Advanced German Volume Training
by Charles Poliquin
06/13/05

Always nice to see a Coach Poliquin article.

Great Article, very similiar to a few of Waterburys, loved the workout template. I do believe thou you mean 8 to 9% of the weight in workout 2 because the numbers don't add up otherwise.
Could you replace DL for squats?

CP,

I'm really looking forward to doing this routine this winter. I've always made tremendous progress using the first GVT. Thanks!

Actually, in Oregon we eat tofu donuts fried in hemp oil.

Cool article, Carlos had his article on a website like yours as well.

I missed German Volyme Training years ago, because I used too much reps (10x10) and too light weight. But I didn't have this article. I really love simple high-volume moderate-weights programs.
After my diet, I put some gains with German!

1) So for more fast twitch fibers would you start with even lower reps and a little heavier?

2) Also, what do you do if your rowing is way behind your pressing? I could, for example get 10 x 5 with around 240-250 in the bench, and keep going, but would have a hard time getting 5 with 185 in the row, and would be cooked by my 4th set. Can I do superset say 1 set of 5 bench with 3 quick doubles on the row?

60 donuts/year?! That's over a dozen per week.

Man, I'm waaaay behind on my quota!

Off to Daylite Donuts....Later.

Yeah this was a original article for you old school T-Magers, I put on a crazy amount of strength on the original ones while back, great stuff cant wait to try out this one, I love those Zottman Curls glad to see them back in the sample program Charles, good to see you back on here

OK so I just gave this a try for my upper body WO today.

Bench press: 275 x 10 x 5 superset with
T-bar Row: Bar+150 pounds x 10 x 5

Whew!

So a few questions.

1) It took 25 minutes on the nose. That puts my rest periods just a tad longer than the recomendation. Should I try to bring it down or just go on to a heavier weight?

2) I only did one rather than 2 exercises per bodypart. If I leave out the direct arm and shoulder day should I be able to come back in 4 days and do underhand pulldowns and high closegrip inclines? I'm thinking maybe 170 for pulldowns and 200 for inclines.

3) Does the discrepancy between my pulling and pressing represent a major imbalance?

4) If I want to peak in strength, what about going to 10x3s and 10 x 2s rather than 4s and 3s?

Also, what weights for next time? maybe 305 for triples and 335 for doubles? And adding 15 to the T-bars each workout?

thanks

Cops and office workers who attend a lot of meetings? :)

Yeah agree about this being similer to a Waterbury program.In fact i had to check the author again just to make sure. :D

Not complaining though,this program looks great actually.Being a fan of low reps i might just give this a go.

I tried the original GVT but anything over 8 reps of multiple sets leaves me shaking and weak.But this new program seems to fit me well.

Top article coach poliquin.
Keep up the great work.

HHH

Soco,
You're RIGHT! He said 60 DOZEN donuts/year. While I thought it in the calculation (52 weeks, obviously), I didn't type it in the first sentence.

My bad on the typoe...still >12/week.
I'm below average. So sad.

Good stuff. I did GVT couple months back and had great result. I put on 7 lbs of mass. Can't wait to try this one soon.

Thanks!
GB

Great! This might be a bit off topic but i was wondering if could comment on a program that i read in Soviet review that appeared be similar to your 10x10 GVT. It was for Runners (i believe distance runners) in the former Ussr. They were suppossed to do 8-12 reps in 8-12 seconds resting 10-30 seconds between sets!This was supposed to replace all of (or at last some) of the running they were doing. They started this program with 5-6 sets of 8-12 reps (each in a second)with 1 minute rest.
Brandon Green

mertdawg: Alot of those "what if?" questions that people post on the site here...be it supplements (what if or can I take HOT-ROX while taking a dump?) or training, are not going to be answered directly online by Coach Poliquin. I doubt very seriously if he as the time or the patience to volley back and forth as people try to "tweek" the program here and there.
He has a businness to run in Phoenix....

Donnie....

Let me clarify: Just DO the program as close to written as possible! (If he would have wanted Deadlifts done instead of squats, he would have said so. They are in NO WAY interchangeable as far as working your quads.)

OK here it is...

The original 10x10 program was designed FOR/used BY advanced strength athletes right? Why did 10x10 work for them so well but now we are being told that anything over 5 reps is not intense enough?

I had always thought that part of the reason for the rapid mass gain by strength athletes using 10x10 at 50-64% of their max (depending on the protocol) worked largely BECAUSE those guys had been training with such high loads for so long that it provided restoration/active recovery without the high loads.

All in all, isn't this just combining the effects of high load with high volume for individuals who may respond to both?

I am not sure your assumption on the first part is correct. It was written for most trainees; I don't think he specified a "training age".

The program works because of the laws of "repeated effort" and the volume place on the muscle.

Donnie....

It's good timing to see this article show up, I just started a variation of GVT from Christain Thibideau, Optimized Volume Training. It does 5x5 supersetted with and light load moved slowly working the same muscle to increase time under tension. How would you rate that one compared to advanced GVT?

Also I was wondering if its fine to do the exercises without supersetting, I goto a pretty busy gym and its a pain in the ass to try to superset using different machines/areas just about anytime of the day.

I dont quite know the specifics behind some of the exercises, for example:

-Seated Zottmann Curls
-Low Pulley French presses
-Scott Bench Close-Grip Reverse Curls
-One-Arm Elbowing Rows (while bent or standing strait?)
-Low decline close grip bench presses (low decline as in close to horizontal or LOW decline?)

if someone could explain the movements for me ide appretiate it. Thanks

Both programs are great. Remember, it only takes a few weeks to adapt to a new program: anywhere from 3-6. EVERY program has a finite period of effectiveness.
Both programs can and should be done throughout the year, but not consecutively.
The only Poliquin program I did not get much from is the German Body Comp.

Donnie...

hey coach.would you be looking to adopt a 27 year old male that would love to have you as father.

really though.your info gets me so excited.

GVT, yeuwk! The most boring and exhausting program I ever tried. While squatting, I had to lengthen the pauses a minute extra sometimes since I had to go puke in some sets. But, in all fairness, I did do some large gains on it. Several inches on my thighs. Maybe I'll man myself up for the new one.