What is German Volume Training?
Supersets and trisets allow you to perform a lot of work in
a short period of time. The rest-pause method allows you to use heavier
weights, so you can recruit the higher threshold muscle fibers, and eccentric
training enables you to overcome strength plateaus.
The bottom line is that almost any training method will
work—provided you do it with intensity—at least for the few weeks it takes for
your body to adapt to it. There is, however, one training system that stands
above all the rest. It's brutally hard, but I've found it to be a very
effective way to pack on muscle fast!
In strength-coaching circles, this method is often called
the 10 Sets Method. Because it has its roots in German-speaking countries,
I like to call it German Volume Training. To the best of my knowledge, this
training system originated in Germany in the mid-'70s and was popularized by
Rolf Feser, who was then the National Coach of Weightlifting. A similar
protocol was promoted by Vince Gironda in the U.S., but regardless of who
actually invented it, it works.
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 Medallist 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 10 pounds or more in six weeks are not
uncommon, even in experienced lifters!
Goals And Guidelines
The goal of the German Volume Training method is to complete
ten sets of ten reps with the same weight for each exercise. You want to begin
with a weight you could lift for 20 reps to failure if you had to. For most
people, on most exercises, that would represent 60% of their 1RM load.
Therefore, if you can bench press 300 pounds for 1 rep, you would use 180
pounds for this exercise.
For lifters new to this method, I recommend using the
following body-part splits:
Body-Part Splits
·
Day 1: Chest & Back
·
Day 2: Legs & Abs
·
Day 3: Rest
·
Day 4: Arms & Shoulders
·
Day 5: Rest
When using this program or any other, you should keep a
detailed journal of the exact sets/reps and rest intervals performed, and only
count the repetitions completed in strict form.
Terms You'll Need To Know
Rest intervals: When
bodybuilders start with this method, they often question its value for the
first several sets because the weight won't feel heavy enough. However, there
is minimal rest between sets (about 60 seconds when performed in sequence and
90-120 seconds when performed as a superset), which incurs cumulative fatigue.
(Interestingly enough, you might find you get stronger again during the eighth
and ninth sets. This is because of a short-term neural adaptation.) Because of
the importance of the rest intervals, you should use a stopwatch to keep the
rest intervals constant. This is important, as it becomes tempting to lengthen
the rest time as you fatigue.
Tempo: For
long-range movements such as squats, dips and chins, use a 4-0-2 tempo; this
means you would lower the weight in four seconds and immediately change
direction and lift for two seconds. For movements such as curls and triceps
extensions, use a 3-0-2 tempo.
Number of exercises: One,
and only one, exercise per body part should be performed. Therefore, select
exercises that recruit a lot of muscle mass. Triceps kickbacks and leg
extensions are definitely out; squats and bench presses are definitely in. For
supplementary work for individual body parts (like triceps and biceps), you can
do 3 sets of 10-20 reps.
Training frequency: Because
this is such an intense program, it'll take you longer to recover.
Overload mechanism: Once
you're able to do 10 sets of 10 with constant rest intervals, increase the
weight on the bar by 4-to-5%, and repeat the process. Refrain from using forced
reps, negatives or burns. The volume of the work will take care of the
hypertrophy. Expect to have some deep muscle soreness without having to resort
to set prolonging techniques. In fact, after doing a quad and hams session with
this method, it takes the average bodybuilder about five days to stop limping.
*******************************************************Want to try some new workouts?? How about an "H.I.I.T" workout or High Intensity Interval Training workout and if not that one, how about a "TABATA" workouts? ask
What is a TABATA workout?
Tabata” is the name
of a particular type of workout program that provides similar health benefits
to that of cardio workouts, but it really gets your heart rate up and
definitely kicks your butt. The major benefit to a workout like this is that
instead a 60-90 minute workout, Tabata
can be completed in 4 minutes.
Tabata was founded by a Japanese scientist named Izumi
Tabata and fellow colleagues at a department of physiology in Japan. Izumi and
his fellow scientists decided to conduct a study to compare moderate intensity
training with high intensity training.
So what does a basic Tabata training
design look like?
Any exercise can be incorporated into the Tabata training.
However the basic outline of the Tabata training method are as follows:
• 4 minutes long
(this is the whole session)
• 20 seconds of
intense training
• 10 seconds of
rest
• Total of 8
sessions or rounds
Again, to repeat, Tabata is a form of high intensity
interval training method that offers more health benefits than traditional
cardiovascular exercise. It’s short, efficient and can fit in almost any
fitness program.
Excerpts from tabatatraining.org
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