Next we will be talking about mobility and you (or really more about how you suck at it and what you should do about it).
Finally we will be finishing up with a decent program that you should be doing in preparation for your next competition (ahem..., Colorado Open sept 14th, and the Masters in October).
So on to the good stuff.
"I must Break You" or Smolov Jr. for Squats program Review):
The Russians are known for being generally hard people. Their weightlifters are no exception. There is a program called Smolov and Smolov Jr. that is known for increasing base strength (squat bench deadlift). It works by doing what is officially known as a "shit ton" of whatever movement you are trying to improve. I will break it down for you:
Week 1:
Day 1: 6x6 @ 70%, Day 2: 7x5 @ 75%, Day 3: 8x4 @ 80%, day 4: 10x3@ 85%
Week 2: same as week 1 but increase weight 5 to 10 lbs each day.
Week 3: add 5-10 more lbs from week 2.
Week 4: rest
Note, this is Smolov Jr. I wouldn't want to try the big boy version.
So for those of you who like math, lets plug my numbers into the formula above and each week I squatted over 130 reps over 300#. That means each week I squatted over 50,000 lbs. That is a lot of squats.
So did it work?
Yes. My 1rm went form 425 to 440. Anytime you can add 15lbs to a 1rm in 4 weeks you are doing something right. The downside however is squatting under heavy load 130 times per week breaks you down in a big way. I have never had such anxiety about squat day before. When I realized the cycle was over I felt like a stress had been lifted from my life. It was a hard program. It will be a long time before I attempt something like this again. My Olympic lifting still has not recovered from the cycle. I will be taking another week off this week to attempt to let my body recuperate a little more. Hopefully the stronger "base" will translate into bigger snatch and clean and jerks.
Would I recommend this program? It all depends on who you are. I would say it is definitely for an advanced lifter. It is a lot of volume and you definitely want the ligaments and tendons well conditioned for high volumes of squats. It is also a little too specialized for my liking. For a power lifter trying to peak for a meet, it is a perfect program to boost the numbers. For the average competitive exerciser? I would say it takes up too many of your precious calories and time. If you have questions about it or want to know more about squat (or any) cycles let me know and I am happy to talk.
You suck at squats Part Deaux:
Okay. I have touched on this subject before, but it is always good to have a reminder. You suck at mobility. Unless you look like Ilya when squatting, you need to spend some time on mobilitywod.com.
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| Hint: you don't. |
Becoming more flexible is a little painful, but it takes up almost no time during your day, it can be done on rest days, and it requires almost no equipment. I am going to post a video about a guy who has decided to make mobility a priority. He has a 14 part series on youtube called "Broken Leopard". He goes through everything he is doing to become more supple. You should too. Mobility isn't something that is going to be fixed over night. Or even in a week. For some maybe even a year, but please make this a priority. Your longevity in picking things up and putting them down ( and life in general) will depend on it.
I will say this about mobility. It is painful. If it feels good, then you are doing it wrong. If it only kind of hurts, then you are probably doing it wrong. You are forcing your body to bend and stretch in ways that it has been trying to not do for the last 20+ years. You have a lot of work cut out for you. Go to a yoga workout (they are called YWOD on the mind body site for you CFJ'ers). You will learn exactly how inflexible you really are. Protect your back and your knees and learn how to move your body properly. I am not asking, I am telling. If you ignore mobility and hurt yourself, it is not crossfits fault, it is not weightlifting's fault, it is not your coaches or the program's fault. It is your fault.
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| This is how you should be reading my blog. |
Finally for the competitor in you:
Some of us are trying to be the best at exercise:
But not Kenny Powers
I have been to a few CrossFit Exercise competitions and the one thing that I have noticed is that the strong people win. Every single time. I am not saying that strength is the only thing you need, but it is the most important. Here is how your program should break down:
Strength > Cardio > skills > med ball cleans
Strength is the basis for everything. So with that in mind I am gonna lay out a strength biased program for the nest few months to keep in mind any upcoming competitions you might have. This takes into account that you need a good engine (cardio) in these competitions too, so it doesn't ignore that.
Key:
AxB = A sets of B
WOD = Wod posted daily at your gym
RDL= Romanian Deadlift
AHAP = As heavy as possible
Month 1:
Day 1: Squats 3x8 ahap / WOD
Day 2: WOD
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Squats 3x8 ahap / WOD
Day 5: WOD
Day 6 : Rest or Front Squats 3x3 and RDL 3x5 AHAP
Day 7: rest
Repeat this cycle the whole month
Month 2:
Day 1: Squats 3x5 ahap (heavier than 3x8s) / WOD
Day 2: WOD
Day 3: rest
Day 4: Squat 3x5 ahap/ WOD
Day 5: Wod
Day 6: rest or Dead lift (regular) 3x3 and Front Squat 3x3 ahap
Day 7 rest
Repeat for whole month
Same pattern ffor month 3 (if there is one),just replace 3x5 with 3x3.
Two weeks before competition taper off squatting to about 65% of what you were doing the 3x3 sets at.
1 week out don't do any heavy squatting.
That is about it. That will increase your general strength faster than you would realize. Make sure to really increase the protein calories (this is not the time to try and lose weight). Also mobility before and after the workouts is extremely important. Adding a lot of volume to your program puts you at increased risk of injury. If you are feeling crappy, sore joints, high resting heart rate, etc, take a few days off. No sense in getting an over training injury and not being able to compete.
Next time I will talk about what to do come game day. Want a little sneak preview? (spoiler alert)
Have fun
