what it looks like on paper, just don't think about it and give it a go. You'll surprise youself.


I don't know what to expect when I test in a few weeks. I'd like to squat 175, bench 125, and deadlift 200. That would be 30KG on my current best total, which I'd be more than happy with. I got pinned under 120 and 200 barely broke the floor back in April. Actually, given how crappy a bencher I am, I'd be happy with any kind of PR whatsoever there.

I can't imagine I'll bother trying to set up a video. I don't really know how to do it, and I'm not that interested in finding out to be honest. If I'm ever lucky enough to compete one day, that'll probably be the first video.

Thanks for stopping by mate,
Jeff
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  #58  
Old 06-21-2008, 05:13 AM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
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Hey Guys,

Today was max day, finally. I finished up my deload on Tuesday then had to wait all week to get in there. I was rip roarin' ready to go

Here are the results

SQUAT 175 KG
BENCH 115 KG
DEADLIFT 205 KG

TOTAL = 495 KG

Mixed results I guess. Kind of expected. Here's how the day went.


Got in there at about 11:15 and warmed up for the squat. Things felt good and I knew I'd hit something decent. Here's how the progression went:

SQUAT

70 x 2x5
100 x 3
120 x 2
130 x 1
140 x 1
155 x 1
170 x 1 (PR)
175 x 1 (PR)
180 miss

One seventy felt good and I knew I had a bit more in me. One seventy five felt like a big jump, but I thought I'd give 180 a try. One eighty has been my goal for a while so I thought I was close enough to try it. Well, it burried me and I had to set it down on the pins. Got stuck at the bottom right after the stretch reflex. Actually, that's the first time I've ever failed and had to set it down, so that was a good experience as well. All in all, I wanted 175 KG and I got it, so I'm pretty happy with the 10KG PR.

On to my favorite lift...

BENCH

50 x 2x5
70 x 3
80 x 2
90 x 1
100 x 1
115 x 1
120 miss

Bleh. Warming up I felt strong and hitting my PR of 115 felt alright. I noticed I didn't drive my legs as well on 115, so I made a mental note. I thought I had a really good chance of making 120. I felt tight and strong on the decent, but then I got completely pinned a few inches off my chest and was pretty pissed with myself. Again, zero improvement here. In fact, since I'm 6 KG heavier than I was before, I've actually gotten worse on the bench. Something will have to be done here. I hate this lift; the bench is my nemesis.

On to my stronger lift:

DEADLIFT

70 x 2x5
100 x 3
120 x 1
140 x 1
160 x 1
180 x 1
200 x 1 (PR)
205 x 1 (PR)
210 miss

Pretty happy here. Two hundred felt slow obviously, but very good. I thought I had another 5KG in me and sure enough I ground it out. Was very slow but solid. I'd wanted 200 and I'd just beat it, so I thought I'd go for broke and try 210. The three reds and a blue looked pretty cool on the bar, but it didn't look very cool when it barely broke the floor LOL! It was a good 15 KG PR, so happy with that.

So, ended with a 495 KG total, which is a lousy 5 KG off 500. Next time.


So, the 6 week arse busting phase was tough as hell. The 4 week deload was nice and much needed. I'd definately use this set up again in the future on the SQ and DL, but it didn't do well for the BP. Perhaps the extra shoulder and tricep work I did was just too much for the pressing muscles to deal with. If I do decide to use this set up on the bench again, I'll leave out the other press work.

For now, I'm going to have to think of another strategy for the bench press. Squats and DLs are moving along fine the way it is, but if things continue like this I'll soon be DLing 2x my BP I think a 115 KG bench is too weak to be stuck for long periods of time, especially while the other two lifts truck along. Perhaps I need to use something more simple. The Texas Method didn't do much for it and I ended up spinning my wheels while my Squat continued to improve. Now, my SQ and DL are continuing to improve nicely with more advanced programming, while my BP is being left in the dust. The Sheiko program worked well, which was far less intense than the Smolov, so perhaps I'll look into more of that in the fall. I'll have to think about it.

So, for now I have 4 weeks before a nice 3 week vacation in Spain with the missus. We're really stoked about it. I've been before, but never to Mallorca and the nature reserves in the north. Should be great. Until then, I'm going to continue to shed some weight. I'm 96KG now and I'd like to get to around 90 before I leave. I'm going to do some kind of 4 week cycle and build up a little bit of fatigue to make the 3 weeks worth it. I'm leaning towards a Sheiko beginner program with a few modifications and less pressing work. I'll let ya'll know.

Thanks for reading,
Jeff
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  #59  
Old 06-21-2008, 05:29 AM
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HIThopper HIThopper is offline
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SICK PRs Jeff Congrats mate Your squats and deadlifts are insane.


Quote:
I thought I had a really good chance of making 120. I felt tight and strong on the decent, but then I got completely pinned a few inches off my chest and was pretty pissed with myself
Did you do any explosive speed work?? Maybe try that and see how it goes.

Quote:
I hate this lift; the bench is my nemesis.
You sound like Wolf!!

Seriously maybe thats half the problem, try a bit of positive reinforcment, learn to love the lift!!

Anywho holiday sounds great, enjoy yourself mate and best of luck shedding that last few kg.Ill be interested to see your next setup too.

All the best mate.
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  #60  
Old 06-22-2008, 04:52 AM
Jeffo Jeffo is offline
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Hey Hops,

Yup, Wolf is the only guys who's figured out how crappy a lift the BP actually is. The rest of you just aren't up to speed yet

Nah, it's a love-hate relationship. I enjoy the lift, I just don't do well at it. One day I'll figure it out and put up some decent numbers.

I didn't do any speed type work before maxing. I did some depth jumps with a barbell and that seems to help me max on the SQ and DL. My speed really improves over a 3 week period. Perhaps a few weeks of speed work on the bench before maxing would be a good idea for next time.

Thanks for the kind words mate. Four hundred SQ and five hundred DL are getting closer.

Cheers,
Jeff
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