German Volume Training

In Germany, the ten-sets method was used in the off-season to help weightlifters gain lean body mass. It was so efficient that lifters routinely moved up a full weight class within 12 weeks. It was the base program of Canadian weightlifter Jacques Demers, Silver Medalist in the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Jacques was known in weightlifting circles for his massive thighs, and he gives credit to the German method for achieving such a spectacular level of hypertrophy. The same method was also used by Bev Francis in her early days of bodybuilding to pack on muscle.

The program works because it targets a group of motor units, exposing them to an extensive volume of repeated efforts, specifically, 10 sets of a single exercise. The body adapts to the extraordinary stress by hypertrophying the targeted fibers. To say this program adds muscle fast is probably an understatement. Gains of ten pounds or more in six weeks are not uncommon, even in experienced lifters!

anybody have anything to say about this ? if it works or have you ever tried it ?

hi
me i have tried reps of 5 x5 and even that it useful for getting lean body without any supplements on my part...

I dont see the logic that your muscles would get bigger to adapt to high volumewithlighterweight

Ths is a routine everyone should be familiar with IMO. It causes a strange thing to happen as long as you adhere to the sets/reps and rest intervals (60 seconds). Its a flat pyramid that causes an uncanny release of adrenelin after the 6th or 7th set - which all of a sudden makes the load tollerable again... it's flippin wierd. Deffinitly a good routine for size and strength...

morfeuss - I know the 5X5 routine you are reffering to and like that a lot as well. 5 singles and 5, 5's - but the GVT 10X10 is a phenomenom in bodybuilding... its just strange how you can go from struggling back to performing all the reps again...

Charles Poliquin has the best interpretation of this by far... I did his entire program in high school but frequently apply the basic concept to this day...

Hey Warrior...could you send me an e-mail re: GVT so i can better understand the process??...or point me in the right diection for infor on GVT so i can grasp the concept further with the goal of possibly trying it...I'd really appreciate it!!..Thx for helpin a newbie!
L8R

Here is an interpretation by Charles Polquin: German Volume Training

Polquin is a highly respected strength coach (one example... the guy spent a lot of time learning Eastern Bloc languages simply so he could translate their training texts) who currently reside in Canada. He has trained athletes such as bodybuilders and Olympic competitors. As a side bar comment, Coach (even though he has a doctorate he prefers "coach" over "Dr") Poliquin is not your average looking trainer/author... he is a big dude himself - in very good shape... people say that if he was able to devote more time to his own training, he may have done very well as an athlete and not always the coach. He has the best info regarding this method. He started a Web site at ChalresPoliquin.net.

I used the beginner method a lot in High School...