The Ultimate German Volume Training Plan To Get Big Muscles Fast
Follow this four-week, three-workouts a week plan to bulk up your arms, chest, shoulders, back and legs
There aren’t many things that old school body builders and modern sports scientists agree on but one of them is that volume is a key variable in the quest for muscle growth. In training terms, volume refers to the total weight lifted during a session. If you want to increase your volume, the most sensible way to do it is to increase the number of sets you perform. If you tried to do it by increasing the weight you lift you’d hardly be able to do any reps, and if you did it by doing high-rep sets then you’d take yourself out of hypertrophy rep ranges.
Renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin was well aware of this when he created his German Volume Training (GVT) protocol, which essentially involves doing ten sets of ten reps of an exercise. If you select the right weight – which will take a bit of experimentation – you shouldn’t be able to complete the tenth rep of the tenth set. Ideally you should start to fail two or three sets out from the finish, but you should still continue and do as many reps as you can in the final set.
How it works
This four-week plan is made up of three workouts. In the first you work your chest and back so that you can challenge one target muscle group while the other recovers, doing the first two moves as a superset to make it as testing and efficient as possible. You only do two GVT moves because it is such a demanding way to train. The final two exercises hit the same muscle groups to enable you to reach total fatigue with only three sets.
The second workout follows a similar pattern but works the front and back of your thighs. The final session involves doing a shoulder move as a simple set, then a biceps and triceps superset with an abs move to finish.
Follow the sets, reps and rest instructions for each move to get the maximum benefit. Do each workout once a week for four weeks, aiming to increase the amount you lift each week – and make sure you note how much you lift in each session to track your progress and keep yourself motivated.
Follow the sets, reps and rest instructions for each move to get the maximum benefit. Do each workout once a week for four weeks, aiming to increase the amount you lift each week – and make sure you note how much you lift in each session to track your progress and keep yourself motivated.
How to warm up
Doing ten sets of ten reps is a pretty hardcore way to train, so you need to put your body in the best possible place to succeed in these workouts with a comprehensive warm-up. This gym warm-up routine starts with a series of dynamic stretches that prime the whole body, but just as important is the second section in which you work on some exercise-specific warm-ups.
This means exercises that focus on the same muscles you’re about to target with your workout. Owing to the high amount of sets and reps involved in German volume training, you won’t be doing a lot of different exercises in any given workout, so you have time to prepare for each of them directly within a five- to ten-minute warm-up. The easiest way to achieve this is to do a set or two of each exercise using very light weights, warming up the key muscles used. This will let you nail your first set proper when the time comes, as well as reducing your risk of injury.
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WORK OUT 1
1A Incline Bench Press
Sets 10 Reps 10 Rest 10sec
Why The incline version of the move puts a slightly different emphasis on your muscles, working the front shoulders a bit more than the flat version does. You’ll probably find you can’t lift quite as much weight because of this.
How Lie on a bench set at a 45˚ incline, holding a bar over your chest with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower the bar until it’s touching your chest, then press it back up.
1B Bent-over row
Sets 10 Reps 10 Rest 90sec-2min
Why This move works the opposing muscles to the incline bench press. Having a strong back improves your posture, which will allow you to lift heavy weights safely and also reduce your chances of injury.
How Hold the bar with a shoulder-width grip, bending your knees slightly. Bend at the hips until your torso is at roughly a 45˚ angle to the floor. Pull the bar up to touch your sternum and then lower under control. If you’re moving your upper body to shift the bar, the weight’s too heavy.
2A Incline dumbbell press
Sets 3 Reps 6-8 Rest 10sec
Why This is similar to the barbell version but it allows you to squeeze a bit more work out of your muscles safely once you have completed the previous exercise. It will also challenge the stabilising muscles around the shoulder joint.
How Lie on a bench set at a 45˚ incline, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight up. Lower the weights to chest height, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then press back up to the start.
2B Single-arm row
Sets 3 Reps 6-8 each side Rest 60sec
Why This isolation move works one side of your body at a time, and allows you to shift more weight.
How Set up with one knee resting on a bench and the other foot on the floor, leaning forwards slightly and holding a dumbbell in one hand. Row the dumbbell up until your thumb touches your armpit, then lower back to the start. Complete all the reps on one side, then switch.
