German Volume Training

OK its the day after gvt and I'm pretty sore. I got started late in the week due to work and family. So this week I'm doing push, pull, and legs. Last night I did flat bench and incline dumbbells. For shoulders I did seated dumbbell press and standing military presses. For triceps I did unweighted dips and skull crushers. My triceps were so burnt out at this point I barely finished dips. The skull crushers got dangerous on about set 5 so I finished with dumbbell kicks. I love it. Its a good kinda pain. Gonna see if I can make it on a six week run of this. Still dreading leg day. I hope I'll be able to walk out of the gym. Lol.

German Volume Training
An introduction, by GSRacer

Whenever my regular routine stops making my muscles sore, and my gains start to level off, I have never found a better routine than German Volume Training to break past this plateau. German Volume Training focuses on a high number to sets on one specific exercise, with the number of reps staying around 10 for every set. This routine is probably not the best if you are looking for muscular definition, but it will certainly help you put on mass.

The goal is to do 1-2 exercises per workout, and the weight stays constant, and you shoot for 10 reps on EVERY set. Just be prepared to: do 3-4 workouts per week, be at the gym for ~2 hrs. per workout, and to be very, very sore. I highly recommend bringing a whey protein shake and a banana (or other fruit of choice) with you to each workout if you venture down this road. This workout should not be something you do as a beginning lifter. I did not incorporate this until having lifted regularly for 6 years.

Here is what a typical GVT rotation looks like for me:

Day 1: Chest

Flat Bench @ 205 lbs. - 10 sets, 10 reps/set (although I am usually around 7 by the last set, and this is OK - this applies to all exercises for all muscle groups)
Incline Dumbbell Press @ 80 lbs. - 10 sets, 10 reps/set

Day 2: Back

Free-weight T-bar row @ 160 lbs. - 10 sets, 10 reps/set
Bent over Barbell rows @ 185 lbs. - 10 sets, 10 reps/set

Day 3: Legs (this is by far the hardest and longest day)

Squats @ 275 lbs. - 10 sets, 10 reps/set
Barbell Lunges @ 135 lbs - 10 sets, 10 reps

Day 4: Shoulders

Standing overhead barbell press @ 125 lbs - 10 sets, 10 reps/set
Lateral raises @40 lbs/dumbell - 10 sets, 10 reps/set

*Note that if you aren't quite ready to take on 20 sets/workout, you can also do one exercise per workout (10 sets), and if proper weight and technique are used, the results can be excellent.

If you can do this for 3-4 weeks, and then return to your normal routine, you will smash through any plateau you have hit, and the mass will pile on. Results are greatly enhanced by eating like a 400lb fat man, sleeping 10 hrs/night, and not partying.

For more info on GVT, and how my personal preferences differ from others, check out:

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/art...le-growth.html ( http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/german-volume-training-for-shocking-muscle-growth.html)

http://germanvolumetraining.info/

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/tr...k-so-well.html ( http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/training/68656-german-volume-training-gvt-why-does-work-so-well.html)

http://www.seriouspowerlifting.com/3...olume-training ( http://www.seriouspowerlifting.com/3159/articles/german-volume-training)

GSRacer

Trying this starting monday, exactly what Ive been looking for.

2nd day. Did bent over bar bell rows. Went to heavy and couldn't finish the 8th set. Dropped 10lbs and finished. Tried pull ups but by the fifth set it was obvious I wasn't going to be able to do 10 sets of 10. I finished those with cable pull downs. Did 5 sets of 20 shrugs. Did 10 sets of 10 on barbell curl. Again went to heavy and had to drop some weight to finish. Also did planks, started at 2 minutes and dropped 15 seconds each new set. 100 leg lifts and 100 crunches. Already sore can't wait till I wake up to see what hurts the worse. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing so any pointers will be appreciated. So far I'm loving it.

Legs tonight. On the 7th set of squats I was in so much pain I just wanted to quit. I got to 5th rep of 10th set somehow. Barbell lunges were embarrassing. I was already shot at this point and was barely making it with 25 pounders. After calf raises I laid down on a bench for 10 minutes before I felt like getting up and leaving. I'm glad no one else was at the gym to see me crying. Lol.