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Smolov Jr. calculator

Pick the squat or the bench press, enter your one-rep max and how much weight to add each week. You get the load for all twelve sessions of Smolov Jr.: four days a week for three weeks, from 6 sets of 6 at 70% to 10 sets of 3 at 85%, in kg or lb.

Lift
Unit
Weight added each week

Example result

Day 1: 6 × 6 at

97.5kg

Heaviest day: 10 × 3 in week 3

125kg

From a 140 kg squat max, rounded to 2.5 kg, adding 2.5 kg a week.

Smolov Jr. for the squat
SessionSets × repsIntensityLoad
Week 1, day 16 × 670%97.5 kg
Week 1, day 27 × 575%105 kg
Week 1, day 38 × 480%112.5 kg
Week 1, day 410 × 385%120 kg
Week 2, day 16 × 670% + 2.5 kg100 kg
Week 2, day 27 × 575% + 2.5 kg107.5 kg
Week 2, day 38 × 480% + 2.5 kg115 kg
Week 2, day 410 × 385% + 2.5 kg122.5 kg
Week 3, day 16 × 670% + 5 kg102.5 kg
Week 3, day 27 × 575% + 5 kg110 kg
Week 3, day 38 × 480% + 5 kg117.5 kg
Week 3, day 410 × 385% + 5 kg125 kg
Build a squat session

Smolov Jr. examples

Same twelve sessions, different starting points. The max you enter and the increment you pick decide whether the last week is hard or impossible.

  • Example 1

    A bench press peak in pounds

    An intermediate lifter with a 225 lb bench who wants a short, focused block before testing again.

    Lift
    Bench press
    Your 1RM
    225 lb
    Weight added each week
    2.5 kg or 5 lb
    • Day 1: 6 × 6 at160 lb
    • Heaviest day: 10 × 3 in week 3200 lb

    Ten sets of 3 at 200 lb in week 3 is a lot of heavy bench work. The 5 lb increment keeps each weekly jump to about 2% of the max, which is plenty when you bench four times a week.

    Build a bench press session Open with these numbers

  • Example 2

    A squat that moved fast last week

    A lifter with a 315 lb squat whose first week felt easy, choosing the 10 lb weekly increment.

    Lift
    Squat
    Your 1RM
    315 lb
    Weight added each week
    5 kg or 10 lb
    • Day 1: 6 × 6 at220 lb
    • Heaviest day: 10 × 3 in week 3290 lb

    The larger increment puts week 3's 10 × 3 at 290 lb, 20 lb over week 1. Choose it only when every set of week 1 moved well; if any set failed, keep the next week's weights the same.

    Build a squat session Open with these numbers

  • Example 3

    Not sure of the max

    A lifter whose last squat single was 140 kg months ago, entering a more conservative 130 kg.

    Lift
    Squat
    Your 1RM
    130 kg
    Weight added each week
    2.5 kg or 5 lb
    • Day 1: 6 × 6 at90 kg
    • Heaviest day: 10 × 3 in week 3115 kg

    Every session starts from the max, so an old or hopeful number makes all twelve too heavy. Entering 130 kg makes day 1 90 kg instead of 97.5 kg, and the program still finishes heavy.

    Build a squat session Open with these numbers

  • Example 4

    A lighter bench in kilograms

    A woman benching 60 kg, running the program on the bench in 2.5 kg steps.

    Lift
    Bench press
    Your 1RM
    60 kg
    Weight added each week
    2.5 kg or 5 lb
    • Day 1: 6 × 6 at42.5 kg
    • Heaviest day: 10 × 3 in week 355 kg

    At a 60 kg max, a 2.5 kg jump is about 4% of it, already a big step for the bench. If week 2 grinds, repeat week 1's loads rather than adding more.

    Build a bench press session Open with these numbers

The Smolov Jr. program

Smolov Jr. is a three-week shortening of the Smolov squat program. You train one lift four days a week with the same four sessions each week, and add weight to every session in weeks 2 and 3. The table below is the commonly published version, based on your one-rep max. It is written for the squat and widely used for the bench press.

