German Volume Training

by hannahandfitness

It’s been nearly a month or so since I switched up my training schedule a little. I decided to do this because I felt I had hit a brick wall with my progress. At the time, I considered myself in a bulk therefore I needed to eat more to grow more muscle whilst lifting heavier too. However, because I workout at home my exercises at times can be limited as to how heavy I can lift. So, I decided to look into german volume training (GVT) as I saw it’s popularity floating around social media. Although, please note that I am yet to follow a strict GVT programme. There’s quite a few articles on what GVT is, how it’s properly done and the maths behind it, so for now i’m simply doing a few GVT workouts whilst completing other exercises – i’m totally aware that I’m not currently doing the programme properly. 

German Volume Training

If you haven’t heard of german volume training before then it’s a popular system that has been used by bodybuilders, powerlifters, and even olympic lifters. Why was it so popular? It was known to break plateaus and gain muscle quickly. In terms of strength training circles then GVT is often referred to as the ten sets method.

GVT came to start a start in the 1940’s but started to become popular in Germany in the 70’s (hence it’s name) thanks to the national coach of weightlifting, Rolf Feser. But despite it’s origin there was no doubt about it that GVT worked and produced results.

It works because of the 10 sets of 10 reps routine. By subjecting your muscles to that much volume and time under tension, you’ll create a stimulus for muscle growth and repair. Your fibres will fill with blood which will then generate an incredible pump. This creates a mahoooosive hypertrophy in your slow-twitch muscle fibers. Therefore, because of the extensive volume applied to the muscle it will be put under intense pressure and cause the muscle to break. In turn, the body starts to adapt to this way of training by hypertrophying the targeted fibres. So the end result? The muscle starts to break because of the intense pressure applied and will begin to grow when repeated thoroughly.

How it works

For it to be classed as a GVT programme you need to complete 10 sets of 10 reps with the same weight. Each GVT exercise is divided between upper and lower body. You should begin with a weight of 60% of your 1RM load. For example, if you can squat 300 pounds for 1 rep then you’ll take 180 pounds for that exercise for 10×10. Because of the intense scheudle you should only need to train each muscle group once each week and have at least one or two rest days. Remember, it’s so important to listen to your body.

A few weeks into GVT you may find yourself easily hitting the 10×10 routine so you’ll need to start upping your weights however, you’ll only want to up your weights in one exercise and this should be a compound exercise. For example, squat, barbell row, bench press etc… Anything that involves more than one muscle group.

During your 10×10 you’ll want a rest period of anything between 60-90 seconds. I tend to go for 60 seconds as I like to work up a little sweat however, I know my body and if i’m struggling on a particular day/exercise then i’ll do what works best for me.

So here’s how it should look…

10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest
10 reps
60 seconds rest

However, if you do find yourself struggling to hit 10 at say, the last 4 sets then do not fear – this is meant to happen! It means you’re challenging the muscle and your body isn’t finding it too easy. If however you do complete all 10 reps for each 10 sets then you should definitely up your weight next time round.

GVT programmes

If I’m honest, I found it quite hard to find an accurate GVT programme. What I did come across were example workouts of GVT. So right now, that’s what i’m working off. I will also note that a lot of websites/articles post various GVT workouts and some that aren’t even the real thing! So make sure you know what you’re looking for. My favourite website for all GVT things related is the bodybuilding website. It’s really informative and I found it to be pretty accurate too. They also provide a beginners programme example which is the one I worked from.

You can see this below.

Note that you start GVT each day with 1 compound move for each muscle group.
For example, below from the bodybuilding example you can see that the compound move for chest is barbell bench press and the compound move for back is bent over barbell row.

Screen Shot 2016-12-12 at 16.59.39.pngScreen Shot 2016-12-12 at 16.59.48.png

Day 3 – Rest day

Screen Shot 2016-12-12 at 16.59.55.png
Day 5 – Rest day

– Repeat cycle for next week –

The website, bodybuilding.com note to complete this beginner workout programme for roughly 3 weeks before moving on to an advanced programme (which you can also see on their website – here).

Overall, that’s pretty much it! As I said in the intro – i’m currently not completing GVT to a strict schedule however, this is something I’m hoping to take further and 1) complete properly 2) enter the advanced programme. In my opinion, GVT is a great option to challenge and put your muscle under intense pressure in order for them to grow quite quickly. For me, it’s a great option as i’ve found myself being limited in terms of increasing my weight on lower body days as i’ve hit the maximum weight at home for my lower body – so in terms of that, it’s great for me. The only thing i’ve struggled with however, is finding a proper programme but like anything that will just involve further research – which I actually love!  (nerd alert).

References

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/german-volume-training.htm

http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/german-volume-training-build-more-size-6-weeks

One of the very first videos I watched into my research into GVT. Very useful! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWT9ijCWjLg

Hannah signature name,

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12 comments

Your Festive Fitness Fix – Free Strength Training Plan December 18, 2016 - 6:14 pm

[…] I’ll be giving you an insight into my fitness schedule: what it really looks like, how long I workout for and what kind of exercises I get up to throughout the week. You’ll also have the opportunity to try German volume training which i’ve been trialling out for a month (or so) now. You can find a whole post about that here.  […]

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My Current Training Schedule January 27, 2017 - 6:14 pm

[…] you’re not sure what GVT is then you can read about that here. But for those who do, i’m still using the GVT style sessions – just not as much. […]

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Helen August 23, 2017 - 8:38 am

I’m not familiar with German Volume Training, but it sounds intense and if it gets results then that’s good!

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Anosa August 23, 2017 - 4:51 pm

This is the first time I am learning of GVT training but seems quite intense and very impressive, I will be showing this to my sister she too hit a brick wall in her training.

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five little doves August 23, 2017 - 7:53 pm

I’ve never heard of this, but then again the last time I exercised was probably 1996!! It sounds intense but I’m sure the results are worth it!

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Stephanie August 23, 2017 - 8:09 pm

I’ve never heard of German volume training, but sounds pretty intense!

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Ana August 24, 2017 - 2:17 am

This is my first time hearing of ‘German Volume training’ but it is great that it helps you build muscle fast! That is fantastic x

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Kara August 24, 2017 - 6:58 am

I have not heard of german volume training but it sounds like a great way to help you build muscle

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Leta August 24, 2017 - 9:21 am

Not heard of this before, sounds like hard work!! Good luck with your new regime.

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Baby Isabella August 24, 2017 - 2:48 pm

Its always good to switch it up when you hit a brick wall in your training regime. This sounds like a great workout x

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Karen August 24, 2017 - 3:37 pm

Never heard of this before but sounds like you would get great result from doing it

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Newcastle Family Life August 25, 2017 - 2:33 pm

I have never heard of German Volume Training before, really interesting reading about it and what you thought x

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