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Matts Log - Journey to 1000 total and a good physique.

I would not. Smolov is routinely used by dummies in commercial gyms that have no understanding of the context Smolov is intended for. It is a program nearly guaranteed to force a squat PR on peak day, provided you can complete it in the fashion it is intended, likely at the detriment of your deadlift or really progression in almost everything else. It is an all-out assault to bust a squat plateau come Hell or high water.

It is a program that is grueling, will absolutely demand more than your current Sheiko routine which you just stated is a bit much already, and has an alarmingly high rate of injury/dropout as well. And I've seen more than one go through it only to pick up 5-10 on squat and pull 20 less.

It is best reserved for much more advanced lifters than yourself, and that is not a diss. There are too many simpler, easier, faster, safer ways for someone of your qualification to improve. 5/3/1 w no deloads for 9 weeks comes to mind.

Let me put it like this: when someone is brand new to the gym, do you only let them add 5% every week to the bar while lowering reps the first few months?? No, you are often adding 5-10 POUNDS a week while even maybe adding reps for a while. But when you squat 600lbs, you don't have luxuries like that anymore and THAT is when things like Smolov come into the picture.

Training ADD is real, and nothing will cause you to spin your wheels harder. If something is working, stay with it. Like for months. Give a program a real chance and refuse to sacrifice tomorrow's progress for a different flavor of the day.

Great post! Yah as you know I am always looking to try new things and adjust them into my current routine. Funny you mentioned 5/3/1 as I'm giving it a more thorough read through to adapt it to my training. I'm learning more and more about how I succeed in my workouts and am getting some great experience as I go. Trying for PRs this week and I hit a solid 260LB PR on my bench tonight. Pretty pleased with that :)
 
Went and tried for a squat PR - hit 340 which is definitely a PR for me - most I had done before was 315 and I think I might have been able to squeeze out 345. All in all a great session!
 
Great stuff! So what're your thoughts on the DLN dmz so far? Started mine this evening (finally came today ha)
 
Great stuff! So what're your thoughts on the DLN dmz so far? Started mine this evening (finally came today ha)

I used IML super dmz 3.0. As far as the cycle goes it's been great. Coming to an end now. Just a few days of Trenavar left. I will post some pics soon but the cycle has gone really well - took a while to feel the effects honestly. Wasn't until about week 3 that I felt at a good level. Happy with the progress I've made so far. I've had a lingering sickness for about 6 weeks which has sucked. My stomach has been acting up and I've been getting frequent heartburn. Not sure if that is related at all.

I'll have to look over my log and see where my lifts were at to where they are now.
 
Heartburn isn't uncommon for some on orals. Nor is feeling crappy or GI issues unfortunately. No way of knowing honestly.
 
Heartburn isn't uncommon for some on orals. Nor is feeling crappy or GI issues unfortunately. No way of knowing honestly.

That does suck - definitely hit me hard this time. Have had it for a while now. I thought it was just due to lingering sickness
 
If you take the antacid, be sure to space it away from when you dose as it hinders the absorption. What I found worked best for me was a little bit of apple cider vinegar in water. Not the best taste but it got the job done.
 
ACV is good, I like adding it to salads for the taste too, so win/win
 
Acv also acts similar to a low amount of insulin it turns out, lowering blood sugar in a similar but less dramatic fashion. This is in human studies and it's like a 15% difference, pretty significant. Can't go wrong w a couple shots a day like Luke suggested.
 
If you take the antacid, be sure to space it away from when you dose as it hinders the absorption. What I found worked best for me was a little bit of apple cider vinegar in water. Not the best taste but it got the job done.

lol thats no good - I was popping quite a few gaviscon =P
 
Well here it is. The final progress picture before heading into PCT tomorrow.Invalid Link Removed

Obviously some fat gain there but I'm happy with where I've come in the past two months. I'm 35lbs or less away from 1000lbs and put on about 10-12lbs
 
V made progress,
Chest even looking tighter,

Lifts all went up,
And you kept the neck beard,

Cycle well done ;)
 
Looks like you added some solid back width too! Nice work
 
Good work Matt!! Body comp progress and strength!! A cycle well done. Now train to keep that strength!!
Oh I plan to keep going my friend! The PRs shall continue into my pct!

