GVT (German Volume Training)
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Could you tell me more about this system. Is it just certain compound movements? Who uses it? etc.
Mainly Germans! (poor joke).
Athletes use it, well, some of the do, to move up a weight class according to the man who brought it back (Poliquin).
Yeah, you would use the rep scheme for compounds and then do your usual 3x10/12 for accessory lifts.
It's a weird one. You use half of your 1RM and you get to say set 7 (this is borderline universal. btw) and BAM! You drop off, and it hurts. Boy does it hurt. The next three sets are murder.
How do you mean you don't respond well?
Yeah, great results. It's hard to stick to and it's hard to do shoulders & benching in one week (I alternate the two). But man, doing it for just a few days can leave you seriously in bits.
Not so much a case of me weighing myself, but the definition is definitely coming on.
Would a squat/ Stiff legged deadlift superset be advisable or not? How about box squats(instead of full squats) and lighter (higher rep scheme 15+) or Hindu Squats (bodyweight) X Romanian or StLDl (10 rep range) How bout calves or is it mostly larger muscle groups? What kind of splits are used?
10x10 for compounds (DL's, Squats etc) & 3x10 for secondary lifts (calves, if you're doing legs).
This split works for me...
Mon: Chest & Back
Tues: Off (if you do legs on this day, where the bar is placed for back squatting will hurt your chest)
Weds: Legs
Thur: Recovery (I usually do an hour of medium-paced walking to get some blood into my legs)
Fri: Arms & Shoulders (but as I've done pressing on Monday, I tend to just do lateral raises & rear felt work)
Hope that helps.
Thanks. Kinda like Arnold's splits(Push and Pull) instead of the (Push or Pull) i.e. Back/Bi's or Chest/Tri's with the Hamstrings usually separated into the Back day because of the spinal erectors/glute/ham tie in. And the Quads trained on a separate day (from the Hams) with a few days recovery. Interesting how training changes/cycles etc.
If I ever do Push/Pull on separate days I won't group Bi's with Back as my Bi's will already get enough work. Arms get their own day that way.
The problem with this methodology though is that whatever you work doesn't really get hot for another week, leaving you "flat", so to speak.
If you do Chest on Monday and hit it again a week later, you're losing out on being able to get twice as much work in due to the recovery phase for Chest only being like 2 days.
What do you think of having different intensity/rep/scheme days? Not to say a Heavy/Light or High Intensity/Low Intensity. Just recognizing the fact that the body works in cycles and trying to work with it rather than against it with recovery a major consideration, not just training. Just trying to understand the logic with this German training.
The weight should be half of your 1RM, so there's no need to really be lowering anything as it's totally doable. If you need to recharge, take a day off, have extended rest breaks in-between sets (although that takes up more time, and GTV is a time-consuming method anyway) or if you want to replace a compound with an accessory lift (i.e. Squat with a Leg Extension) then carry on.
In all honesty, it wouldn't be traditional "GVT" if you started tampering with the rep scheme. That's just my opinion.
Or you could do 8x8. That's a good one. I've found that when I hit the 8th (final) set with this method I am exactly on the sweet spot of my best sets have just been done and now my form will fall apart (similar to GVT that way. Your form WILL fall part after set 7, but you get your best returns on the following 3 sets). But the weight has to be heavier than 50% of your 1RM from my experience. 65-70% works best with the 8's.
As said - Mon, Weds & Fri (GVT days) with low intensity cardio (think walking, swimming or even just recovering in a sauna/steam room/epsom salt bath. Or maybe even have them off completely depending on how you feel) on Tues, Thurs & Sat should be perfect for allowing you to hit the next day of GVT training with maximum freshness. I've always felt good adopting these strategies.
I do find that the mental aspect of it is as draining as the physical side of it. Ten sets of anything is no joke and WILL get boring. But it's a great way to shake up your training even if for a week or two.
Try it! See what you think... ;-)
Need to get in better shape before taking on something that serious. But thanks for sharing. I think Doug Hepburn used to have a 10 set scheme which he used for his Presses. Can't remember exactly how it went.
It's do-able, you just do need to have good technique and a touch of muscular endurance.
The beauty of it is that it's done at 50% of your 1RM. Just try 5x8, then, 8x8. See how it feels.