The Bodybuilding Professor

Q. What is German Volume training exactly, and does it fit in a competitive bodybuilder’s routine at the pro level?

A. German Volume Training (GVT) was made popular by Charles Poliquin. He didn’t invent it, but he did popularize it mostly by virtue of his own celebrity. GVT is actually a fairly simple approach to training. In essence, GVT has you do 10 sets of 10 using a fixed amount of weight for each exercise in a workout.

As you might expect, doing 10 sets of 10 with a fixed weight is easier said than done. If you begin the first set with a weight that is anywhere near your 10RM, you’ll undoubtedly fail to complete 10 sets in any reasonable amount of time. There’s just too much fatigue that accumulates as you go from set to set. For this reason, you must use weights significantly below your 10RM for your 10 rep sets.

Useful For Bodybuilding

GVT can be useful for bodybuilding, but it mustn’t be looked at as a final destination as far as training methods go. First, when it might work: GVT will most likely lead to gains of some sort for guys who almost never do high volume. These are the kind of guys who do 2 or 3 sets of all-out effort using their 6 or 8RM. High-intensity/low-volume training is effective as far as the mechanical stimulus goes, but it lacks the metabolic stimulus that facilitates growth.

Useful When Injured

Another situation in which GVT is helpful is when nursing an injury. It allows lighter weight to be used, allowing you to speed recovery and avoid aggravating things further while still getting a decent growth stimulus.

The Problem With German Volume Training

Where GVT falls short is with progressive load and frequency. The strength gains are just too slow to really stimulate growth like a truly periodized or progressive (e.g., HST) routine can. Because of this, you’ll end up using the same weight loads far too often. Additionally, because of the tremendous fatigue caused by this method, your strength won’t recover for several days. In the beginning, it will probably take a week. This just doesn’t allow frequent enough body part sessions for seasoned lifters.

So don’t throw out GVT as just a lightweight “feel the burn” type of method. Use it for its advantages when it makes sense to do so and reap the benefits.

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