German Volume Training – The Real Story

Interested in trying German Volume Training? This is what lifters will often say about it: “German weightlifters used it to go up a weight class.” “Canadian weightlifter, Jacques Demers (Olympic gold medalist), built his tree-trunk legs with it.” “It was the go-to hypertrophy method of bodybuilding guru, Vince Gironda.” This all sounds really good, right? Well, not so fast. The Reputation of GVT Few training approaches in history are as well-known as GVT. It’s been used for close to 50 years and was popularized in the early 90s by Coach Charles Poliquin. It has a nearly mythical status, and few people question its effectiveness. All the dramatic anecdotes might have something to do with its popularity. The credibility of Poliquin, who brought it to the masses, also likely played a role. Its simplicity and mathematical elegance (basically, 10 sets of 10 reps) may have also had an impact on our perception. But while few people question its efficacy, I’ve rarely seen it live up to the hype. Full disclosure: While I hate doing GVT, I used to recommend it because I was brought up in the Poliquin coaching tree. I also created a program 20 years ago that was an adaptation of GVT (called Optimized Volume Training) and it was just as high in volume. I didn’t have the knowledge and experience that I have now. So, let’s examine GVT more in-depth to see if it’s a good fit for you. What is GVT? GVT is first and foremost a loading scheme. You do 10 sets of 10 reps with 60-120 seconds of rest between sets using 60 percent of your maximum on the lift. At first, the weight feels light for the number of reps prescribed. At 60 percent, you’d typically be able to perform 15 to 20 reps. But as you accumulate fatigue from set to set, the last three rounds are very hard. Coach Poliquin added the antagonistic pairing to GVT. In his variation, you’d do 10 sets of 10 reps on two exercises per session. This would look like an A1/A2 format: One set of A1. Rest 60-75 seconds. One set of A2. Rest 60-75 seconds. Then go back to A1. The cornerstone of each workout is two antagonistic exercises, each done for 10×10. In the Poliquin version Two assistance exercises would be added (B1/B2) and performed for just three sets of 10-12 reps each. Also, each muscle group would be trained directly once a week. The split would look like this: Chest and Back Quads and Hamstrings Biceps and Triceps Shoulders and Rear Delts Coach Poliquin also added the tempo variable. You’d do each set typically using a 3020 or 4010 tempo – lower slowly, lift fast(er), no pauses at the bottom. So a set of ten reps would last 50 seconds under load. These are the characteristics of modern GVT. But in reality, as long as we talk about 10 sets of 10 reps with short rest intervals, we’re talking about GVT. GVT in Theory The theory is that by accumulating a massive amount of fatigue, you’d stimulate more growth. You get an accumulation of fatigue due to the high volume, long time under tension for each set, and incomplete rest periods. You gradually build up more muscle fiber fatigue by repeating the same movement over and over so that the effort is very demanding on the last few sets. Simple and logically appealing. But does it hold up? GVT in Science: Two Studies Let’s first look at actual scientific studies that researchers did on 10 x10. 1. The first study by Amirthalingam et al. compared six weeks of 10 sets of 10 reps to doing just five sets of 10 reps. They used a three-day training split and mostly multi-joint exercises. (1) After six weeks, the five sets group had significantly more muscle growth and strength gains than the 10-sets group. Sure, the GVT group also gained size and strength, but less than the five-sets group. 2. In another study, researchers compared lifters doing five sets of 10 to lifters doing 10 sets of 10. Both groups used 60-80 percent of their 1RM over 12 weeks and found no significant difference between the two groups (2). The GVT group even started losing lower body mass between weeks 6 and 12. For strength and size, the five-sets group seemed to get superior results, but it wasn’t significant. Nevertheless, at best, it indicates that 10 sets is no better than five. (And if you need twice the work to get the same results, it’s an inferior protocol.) Another Approach Now let’s look at it through the “maximally effective reps” approach developed by Chris Beardsley. What are maximally effective reps? Reps in which you’re recruiting and stimulating as many muscle fibers as you can, mostly focusing on the growth-prone fast-twitch fibers. As early as 2007, in my book “High-Threshold Muscle Building,” I wrote how recruiting and stimulating fast-twitch fibers was the key to stimulating maximum growth. That’s because these fibers have the greatest hypertrophy potential. So you recruit all the recruitable fast-twitch fibers when you must produce around 80 percent of your maximum force potential at that moment. The wrong interpretation
Origin: German Volume Training – The Real Story