Q: “I’d like to do one or more Smolov Jr cycles to boost my bench press, with help from testosterone propionate injections. I have gotten to 275 lb 1RM at a bodyweight of 200, moderately lean. I want to reach 315. What do you think of this program, how would I do it, and how would I work anabolic steroid cycles into it? Also, if I later do a 13-week Smolov squat cycle, how would I time anabolic steroid use with that?”
A: Smolov Jr is a great program not only for increasing strength, but in some cases for breaking through hypertrophy barriers. It is however extremely demanding physically. It doesn’t require anabolic steroid use to be successful, but anabolic steroid use can get really impressive results out of Smolov Jr cycles.
What you would do is train bench four times per week, for example on M/W/F/Sa. The first training day would be with 6 sets of 6 at 70% of your 1 RM. On the second training day, you’d do 7 sets of 5 at 75% 1RM, on the third training day 8 sets of 4 at 80% 1RM, and on the fourth training day 10 sets of 3 at 85% 1RM.
In your case the first week would be Monday 190/6×6, Wednesday 205/7×5, Friday 220/8×4, and Saturday 235/10×3.
In week 2, you’d do the same, but add 10 lb to each lift.
Classically, you’d do a third week as well, adding another 5 lb. If you’re only going to do one Smolov Jr cycle, then I would do the third week. But if you’re going to do several, then there’s a lot to be said for banking your second-week results and rather than do a third week, give yourself 2-4 weeks of less intensive work before advancing yet further with the next Smolov Jr cycle.
That advice is based not on characteristics of 2-week steroid cycles, but on practical training outcomes.
Whether you choose 2-week or 3-week durations for Smolov Jr, steroid use should be concurrent with the training cycles, and the “off” weeks concurrent with the non-Smolov weeks.
Don’t train the rest of the body overly hard while doing this, and don’t do any other chest exercises at all, or overhead press.
I would start followup cycles with the same weights used in the second week of the previous Smolov Jr cycle. Your 1RM should increase by 10 lb or better each cycle; you absolutely should handle the increases.
If you later do a 13-week Smolov squat cycle, I would start steroid use in week 3 and continue right through the end. You should be able to get through the first 2 weeks without pharmacological assistance. The remaining 11 weeks, you will be glad to have all the help you can get. Even in the deload weeks, anabolic steroids will be invaluable for recovery and for hypertrophy. I would also strongly consider GH during the last 11 weeks of Smolov.
About the author
Bill Roberts is an internationally-recognized expert on anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). He received a bachelor degree in Microbiology and Cell Science and completed the educational and research requirements for a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at a major American university.
Bill entered the nutritional supplement industry prior to completing his doctoral thesis but his education was invaluable so far as being able to design/improve nutritional supplement compounds, since it was in the field of designing drug molecules and secondarily some work in transdermal delivery.
His education was not specifically "geared" toward anabolic steroids other than expertise with pharmacological principles having broad applications. This has allowed Bill to provide unique insight into the field of anabolic pharmacology with knowledge of points which he would not have known otherwise.
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