Smolov Bench Program

The brutal squat program that almost guarantees a big pr.

Smolov bench program. A lesser known but still incredibly effective variant of the smolov squat program is affectionately known as the smolov jr. Smolov jr is a shorter version of the full smolov program lasting only 3 weeks. The bench is very taxing on your shoulders and the first step to minimizing these issues is learning solid technique the second is stretching and soft tissue work like i have detailed here.

Smolov jr is not for your squat. After this three week routine many lifters report a significant increase in their lifting capacity as much as 35 lbs for their dead lift and 25 lbs for their bench press. That said it is a peaking program and in my experience some regression occurs in the following months.

Smolov jr is a powerful three week fitness program based on the russian smolov routine but tailored to be less strenuous and more versatile. And my god is it good. Can the smolov program be adapted for the bench press.

If you survive the smolov squat routine and fancy bringing up your lagging bench you can return to the trenches for another 4 weeks of war with the iron. However due to the success of the routine it was revised as a 3 week course for bench press. Unlike the original program smolov jr is much shorter than the original routine and runs for just 3 weeks not 13.

It s not nearly as brutal as the original squat program but still enormously challenging. Unlike the full smolov program smolov jr can be run twice in a row if a week of rest is taken between cycles. Imo smolov jr is by far the best program for absolutely blasting through a bench plateau especially at lighter ish weights.

Strengthening squat and bench. It is a reduced version of smolov s routine adapted to support and improve your bench press. This is essentially an adaptation of the squat routine s base mesocycle and is known as smolov jr.