German Volume Training (GVT) is a hypertrophy program designed by Charles Poliquin to shock the muscles with a significant increase in volume through 10×10 sets. It is designed to be run for a relatively short period of time, about 4 weeks, and is comprised of three different workouts run five days per week. This is all explained in more detail below.
The program is reputed to create significant muscle growth in trainees, even if they’re advanced. Poliquin claims that gaining 10 lbs of muscle in 6 weeks is not an uncommon training outcome. Even if you gain 5 lbs of muscle that’s still not bad at all. It should not be run more than once or twice per year to shake things up and build mass.
Table of Contents
German Volume Training (GVT) Template Spreadsheet
Program shared by StrengthSensei.com and BarBend, template spreadsheet by Lift Vault.
Overview: 10×10 German Volume Training (GVT)
Regarding Different Versions of GVT
Like Vince Gironda’s 8×8 Workout, the GVT routine can be found in many different iterations around the web.
The version described here is aligned with the version shared by BarBend.com (in partnership with Charles Poliquin) in 2018 and by Charles Poliquin himself in 2015 (“German Volume Training Revisited and Expanded”). There are other versions of GVT available, including versions of the program shared by Charles Poliquin himself (like this one from 2014).
I’m not here to argue about what is the “correct” or “true” version of the routine. I’m just letting you know where the inputs for the spreadsheet came from – feel free to make any modifications you see fit.
GVT Program Phases
GVT consists of two primary phases aptly named “Phase 1” and “Phase 2.”
Utilizing only phase 1 would result in this being a 4 week training program, while running both phases will extend the total length of the program to 7 weeks.
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-4)
Phase 1 lasts for four weeks and consists of three workouts. These three workouts will collectively be run 5 days per week, meaning each week will look a little bit different than the week prior. This phase features the infamous 10×10 GVT rep scheme.
The three workouts are:
- Chest & Back
- Legs & Abs
- Arms & Shoulders
Chest & Back Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decline Dumbbell Press (A1) | 10 | 10 | 4020 | 90 sec |
| Supinated Chin Ups (A2) | 10 | 10 | 4020 | 90 sec |
| Incline DB Flies | 3 | 10-12 | 2020 | 60 sec |
| One-Arm DB Rows | 3 | 10-12 | 2020 | 60 sec |
Legs & Abs Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squats (A1) | 10 | 10 | 4020 | 90 sec |
| Lying Leg Curls (A2) | 10 | 8 | 4020 | 90 sec |
| Low Cable Pull-ins (B1) | 3 | 10-12 | 2020 | 60 sec |
| Seated Calf Raises (B2) | 3 | 10-12 | 2020 | 60 sec |
Arms & Shoulders Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parallel Bar Dips (A1) | 10 | 10 | 3020 | 90 sec |
| Hammer Curls (A2) | 10 | 10 | 3020 | 90 sec |
| Bent Over Lateral Raise (B1) | 3 | 8-10 | 2020 | 60 sec |
| Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises (B2) | 3 | 10-12 | 2020 | 60 sec |
Phase 2 (Weeks 5-7)
After the first four weeks are completed, phase 2 begins. Phase 2 uses the same muscle group split, but with different exercises, tempos, and rep schemes. Fewer total reps are programmed here, opting for 10 sets of 6 reps for “A” exercises vs. the infamous 10 sets of 10 reps used during phase 1.
Chest & Back Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incline DB Press (A1) | 10 | 6 | 5010 | 90 sec |
| Wide Grip Pull Ups (A2) | 10 | 6 | 5010 | 90 sec |
| Flat DB Flyes (B1) | 3 | 6 | 3010 | 60 sec |
| Bent Over Rows w EZ Bar (B2) | 3 | 6 | 3010 | 60 sec |
Legs & Abs Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bent Knee Deadlifts (A1) | 10 | 6 | 5010 | 90 sec |
| Wide Grip Pull Ups (A2) | 10 | 6 | 5010 | 90 sec |
| Twisting Crunches (B1) | 3 | 12-15 | 3030 | 60 sec |
| Standing Calf Raises (B2) | 3 | 12-15 | 3030 | 60 sec |
Arms & Shoulders Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close Grip Bench Press (A1) | 10 | 6 | 4020 | 90 sec |
| Incline DB Curls (A2) | 10 | 6 | 4020 | 90 sec |
| Seated Lateral Raises (B1) | 3 | 10-12 | 2020 | 60 sec |
| Reverse Curls (B2) | 3 | 10-12 | 3020 | 60 sec |
Training Schedule
The same general schedule is used for both phases. To give you an idea of the training sequence, here is what phase 1, week 1 looks like:
- Chest & Back (Start of cycle 1)
- Legs & Abs
- Rest
- Arms & Shoulders
- Rest (End of cycle 1)
- Chest & Back (Start of cycle 2)
- Legs & Abs
Day 1 of week 2 is a rest day, as a rest day follows the legs & abs workout. In this way, each week looks a little bit different than the week before it due to the 5 day cycles.
A Exercises, B Exercises, and Rest Between Sets
There are four exercises per workout, broken into two groups: A and B.
A and B represent superset groups: you will perform exercise A1, rest the specified time, perform exercise A2, rest the specified time, and so on, until 10 sets of A1 and A2 have been completed.
Optional: If you want to perform A1 and A2 with no rest in between (i.e. a “true” superset), you can do that. If you choose this option, double the rest time between sets. For example: perform A1, perform A2, then rest the specified time x 2 before beginning the next A superset.
The default option appears to be allowing for rest between all sets, but the “true” superset option is also available to you.
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 very important, as it becomes tempting to lengthen the rest time as you fatigue.
Tempo
There are four numbers given in the tempo column for each exercise.
For example, 2-0-2-0 means
- lower weight for 2 seconds (eccentric)
- immediately change direction (bottom of lift, no pause)
- lift weight for 2 seconds (concentric)
- immediately change direction (top of lift, no pause)
This is important, as manipulating the length of eccentric movement has been shown to be especially effective for increasing time under tension for muscles. However, the research around time under tension is somewhat lacking (Stronger by Science).
Does that mean you should ignore the tempo guidance? Probably not – otherwise you’re not “doing the program.” My general advice for manipulating a program holds true here: run it as written first, all the way through, before deciding you know better and making adjustments.
Choosing a Starting Weight
For compound lifts like the squat, deadlift, or bench press, Poliquin recommends starting with weights around 60% of your 1RM for that lift. As this is very much a hypertrophy program and not a strength program, I’d err on the side of starting too light vs. too heavy.
The program does allow for increasing weight by 4% or 5% week to week if all 100 reps are achieved with constant rest intervals.
However, there are a lot of lifts on here where a 1RM probably isn’t known or doesn’t make a lot of sense (e.g. seated calf raises, chin ups). For those exercises, find a weight you can do for 20 reps in one set, then use that weight for your working sets.
There will be some trial and error and it is absolutely okay to reduce weight in order to hit all reps. Still, your ultimate goal here is to use the same weight for all sets. If you need to reduce weight during a training session, you probably will want to reduce weight for your next training session.
VIDEO: About German Volume Training
German Volume Training (GVT) Program Reviews
Here are some review from other people that have run the German Volume Training routine (or something similar to what you see on this page).
Happy lifting!
