feature conditioning fundamentals

German Volume Training:

An Alternative Method of High
about the
Volume-Load Training For
AUTHOR
Daniel Baker is a
Stimulating Muscle Growth
Life Member and
President of the
Daniel Baker, PhD, CSCS
Australian Strength
& Conditioning Introduction crease the recruitment of different muscle fibers as typi-
Association. His Resistance training may be implemented to achieve dif- cally occurs when performing different exercises for the
full-time job for fering outcomes such as increased control and stability, same muscle groups. But there is an alternative method
the past 14 years hypertrophy of muscle, maximal strength, power, or to the common edict of multiple exercises per body
is as strength and strength-endurance. Common among the desired out- part, gleaned apparently, from the training of German
conditioning coach for comes for many trainers is the hypertrophy or growth olympic-style weightlifters that has been labeled by re-
the Brisbane Broncos of muscle. nowned Canadian strength coach Charles Poliquin as
Rugby League team, “German Volume Training” (GVT) (3).
who participate in
Typical recommendations to develop muscle hypertro-
Australia’s professional
phy include a higher training volume (eg. multiple sets of
National Rugby League The German Volume
> 10 repetitions) with shorter rest periods (e.g. < 3-min-
(NRL) competition.
utes) at a moderate intensity (60 – 75% 1RM). Moreover,
Training Workout
Before this time he
some research (1) and a large amount of practical train- The GVT has been advocated in the coaching and
worked with elite
athletes from a diverse ing experience also suggests that a higher volume-load popular media as an effective training method to help
range of sports such (total repetitions x the weight lifted) is more effective athletes gain lean body mass and muscle size (2, 3). Ac-
as power-lifting, diving, in developing muscle hypertrophy as compared to the cording to Charles Poliquin, the GVT workout was pur-
soccer, and track & same volume (sets and reps) and intensity performed portedly developed by German weightlifting coach Rolf
field to name a few. He with exercises that utilize lighter resistances. Fesser to aid lifters who wanted to increase lean body
completed his PhD in mass during the general preparation phase of training
Sport Science at Edith For example, 3 x 10RM bench press with an 80 kg resis- (3). The original GVT workout entailed the performance
Cowan University in tance (volume-load = 30 x 80 kg = 2400 kg) is presumed of a larger number of sets per exercise (ten sets per ex-
Perth, Australia, where
to be more effective in developing muscle growth as ercise) than is typically recommended for hypertrophy-
he is also an Adjunct
compared to the alternative workout of 3 x 10RM chest oriented training (2). Specifically, the original GVT train-
Lecturer. He can be
flies with 15 kg dumbbells (volume-load = 30 x 15 kg x ing prescription was 10 sets of 10 repetitions performed
contacted at www.
2 each = 900kg). with about 60% 1RM or a 20 RM resistance. As achieving
danbakerstrength.com
a high volume-load with a resistance of around 60%
Consequently most trainers and athletes wisely tend 1RM is the strategic goal of the work-out, the strategy
to choose a predominance of multi-joint, compound of reducing the resistance by 2.5 to 5kg after a failed set
exercises when training to increase muscle growth so (where 10 repetitions was not achieved) or when the
that a high volume-load can be attained to help stimu- athlete believes they will fail in the ensuing set, is neces-
late muscle growth. Aligned with these choices is the sary to maintain set lifting volume at 10 repetitions per
typical recommendation to choose multiple exercises set. If athletes attempt to maintain the initial resistance
(e.g. 2 – 4) to “hit the muscle from every angle” or in- and do fewer repetitions per set due to accumulating

nsca’s performance training journal • www.nsca-lift.org • volume 8 issue 1 10

 German Volume Training

GVT complex #1 (Bench press emphasis)

Exercise Sets x Reps Intensity Table 1
1a. Bench press 10 x 10 Start at 60% 1RM
Rest 20 – 30 s Examples of the modified German
1b. Incline Dumbbell row 10 x 10 20RM Rest 20-30 s Volume Training (GVT) workout.
The athletes perform one set of
1c. Abdominal curl-up 10 x 10 Bodyweight, take 3-s for
each exercise in the order listed
each rep Rest till 3-minute
(1a, then 1b,then 1c). A new com-
mark and repeat complex.
plex of these exercises is started
GVT complex #2 (Pull-up emphasis) every 3 minutes until all 10 sets
1a. Pull-up 10 x 10 Bodyweight Rest 20 – 30 s have been completed. Each com-
1b. Dumbbell press 10 x 10 20RM Rest 20 – 30 s plex is an entire workout.

1c. Reverse curl-up 10 x 10 Bodyweight, take 3-s for

each rep Rest till 3-minute
mark and repeat complex.
GVT complex #3 (Squat emphasis)
1a. Squat 10 x 10 Start at 60% 1RM SQ
Rest 20 – 30 s
1b. Leg curl 10 x 10 20RM
No abdominals. Rest till 3-minute mark and repeat complex.

