Proven program, faithfully implemented
Smolov Jr (Squat)
Smolov Jr (Squat) is a three-week squat specialization block that squats four days in one week, each day a different high-volume percentage scheme, before testing a new max. It is the heavier-stepping of the two versions — about +10-15 lb a week, where the bench version moves +5-10.
About the program
Created by: Sergey Smolov — Smolov Jr (squat routine).
Who it's for
- Best for: One goal: breaking a stalled squat in a short, punishing block. Run your other training around it, lightly.
- Experience: Advanced. Four squat sessions a week is extreme frequency for one lift, it needs a true current max, and it must not be run back-to-back.
- Time: About three weeks, four squat days a week, then a re-test.
How it's built
The shape of the program — sessions, sets and rep scheme. Iron Forge fills in the exact weights for you from your maxes.
Week
Day 1 — 6×6
- Barbell Squat — 6×6
Day 2 — 7×5
- Barbell Squat — 7×5
Day 3 — 8×4
- Barbell Squat — 8×4
Day 4 — 10×3 (top)
- Barbell Squat — 9×3, 1×3+
How Iron Forge runs it
How it works
Smolov Jr is a short, intense peaking block that leans on very high frequency, and this is the SQUAT version. You squat FOUR days in one week, each day a different high-volume percentage scheme — 6×6, 7×5, 8×4, 10×3 — at 70–85% of your 1-rep max. It runs about 3 weeks, adding weight each week. The frequency and volume are brutal but produce fast squat gains. For the bench press — the lift Smolov Jr is most often run on — use Smolov Jr (Bench) instead.
The weekly scheme
Each of the four training days hits the squat at a different sets×reps and intensity — higher reps at lower percentages early in the week, lower reps at higher percentages later — so you accumulate a lot of quality volume across the week. Because you're squatting four times a week, space the days out and keep everything else in your training minimal to recover.
Progression and cautions
You add a small amount of weight to the whole scheme each week for the ~3 weeks, then test a new max. The squat step is the bigger of the two — about +10-15 lb5-7.5 kg a week, where the bench version moves +5-10. It's a specialisation peak, not a general programme: run it when you can devote recovery to one lift, keep assistance and other leg work light, and don't repeat it back-to-back.
Smolov Jr (Squat) in Iron Forge
FAQ
- Why is there a separate bench version?
Because the two differ in more than the exercise: this one reads your SQUAT 1RM and climbs +10-15 lb5-7.5 kg a week, while Smolov Jr (Bench) reads your bench 1RM and climbs about +5-10 lb2.5-5 kg. Pick the lift you want to specialise in — Smolov Jr is a one-lift block either way.
- How many days a week do I squat?
Four — that high frequency is the whole point. Each day uses a different sets×reps/percentage scheme (6×6, 7×5, 8×4, 10×3) at 70–85% 1RM.
- How long is the program?
About three weeks of adding weight each week, then you test a new max. It's a short peaking block, not a long-term routine.
- How do I progress?
Add a small amount of weight to the whole scheme each week for the three weeks. Keep the percentages honest — starting too heavy makes the volume unrecoverable.
- Should I do other training alongside it?
Keep everything else minimal. Squatting four times a week is already at the edge of recovery, so trim assistance and other heavy work while you run it.
- Is Smolov Jr safe to repeat?
Don't run it back-to-back. Deload and return to balanced training afterward; it's a demanding peak best used occasionally by intermediates/advanced lifters with a solid base.
- What number do I enter?
Your squat one-rep max, as it stands today — not a training max and not a hard triple. Every percentage here is taken from that number directly, so an optimistic one does not make the block harder in an interesting way, it makes week three impossible.
- Does the weight go up even if I miss reps?
Yes, and that is deliberate. Smolov Jr adds weight every week by design rather than because you earned it — the block is three weeks of forced intensification, so the step lands whatever happened on day four. If you are missing sets in week two, the honest response is to stop the block rather than to expect it to back off.
- Why does the last day's top set show a +?
It is how the app marks the set it reads to move your max between weeks, and it is the only marked set in the programme. The source prescribes ten flat triples with no rep-out, so treat it as exactly that — hit the three and stop.
Start Smolov Jr (Squat) for free today.
Real programs, done right. Log your lifts — Iron Forge handles the maths.