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The original was posted on /r/weightroom by /u/evilgummu on 2024-03-22 17:00:01.

Stats: Female, 56kg (121-123 lbs)

Squat at start of program - 160lbs

Squat at end of program - 190lbs

Back in December I competed in my first official PL meet (USPA) in the 56kg class (female)

I did pretty good! But my weakest lift was squat. Due to a few issues (ACL replacement on left leg a few years back, minor TFL injury 3 weeks before comp) my numbers were kinda pathetic.

I left that comp wanting to fix things. I did CBB 8 weeks and while it made my bench great, it didn’t help my squat much. I was managing an unreliable and poor-form 160 lb. squat.

So 44 days ago I started Smolov. I did Phase in, Base cycle, skipped Switching phase (it was hard to program and didn’t appeal to me…) did Intense, and then Taper.

That’s 37 days of squatting, with 7 days of rest mixed in.

The program has two 1 rep max test days. At the end of the Base Cycle I managed a strong 185 and was stunned. I’d been squatting almost every day (I’m not the best example of taking rest, sorry not sorry) and eating a ton, plus sleeping well, but was still shocked to go from 160 to 185.

However, the Intense cycle murdered me. I probably should have lowered the weight on a few of the days, but my ego is big. Plus I’d have days where I couldn’t get the reps (165x5 for example) and then the very next day I’d do them all (a struggle, but they’d get done)

My final test day (this morning) only moved me from 185 to 190, and the 190 wasn’t full depth (needed another inch) I did two singles of that weight, but failed 195. My goal was 200 but that was a lofty hope within just 44 days. Mix in some poor sleep and long work hours this week, well, it is what it is.

But I’m still shocked to add 30 lbs to my squat in such a short time frame. I believe that if I added a repeat of the intense cycle, or even a new base cycle with higher numbers, I’d get a clean, reliable 190 rep in another 2-3 weeks, maybe more weight even, but I’m ready to move onto focusing on deadlifts next.

For the record, I maintained my bench numbers I’d gained through CBB (from 105 to 120lbs) by still benching and doing upper body on most of my squat days. Smolov suggests NO extra work/accessory lifts on the program, but I recovered fine. Again, I don’t think everyone should try to do so much, but I’ve historically done well with this level of work.

Would I recommend Smolov for squats? Heck yeah, it definitely works. Do you have to cram it all in like me? Nah. The goal is to avoid injury, use your common sense. Only you know what your limits are. I didn’t get hurt at all. I also don’t really stretch or do warmups, either. Don’t be like me, kids.

Will Smolov work for deadlifts? I guess I’ll find out next. I also plan to keep heavy triples in on some days to avoid my squat regressing. Fingers crossed!