This article is a review of the Smolov Squat program. First, we need to talk briefly about what makes a good program. Drawing from what the guys at Juggernaut have said before on program design, a program isn’t good or bad; it’s either appropriate or inappropriate. Any program is going to produce a result for an individual. If the result of the program is the goal you had going into it, then congratulations, the program is appropriate. Any program written out with some thought by someone who knows a little bit about strength training will probably work for most people to some degree.

Clearly, the goal of the Smolov Squat program is to increase your back squat. Let’s lay out a basic overview of the program and decide if it’s appropriate. The Smolov Squat program is 13 weeks long and separated into 4 phases.

  • Phase In - Weeks 1 and 2 are spent prepping for the following weeks.
  • Base Cycle - Weeks 3,4, and 5 accumulate a ton of volume by squatting 4 times a week.  You then re-test your your 1RM in week 6.
  • Switching Cycle - Weeks 7 and 8 are a bit of a deload utilizing squat negatives and olympic lifts.
  • Intense Mesocycle - Weeks 9, 10, 11 and 12 focus on intensity by squatting 3 days a week.  Week 13 is a retest and the last week of the program.

Most of the issues with the Smolov program stem from the same reason it can work for some people – it’s a lot of work. The program is very intense. Because of this, you shouldn’t do any other training outside of it. For most people on a strength training program, this fact would make Smolov inappropriate. The goal may be to increase your back squat, but often that is a small goal within the larger goal of becoming a better weightlifter, powerlifter, athlete, or CrossFitter. If you spend three months not practicing the specifics of your sport, your performance will suffer. As a weightlifter, the snatch and clean and jerk are so technical that three months off of them is like forever. As a CrossFitter, there are soooooooo many movements you’re expected to master. Taking a large chunk of the year to dedicate to just one movement is not a very bright idea. The other big issue is where to go after. Your body becomes accustomed to that much work in order to make progress, so any regular squat training is unlikely to produce results. According to the claims for expected squat increase, bigger guys can add 100lbs to their back squat in a single cycle of Smolov. So, if we start at 315lbs, in two years of running the program back-to-back, we’ll easily surpass Ray William’s world record squat. 

Situations where it can be appropriate

All programs can be appropriate given the right situation. There are a few situations where I would recommend using the Smolov Squat program. The first appropriate situation would be as part of a yearly cycle for someone who competes in weightlifting. It may be appropriate during a base-building phase before leading into more specific work for the snatch and clean and jerk. Here is an example where this makes sense – there is a weightlifter with a yearly plan that has three phases. Phase one is to increase strength, phase two is to increase speed and power, and phase three is to peak. This is overly simplified, but let’s say he uses Smolov during the strength phase and increases his squat from 405lbs to 455lbs. Now moving into the next phase, the amount of volume needed to maintain that squat while focusing on the Olympic lifts wouldn’t be possible. Let’s say his squat over the next phase drops to 425lbs, which is fine because it’s still higher than where he started and by not focusing on the squat as much during the other phases, he can focus more on what matters – the Olympic lifts. The next year this can be repeated, and his squat will increase from 425lbs to 475lbs. 

Another situation where Smolov can be appropriate is coming back from a long time off. In this situation, the goal is to shake the rust off quickly to get back to where you were. This can work because the number being used as your max is not your true max. The base of strength is still there, so the overall stress from the Smolov isn’t as high. An example of this would be someone with a 500lb squat moves, switches jobs, has a kid, or for any other reason takes a few months off from lifting but stays healthy/ injury-free. After that time off, everything feels heavy, and he estimates his squat to be 405lbs. Basing the percentages off of 405lbs will make the working sets manageable, and by the end of it, he will see his squat get back up to 475lbs. After this, I’d suggest getting back to normal training. If this is the situation you’re in, it would probably better to go with Smolov Jr. instead of the full 13 weeks.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend the Smolov Squat program, but I also wouldn’t tell anyone a definitive yes or no on something. If it’s something you really want to do, go for it. The overall goal is always enjoyment, and if that’s something you want to do, then do it. If performing better at your sport in the long run is your goal, there are more appropriate program designs for you.

 

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