So I just completed the Hatch squat cycle a week and a half ago. I want to continue to work out my legs and get bigger/stronger. Someone recommended the Smolov, however,it looks a lot more intense than the Hatch. I play in a soccer game once a week for about 40 minutes straight and don't want my legs to be dead. Should I just do the hatch again and save my legs a bit? Has anyone done either or both of these and can weigh in as what to expect or offer any advice? Thanks.

I was the one that recommended Smolov to you.

I've done both. Smolov is definitely more intense, but you will pick up probably double the strength than you did with Hatch in the same amount of time. I would suggest doing Smolov over doing Hatch again just to change things up. I think you'll see diminishing returns if you go into another Hatch cycle. If you're worried about length/intensity, you've got some options. You could do "Smolov Junior" instead of the full, which is the three-week base mesocycle from Smolov. This will give you an idea of the level of time commitment, intensity, and soreness to expect from full Smolov, without the full 13-week commitment of it. Alternatively, you could do full Smolov, but work off of a 3RM HBBS instead of a 1RM. You won't see as crazy of a result at the end, but it will back off the intensity a little. That is what we did at my gym for the beginner to intermediate lifters last time we did Smolov. Or, you could combine the two, i.e. do Smolov Junior and base it off of a 3RM. I've done this as well. Got me about 50% of the results I was expecting, but a PR is a PR.

There's a number of different ways to go about it, and I think you could do any of the combinations I mentioned above and still be fine to play in your intramural soccer game. Just schedule your squatting days to where your soccer game falls on one of your rest days. The first week will suck, but your legs will get used to the loading after that. Whatever you decide, good luck.

Awesome response. I appreciate the info. I will probably do Smolov Junior and make sure I leave a bit of time to recover for my soccer games. Thanks again.

Happy to help. Just remember: