strenos
Yes, you can run Smolov Jr on bench, and lifters do it when their bench has been stuck for weeks. The bench version keeps the same four days: 6 sets of 6 at 70%, 7 sets of 5 at 75%, 8 sets of 4 at 80% and 10 sets of 3 at 85%. What changes is the weekly jump. In Strenos, bench gets half of what the squat gets: +10 lb in week 2 and +15 lb in week 3 (+5 and +7.5 kg), both added to your week 1 weights. Start from 90% of your max, rest 5–7 days after the last session, then test.
Why lifters run it on bench
Smolov Jr is a three-week block for one lift. It squeezes Sergey Smolov's 13-week squat cycle down to its core idea: four heavy days a week on a single lift. Nothing in that idea ties it to the squat, so lifters run it on bench too.
Bench has one practical edge. Four heavy bench days don't wreck your legs, so squat and deadlift can keep going at lower volume. One 2012 bench log ran squat and deadlift programs alongside the block.
The block asks for 12 sessions, with 31 working sets and 133 reps a week on one lift. Everything else goes on hold for three weeks.
How the bench version differs
The original Smolov Jr leaves the weekly jump up to you: 5 to 10 kg in week 2, then the same again in week 3. That's a big step for a bench. A 10 kg jump is 10% of a 100 kg bench but only about 5.5% of a 180 kg squat.
That's why bench write-ups go smaller. The 2012 log added 5 kg in week 2 and 7.5 kg in week 3. Legion Athletics' Smolov Jr calculator suggests +10 lb in week 2 if week 1 felt easy and +5 lb if it felt tough.
Strenos fixes the jumps, so you don't overreach on a good day:
| Lift | Week 2 | Week 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press, overhead press | +10 lb (+5 kg) | +15 lb (+7.5 kg) |
| Squat, deadlift | +20 lb (+10 kg) | +30 lb (+15 kg) |
Both jumps are added to week 1. Week 3 is week 1 plus 15 lb, not week 2 plus 15 lb.
All 12 sessions for a 225 lb bench
Here's the block for a 225 lb max with the 10% lighter start on. 90% of 225 is 202.5 lb. With 5 lb as your smallest plate, the bar moves in 10 lb steps from 45 (185, 195, 205), so the block max rounds down to 195. Each week 1 weight is a percentage of 195, rounded down to a weight you can load.
| Day | Sets x reps | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6x6 at 70% | 135 lb | 145 lb | 150 lb |
| 2 | 7x5 at 75% | 145 lb | 155 lb | 160 lb |
| 3 | 8x4 at 80% | 155 lb | 165 lb | 170 lb |
| 4 | 10x3 at 85% | 165 lb | 175 lb | 180 lb |
A few things stand out:
- The hardest day is 80% of your real max. Ten sets of 3 at 180 lb is 80% of 225. Turn the lighter start off and the same day becomes 200 lb, almost 89%, for 30 reps.
- Week 3 needs small plates. Adding 15 lb to the bar means 7.5 lb a side, so you need a pair of 2.5s.
- Smaller plates shift the table. Set 2.5 lb as your smallest plate and the block max becomes 200 lb. Week 1 then runs 140, 150, 160 and 170.
Why start 10% lighter
Every weight in the block comes from your block max. If it's too high, all 12 sessions are too heavy, and day 4 of week 3 shows it first. The classic traps are a max you hit once on a great day and a max you guessed from a set of five.
Starting from 90% leaves room for that. You still do 133 reps a week, so the block stays hard, but you're less likely to quit it in week 2. The lighter start is on by default in Strenos, and you can switch it off in the calculator.
The short answerSmolov Jr works on bench with half the squat's weekly jumps and a block max 10% under your real one. Rest 5–7 days before you test.
Shoulders, elbows and recovery
Four bench days a week is a lot for your shoulders and elbows:
- Don't start hurt. If a shoulder or elbow already complains when you bench, four heavy days a week will make it worse.
- Warm up and set up the same way every time. Empty bar and a few lighter sets, then the same grip, arch and touch point for all 12 sessions.
- Keep pulling. Rows, chin-ups and light face pulls stay in your week. The 2012 log calls for at least one row and one chin-up or pull-up a week.
- Stop a set that falls apart. Rack the bar and move on. Don't bounce the bar off your chest to save a set.
- Treat sharp pain as a stop sign. Feeling tired and sore by week 2 is normal. A sharp pain in the shoulder or chest means the block is over.
- Spread the days and recover. Keep the hardest days apart, for example Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and eat and sleep more than usual.
What to do with your other lifts
For three weeks, everything else runs light and short:
- Squat and deadlift. Keep them in, with fewer sets and lighter weights than usual.
- Overhead press. Drop it or keep it very light. It loads the same shoulders and triceps as your bench.
- Bench assistance. Skip it: no dips, close-grip work or flyes.
On 5/3/1, nSuns or GZCLP, take the bench out for three weeks and run the rest at lower volume. Not sure what to go back to afterward? See which strength program to run.
Testing after the block
Don't test the day after week 3. Rest 5–7 days first. Then warm up, work up in singles and take one or two real attempts. If you'd rather not max, do a heavy set of 2–3 and estimate your max in the 1RM calculator.
After the test, go back to your regular program with the new number. Don't run Smolov Jr back to back.
What lifters report
Search for "smolov jr bench results" and you'll mostly find training logs and big round numbers. The 2012 log reports going from 85 to 100 kg in three weeks, and a training partner going from 110 to 120 kg. Legion Athletics says most lifters add 15–30 lb to their bench on the block, without citing any data.
Treat these as individual stories, not a forecast. Your number is the one you hit on test day, after the rest week.
Common mistakes
- Using squat jumps on bench. With +20 and +30 lb, day 4 of week 3 above becomes 10 sets of 3 at 195 lb, about 87% of a 225 lb max.
- Starting from a max you don't have. Keep the lighter start on.
- Adding more pressing. Extra triceps work and heavy overhead pressing eat the recovery the block needs.
- Testing too early or running it twice in a row. Rest 5–7 days, test, then go back to normal training.
How Strenos handles Smolov Jr on bench
Strenos runs Smolov Jr as a three-week block on one barbell lift, four days a week. You enter your bench max, and Strenos takes 90% of it as the block max, since the lighter start is on by default. It rounds week 1 down to your plates and adds +10 and +15 lb (+5 and +7.5 kg) to every week 1 weight for bench and overhead press. On Apple Watch you check off sets, skip or add rest and keep an eye on your heart rate.
After the last session, Strenos tells you to rest 5–7 days and test your max. The test itself is up to you. Smolov Jr in Strenos is barbell only, with no weighted pull-ups or dips. The first week is free.