Did you run any kind of support or any AI this cycle?
Yes I did. I double dosed on cycle armor and took some other cycle supports in bulk (Hawthorne, MT) and no AIs. I was going to do 2.5mg Letro every few days based on feel but never ended up needing it and read it's best to go without rather than just using and tanking Estrogen.
Looks like you added some solid back width too! Nice work
Thanks man!
V made progress,
Chest even looking tighter,

Lifts all went up,
And you kept the neck beard,

Cycle well done ;)

Gotta keep you interested ;)
 
Continuing on with the week - hit a deadlift PR of 365 which was right around where I estimated it was going to be - it was a really strong rep though - I think I could have squeezed out 375-385. Did some cable rows after that but nothing serious as I planned to basically test my maxs this week and keep it as a deload mostly to recuperate and head into my program.
 
Continuing on with the week - hit a deadlift PR of 365 which was right around where I estimated it was going to be - it was a really strong rep though - I think I could have squeezed out 375-385. Did some cable rows after that but nothing serious as I planned to basically test my maxs this week and keep it as a deload mostly to recuperate and head into my program.

Keep it up!
 
Awesome man! Also crazy that you didn't need any AI on dermatrest!! That's pretty lucky genetics man
 
That is lucky lol

I still have one bottle of IF Formabolic here if someone needs a potent OTC AI
 
Awesome man! Also crazy that you didn't need any AI on dermatrest!! That's pretty lucky genetics man

Haha nice :) awesome for me then I guess as I really enjoyed running DermaTrest. I was shocked myself as I knew some people had their complaints with the stuff but my nips never even got sensitive.
 
Any interest in trying out the new strength unleashed? I picked up 3 of the caps and three of the transdermals to give it a proper go of things. Im not sure how ill dose it yet.
 
Any interest in trying out the new strength unleashed? I picked up 3 of the caps and three of the transdermals to give it a proper go of things. Im not sure how ill dose it yet.

For sure. OL makes good products - and with the death of laxacrine it will probably be my next go to for a lax supplement.
 
For sure. OL makes good products - and with the death of laxacrine it will probably be my next go to for a lax supplement.

They axed the laxacrine? Are they reformulating it? Id like to give it another go when the new one comes out
 
Not sure - I did see something once about possibly reformulating combustion - but I'm not quite sure at the moment.
 
Good day today - I did squats and deadlifts

Squats
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x2
315x1
275x5x3

Deadlifts
135x5
185x4
225x3
275x5x3

Didn't get any accessory work in - but I will in future workouts if only just for a good stretch and pumping some extra blood into the muscle - however my main goal for this workout is Squats and Deads - anything after that is icing - for now at least.
 
Well it has been a busy few days - lots of snow storms lately that have been messing with my gym schedule.

Since my last session I did Squat and Bench (had to combine workouts into AM/PM) since gym was closed. My back was absolutely smashed after this so I took a rest day yesterday.

Today was just a light blood pump day. I did

Cable Rows 70x15x5
Pulldowns 70x15x5
Single Arm Cable Curl 20x15x5
Incline Bench 95x10x5

Stretched my legs and lower back and did some deadlifts/SLDL with just the bar. Need to hit some heavy deads next once I recover from the onslaught of squatting
 
Relaxed workout tonight - my past two have been really - the heavy squats and deadlifts rekt me last week and my lower back got a little torqued I think - nothing thats going to stop me from training but it's definitely taking a bit longer to recover from it.
 
You not texting anymore bro?
Tried following up to see if you got the package yet
 
If your form is breaking down at any point you would do well to either stop for the session or at least back the weight off 10-20% and hammer technique. I was always trying to just lift as heavy as I could every set all the time even if my form got sloppy, and all that comes of grinding every lift is injury. So maybe next squat/pull session keep it 60-70% and work technique hard and don't go to failure. Just get some good clean volume in without killing yourself. Some of the greatest athletes in the world stick to that % range most of the time. And you can't make long term progress if you're always battling through w sub par form. Just a tip from someone who has made those back mistakes.
 
True that brother. Wise words. It had been some time since I had gone for some hardcore training like I did and it was just too much lol. Definitely going to take the approach you spoke of. Thank you for your help!
 
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Today's workout. Went really well - saved back for the morning. Also did some Tricep pushdowns and overhead extensions just to get a solid pump. Tomorrow will be back in the morning with Deads and squats in the evening.
 
Here's some updated progress pictures. 2 weeks into pct now. Invalid Link Removed
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First picture was end of cycle, 2nd was this morning and 3rd is a leg shot. Posted on another forum and was asked if my leg development matched my upper body. My legs have always just been large - legs are the biggest they've ever been before at 24.5 inches on the thigh and 16 inches on calves.
 
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