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In 2001, Power Lifting USA published How to Add up to 100 Pounds to your Squat in 13 Weeks. Author of the article was Russian coach Pavel Tsatsouline. Method described in his article: Smolov.

Smolov is a Russian strength training routine designed by Master of Sports S.Y. Smolov. Smolov is guaranteed to increase your Squat. Increases of up to 100lbs in 13 weeks are possible. Here’s the full routine.

Is Smolov for You? Do Smolov if your Squat is weak compared to your other lifts or if you want a quick way to increase your Squat. Prerequisites:

• 1.5x BW Squat. If you can’t Squat 1.5x your body-weight for 1 rep, you aren’t ready for Smolov. Increase your Squat using StrongLifts 5×5 first.
• Good Technique. You must be able to Squat 1.5x your body-weight with proper technique. If you can’t: StrongLifts 5×5 first.
• Injury Free. Smolov lasts 13 weeks. You don’t want to quit during the cycle because of injuries. If you got any, fix them before doing Smolov.
• Attitude. “A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits”. Getting through the 13 weeks is tough, both physically & mentally.

How Smolov Works. The Smolov routine takes 13 weeks. Sets & reps vary each workout. Work weight is a percentage of your one repetition max (1RM). Smolov consists of 4 cycles:

• Introductory Microcycle. 2 week Squat cycle to prepare you for what’s to come. You’ll lift weights up to 90% of your 1RM.
• Base Mesocyle. 4 Squat sessions/week. 125 Squat reps/week. 3 weeks in a row. In the 4th week you’ll test your 1RM after deloading.
• Switching. 2 weeks of power & speed exercises instead of Squats. This gives you a physical & mental break, and prepares you for the last cycle.
• Intense Mesocyle. 3 Squat sessions/week at higher intensities during 4 weeks. In the 5th week you deload & test your 1RM.

Gains depend on your body-weight & experience. Heavier trainees can increase their Squat by 100lbs. Lighter might only get a 50lbs Squat increase. A 2.5xBW Squatter will also gain less than a 1.5xBW Squatter.

Download Smolov Program. Download the Smolov excel file before reading the rest of the article. File is 9kb & take less than 1min to download. Unzip the file using WinRAR & view it using Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.

• Click here to download Smolov Excel file (right click – save as)

Start by choosing pounds or kilograms. Enter your 1RM & starting date in the Introductory Microcycle tab. If you don’t know your 1RM, test it beforehand or use this 1RM calculator.

Succeeding at Smolov. “If they can do it, I can do it”. When it gets tough, always remember that others have done this before you. More tips:

• Plan. Free 13 weeks to do Smolov. If you’re busy with work, studies, family, holidays, … this is not the best timing. Prepare yourself.
• Eat. The high Squat volume will get you hungry. Eat your calories. Your body fat will decrease because of all the Squatting.
• Sleep. Lack of sleep kills motivation. Avoid making the workouts harder because of lack of sleep. Try napping before working out.
• Prehab. Spinal decompressions for your lower back. Perform glute activation & hip flexibility exercises to avoid injuries.
• Training Partner. Helps a lot if you can find someone to motivate you during workouts. Tell them to yell at you.

Other Exercises. The high Squat volume will work your abs, legs & lower back hard. Don’t do any Deadlifts, Power Cleans, Barbell Rows or Overhead Presses. Stick with the Bench Press, Seated Press, Pull-ups, Chin-ups & Dips.

Don’t worry about strength loss. The Squats will maintain – or even increase – your Deadlift strength. You can still Bench Press, and the Seated Press works as alternative for the Overhead Press.

Examples. Victor, Forum member, finished Smolov twice. I did Smolov for Front Squats. We’ll both share our experiences on Smolov in upcoming posts. Click here to subscribe & automatically receive updates.