Follow this four-week, three-workouts a week plan to bulk up your arms, chest, shoulders, back and legs
There aren’t many things that old school body builders and modern sports scientists agree on but one of them is that volume is a key variable in the quest for muscle growth. In training terms, volume refers to the total weight lifted during a session. If you want to increase your volume, the most sensible way to do it is to increase the number of sets you perform. If you tried to do it by increasing the weight you lift you’d hardly be able to do any reps, and if you did it by doing high-rep sets then you’d take yourself out of hypertrophy rep ranges.
Renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin was well aware of this when he created his German Volume Training (GVT) protocol, which essentially involves doing ten sets of ten reps of an exercise. If you select the right weight – which will take a bit of experimentation – you shouldn’t be able to complete the tenth rep of the tenth set. Ideally you should start to fail two or three sets out from the finish, but you should still continue and do as many reps as you can in the final set.
How it works
This four-week plan is made up of three workouts. In the first you work your chest and back so that you can challenge one target muscle group while the other recovers, doing the first two moves as a superset to make it as testing and efficient as possible. You only do two GVT moves because it is such a demanding way to train. The final two exercises hit the same muscle groups to enable you to reach total fatigue with only three sets.
The second workout follows a similar pattern but works the front and back of your thighs. The final session involves doing a shoulder move as a simple set, then a biceps and triceps superset with an abs move to finish.
Follow the sets, reps and rest instructions for each move to get the maximum benefit. Do each workout once a week for four weeks, aiming to increase the amount you lift each week – and make sure you note how much you lift in each session to track your progress and keep yourself motivated.
Follow the sets, reps and rest instructions for each move to get the maximum benefit. Do each workout once a week for four weeks, aiming to increase the amount you lift each week – and make sure you note how much you lift in each session to track your progress and keep yourself motivated.
How to warm up
Doing ten sets of ten reps is a pretty hardcore way to train, so you need to put your body in the best possible place to succeed in these workouts with a comprehensive warm-up. This gym warm-up routine starts with a series of dynamic stretches that prime the whole body, but just as important is the second section in which you work on some exercise-specific warm-ups.
This means exercises that focus on the same muscles you’re about to target with your workout. Owing to the high amount of sets and reps involved in German volume training, you won’t be doing a lot of different exercises in any given workout, so you have time to prepare for each of them directly within a five- to ten-minute warm-up. The easiest way to achieve this is to do a set or two of each exercise using very light weights, warming up the key muscles used. This will let you nail your first set proper when the time comes, as well as reducing your risk of injury.
- - - Updated - - -
WORK OUT 1
1A Incline Bench Press
Sets 10 Reps 10 Rest 10sec
Why The incline version of the move puts a slightly different emphasis on your muscles, working the front shoulders a bit more than the flat version does. You’ll probably find you can’t lift quite as much weight because of this.
How Lie on a bench set at a 45˚ incline, holding a bar over your chest with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower the bar until it’s touching your chest, then press it back up.
1B Bent-over row
Sets 10 Reps 10 Rest 90sec-2min
Why This move works the opposing muscles to the incline bench press. Having a strong back improves your posture, which will allow you to lift heavy weights safely and also reduce your chances of injury.
How Hold the bar with a shoulder-width grip, bending your knees slightly. Bend at the hips until your torso is at roughly a 45˚ angle to the floor. Pull the bar up to touch your sternum and then lower under control. If you’re moving your upper body to shift the bar, the weight’s too heavy.
2A Incline dumbbell press
Sets 3 Reps 6-8 Rest 10sec
Why This is similar to the barbell version but it allows you to squeeze a bit more work out of your muscles safely once you have completed the previous exercise. It will also challenge the stabilising muscles around the shoulder joint.
How Lie on a bench set at a 45˚ incline, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight up. Lower the weights to chest height, keeping your elbows close to your sides, then press back up to the start.
2B Single-arm row
Sets 3 Reps 6-8 each side Rest 60sec
Why This isolation move works one side of your body at a time, and allows you to shift more weight.
How Set up with one knee resting on a bench and the other foot on the floor, leaning forwards slightly and holding a dumbbell in one hand. Row the dumbbell up until your thumb touches your armpit, then lower back to the start. Complete all the reps on one side, then switch.
