Is this enough calories for a positive smolov experince?

[Kevin Shaughnessy]

I'm 6'1, 212# and I've been losing weight consistently with about 2700 calories. I thought I would eat 3500 while doing smolov overhead pressing. 3500 calories I think would put me slightly above maintanence. Is that enough eating?

I would be doing smolov JR btw.

[Brian DeGennaro]

I weigh 165-170lbs and if I eat less than 4000 calories a day I will lose weight. You need to eat more.

[Pete Gordon]

smolov isn't the right type of squat program to do if you want to burn fat.

It's supposed to be an 'offseason' type of program, to get you bigger & stronger...you're going to find it pretty hard to do when working with less calories coming in......

[Derek Weaver]

Originally Posted by Pete Gordon

smolov isn't the right type of squat program to do if you want to burn fat.

It's supposed to be an 'offseason' type of program, to get you bigger & stronger...you're going to find it pretty hard to do when working with less calories coming in......

He didn't say he wanted to burn fat. He'd been losing, but is bumpbing cals for the program....

Either way, to the OP. Before you do anything, you need to know a baseline for what it takes to maintain your bodyweight.

Brian D. is an extraordinary case. Freaky strong, and apparently eats like a horse with a huge energy requirement. If I eat 4000 cals/day, I will gain weight rapidly.

Generally, 15 cals/lb of bodyweight is a starting point for maintenance. 212 x 15 = 3180 to maintain (call it 3200). 3500 cals/day is indeed slightly above maintenance.

You'll probably need more than that to recover from a Smolov program. I'd suggest to start at 3500 as a minimum and move upwards as necessary.

[Dave Van Skike]

I've done the Smolov Jr (2 days a week) cycle and one of Peter's Brother Smolov cycles as well .

The first one (two days a week) was not not crazy volume or frequency, really. DOMS was big deal week one and two, not bad after. Appetite didn't change a huge amount. I probably average 3500 kcal a day anyway. @ 5'9" 220, my body comp moved very little, my legs did grow a bit. I didn't do anything else during it except overhead press and throws.

why not just do it and eat if you're hungry?

[Damien Thompson]

Originally Posted by Dave Van Skike

why not just do it and eat if you're hungry?

Holy shit!! Genius!

If your losing weight, eat more. If you gaining too much fat for your liking, eat less.

You wont know if its enough food until you start doing the program and monitor how you feel. Don't over think the simple shit.

[Shane Skowron]

I did 3 weeks of Smolov and it was great but my appetite didn't change at all.

[John P. Walsh]

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaughnessy

I'm 6'1, 212# and I've been losing weight consistently with about 2700 calories. I thought I would eat 3500 while doing smolov overhead pressing. 3500 calories I think would put me slightly above maintanence. Is that enough eating?

I would be doing smolov JR btw.

There is only one way to find out. You will certainly need to consume something extra. Smolov explicitly designed his programs for lifters using AS. I find it curious that so many disparage body building routines used by drug users but will dive right into routines for drug users in PL or Oly. I’m not sure what your goals are but there are better programs for putting on size and strength assuming you are drug free.

[Will Peterson]

Originally Posted by Dave Van Skike

I've done the Smolov Jr (2 days a week) cycle and one of Peter's Brother Smolov cycles as well .

Where is Peter to chime in on this?

I think that you need to eat a ton for the Smolov -- and you will probably still see a body comp change. The full blown thing done right can put you in a fog where you body is just looking to recover. If you have additional stress (ie a life outside the gym), you have to really focus on getting plenty of solid calories.

How quickly have you been loosing weight at 2700? At 5'11", 205lbs I'd be loosing pretty quickly and not have much energy. 3500k is likely closer to your maintenance intake without the stress of Smolov. If your motivation does not stay up, it becomes a burden rather than a benefit.

[Dave Van Skike]

different strokes i guess.

i think like everyone, i had some difficulty completing it but if you jump into any aggressive program developed for a very experienced athlete, you're going to have a rough patch. In terms of kcal needs, I've done other simpler protocols that were far far worse, but everyone is different.

I say go for it, you'll learn something no matter what. If you have a bad day just break it down into more sets and deal.