Smolov Jr., the same four sessions each week
DaySets × repsWeek 1Week 2Week 3
Day 16 × 670% of max70% + one increment70% + two increments
Day 27 × 575% of max75% + one increment75% + two increments
Day 38 × 480% of max80% + one increment80% + two increments
Day 410 × 385% of max85% + one increment85% + two increments

How much to add each week

The published program adds 5 to 10 lb in week 2 and 10 to 20 lb in week 3, counted from week 1. The calculator offers both ends: 2.5 kg or 5 lb a week, or 5 kg or 10 lb.

Choose by how the last week went. If sets felt easy, take the larger increment. If you failed sets or were badly sore, keep the same weights for the next week.

Technique for Smolov Jr.

The lift the program was written for

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Three weeks is 93 sets and nearly 400 reps, so small faults repeat hundreds of times. Hold the same depth on the last set of 10 × 3 as on the first, or the cycle builds strength in a shallower squat than the one you test.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in the rack at about armpit height, step under it and rest it on the meaty part of your upper back, hands just outside your shoulders.
  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, stand up to lift the bar off the hooks and take two or three short steps back.
  3. Set your feet about shoulder width, toes turned slightly out, then breathe deep into your belly and tighten your trunk as if bracing for a punch.
  4. Bend at the hips and knees at the same time and sit straight down between your heels, knees moving forward and out in line with your toes.
  5. Go down until the crease of your hip passes below the top of your knee, keeping your whole foot on the floor.
  6. Drive up through your midfoot, keep your chest and hips rising at the same speed, and breathe out only once you are standing tall.

Cues

  • Big breath and brace before every rep
  • Knees out over your toes
  • Chest and hips rise together

Common mistakes

  • Squats getting shallower as the sets pile up: count only reps where your hip crease sinks below your knee, and strip weight until they all do.
  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: the bar ends up over your toes and the set turns into a good morning, so drop the load and push your upper back into the bar as you stand.

Full squat guide

The other lift people run it on

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

Four bench days a week leave little room for sloppy reps. Keep the same grip, touch point and pause on every set, so the strength you build shows up when you test.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes just under the bar and plant your feet flat, a little wider than your hips.
  2. Pull your shoulder blades together and down into the bench, keeping a small arch in your lower back with your glutes on the pad.
  3. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width and lift it out so it sits over your shoulders.
  4. Lower the bar under control to your lower chest, elbows about 45 degrees from your sides.
  5. Touch your chest without bouncing, then press up and slightly back toward the hooks.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinned
  • Elbows at 45 degrees
  • Touch, then press

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the bar off the chest to finish the last sets, which trains a lift you can't use in a test.
  • Lifting the hips to finish a rep: lower the weight for the next session instead.

Full bench press guide

Make it fit you

  • Start from a max you have actually lifted

    Use a single from the last few weeks, or estimate one from a recent hard set with the one-rep max calculator. Round it down if you're unsure.

  • Repeat a week when sets fail

    Missed reps mean the load is ahead of you. Hold the weights for the next week instead of adding to them.

  • Keep the extras short

    Four days on one lift is the whole point of the program. The published version advises little or no accessory work, and only brief work if you add any.

  • Round to your plates

    Loads round to 2.5 kg or 5 lb. The plate calculator shows what goes on each side of the bar.

Questions

How much weight do you add each week on Smolov Jr.?

5 to 10 lb (2.5 to 5 kg) per week on every session, counted from week 1. Take the bigger jump only if the previous week felt easy.

Can you run Smolov Jr. for bench press?

Yes. The program is written for the squat and widely used for the bench, and the calculator offers both.

Can you do Smolov Jr. for deadlift?

The published program covers the squat, and it is commonly run on the bench. This calculator offers those two lifts. For deadlift percentages, the 5/3/1 calculator runs one heavy day a week.

Do you use your 1RM or a training max for Smolov Jr.?

The published table uses your one-rep max, and so does this calculator. If you'd rather start lighter, enter 90% of your max, which is what some other calculators do.

How long is Smolov Jr.?

Three weeks of four sessions, twelve in all. Everyone runs the same sets and reps; only the loads change with your max.

What should I do after Smolov Jr.?

Find out where your max is now. The one-rep max calculator estimates it from a hard set, so you don't have to test a single to know.

Sources

See what the cycle did to your max

Log all twelve sessions with reps and RIR, and RIRLift keeps your estimated squat or bench max current from every working set, so you can see what the three weeks moved.

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