fatigue, then typically some athletes are only Coach Poliquin has recommended modifying Effects of the GVT workout
able to perform 3 – 5 repetitions in the last few the original GVT so that an agonist-antagonist As yet no long-term studies have been performed
sets. This procedure drastically reduces potential pairing of exercises can be used with sets of a to gauge if the GVT workout is more effective in
volume-load and is not the methodology used key agonist heavy resistance multi-joint exercise promoting muscle growth or lean body mass
for the GVT workout. alternated with sets of an antagonist second- gains than the traditional hypertrophy training
ary movement (3). For example, bench press edict of multiple exercises to attain high load-
The rationale of the GVT workout is to totally sets may be alternated with a row exercise or volume. One study has been performed that
deplete the muscle fibers involved in one key pull-ups with dumbbell shoulder presses. The looked at the acute effects of an upper body GVT
multi-joint exercise, rather than disperse the fa- agonist exercise is the main focus of the workout workout upon upper body power output. Not
tigue across alternative muscle fibers as could and each GVT complex can be considered as ei- surprisingly, due to the high volume-loads and
occur with multiple exercises (3). If the exercise ther an entire workout or at least the dominant the fatigue associated with the GVT workout, re-
chosen was a key, compound exercise, then fi- portion of a workout. searchers from Edith Cowan University in Perth,
ber recruitment would naturally be high anyway, Australia, reported this type of training can exert
and it was presumed that a super-compensatory Typically each complex of the GVT starts every an immediate negative impact upon power out-
growth response would occur as a result of the 3-minutes, consequently the entire GVT workout put of 23%, with power still suppressed by 18%
high volume-load training stimulus that was lasts 30-minutes. An abdominal training exercise even after 7-minutes passive rest (1). As such it
concentrated in the recruited fibers (3). Accord- can also be included in upper body GVT com- must be recommended that the GVT workout
ingly, exercises such as squats, bench presses, plexes, making this workout extremely time- not be performed before power training sets or
deadlifts or pulls, pull- or chin-ups are dominant effective, yet “dense” in volume-load (see Table exercises, however this would appear to be an
exercise choices for the GVT workout. 1). However, if performing a lower body GVT obvious recommendation for any hypertrophy-
involving squats, deadlifts or pulls it is probably oriented training dose.
unwise to fatigue the torso with the inclusion of
an abdominal exercise.

nsca’s performance training journal • www.nsca-lift.org • volume 8 issue 1 11

 German Volume Training

Set # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mean
Table 2
G1 Reps 10 10 10 9.9 9.8 9.9 9.6 10 9.8 9.7 9.9
(0.2) (0.9) (0.3) (1.0) (0.5) (0.7) Average (standard deviation)
(0) (0) (0) (0) (0.5)
repetitions and %1RM intensity
per set across all 10 sets of the
G2 Reps 10 10 10 9.6 9.6 9.0 8.6 8.8 9.8 9.6 9.5
(1.1) (1.1) (1.3) (1.1) (0.5) (0.7) bench press portion of the GVT
(0) (0) (0) (1.5) (1.0)
G1 = Group 1
G1 %1 61.1 61.1 61.1 61.1 60.9 60.6 60.2 59.1 58.9 58.5 60.5 Professional athletes in the
RM
(1.6) (1.6) (1.6) (1.6) (1.7) (2.7) (3.4) (5.4) (5.3) (5.3) (2.8) midst of a traditional hypertro-
phy program.
G2 %1 60.8 60.8 60.8 60.8 60.4 59.3 56.6 53.0 51.4 50.4 57.4
RM G2 = Group 2
(1.4) (1.4) (1.4) (1.4) (1.5) (2.9) (4.1) (5.4) (5.9) (7.1) (5.7)
Semi-Professional athletes
coming off a high intensity, low
volume program.

A positive response, apart from muscle growth Clearly Group 2 could not cope with the upper References
considerations, may be that the GVT workout body GVT workout as well as is evidenced by 1. Baker, D. and Newton, R. The deleterious
can evoke a moderate cardiovascular training ef- their more dramatic drop off in average training effects of the high volume-load German Volume
fect that were also reported in that study by Dan- intensity per set across the 10 sets of the bench Training workout upon upper body power
iel Baker and Robert Newton. Figure 1 illustrates press portion of the workout. Basically, after the output. (in review)
the heart rate (HR) responses from two profes- first four sets they had to reduce the training
sional rugby league football players performing resistance continually in an attempt to main- 2. Poliquin, C. Theory and methodology
the bench press focused GVT workout detailed tain the performance of 10 repetitions per set. of strength training. Sports Coach, July-
in Table 1. The HR’s climb to over 150 and 160 Group 1 maintained their ability to use the ini- September. 22 – 27. 1989.
beats per minute (bpm) during the latter stages tial intensity far better. As such the GVT may be
of the workout with recovery HR’s only dropping considered an advanced workout or a workout 3. Poliquin, C. German volume training.
to 120 bpm (1). for athletes in a good state of muscle and cardio- www.bodybuilding.com/fun/luis13.htm
vascular conditioning. accessed 12th September 2006.
While clearly the cardiovascular effects must
impact upon the ability to perform the GVT
workout, so does the state of training that the Conclusion
athlete is in. Table 2 compares two groups of ath- The GVT workout entails the performance of 10
letes’ ability to perform the GVT workout, taken sets of 10 reps at about 60% 1RM (or 20 RM) in
from the Baker and Newton study (1). Group 1 1 – 2 key exercises. This concentrated training
were professional athletes in the midst of a hy- dose appears fairly difficult for some athletes to
pertrophy-oriented training block entailing the perform. However, this type of workout is time
traditional edict of 6 – 7 exercises x 3 sets x 10 effective, may be very stimulating or challeng-
reps for their upper body workouts. Group two ing for advanced athletes, and apart from the
were semi-professional athletes who had just expected muscle fatigue / super-compensatory
completed a low volume-load, high-intensity growth considerations, there appears to be a
training block (4 – 6 exercises x 3 sets x 2-6 reps). moderate cardiovascular training effect. 

nsca’s performance training journal • www.nsca-lift.org • volume 8 issue 1 12

 German Volume Training

Figure 1
A graphic display of the highest and lowest
heart rate responses per 3-minute complex
exhibited by two elite athletes to the GVT
workout. The mounting HR stress is such
that the lowest recovery HR during the
latter sets is higher than the working HR
response in the early sets.

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