This workout routine is not for beginners and can cause immense pain and fatigue. We have given you the tools to work through this programme. The rest is up to you. Think you got what it takes? Then what are you waiting for, go out there and go beast mode!
Building strength and muscles requires patience and hard work. That being said, it’s not impossible; there are certain programmes that are much more effective than others for specific results if you are willing to endure excruciating pain. This is where German Volume Training comes in!
German Volume Training is an intense programme which consists of high volume and little rest. This means you do a high number of reps and sets, for example, ten reps per set and ten sets of a barbell bench press. This workout developes strength, muscles and even your skeletal structure.
This program helps target a group of motor units and since you are submitting them to an extensive volume of repeated efforts, specifically, ten sets of a single exercise. The body tends to adapt to the stress by hypertrophying the targeted muscle fibers. This program specifically adds muscle at a much faster rate.
Rest-Pause Method:
The rest-pause method is great if you are looking to lift heavier weights. This high intensity helps you recruit muscle fibers with a higher threshold, and enables you to overcome strength plateaus.
The Rest-Pause method is breaking down your set into mini-sets and taking a short rest in between, there are two different ways you can incorporate this, which is based on either hypertrophy or strength training.
Hypertrophy:
Nobody said this type of training will be easy and the Rest-Pause Method for hypertrophy is sure to push you to your limit. It is advised that even though this method will help you see muscles almost instantly, only do these when you have the energy and want to spice up your workout.
There are 3 steps to performing the Rest-Pause Method for hypertrophy:
- Perform a set as you would with your given 6-10 rep weight and then set the weight down
- Take 15 seconds of deep breaths, pick the weight back up, and rep to failure
- Repeat step two as many times as you can
With the help of this method, you will be engaging muscle fibers much more deeply, this means you will get a better pump and help you break strength plateaus. This is a great way of creating a solid mind and muscle connection.
Strength Training:
This training focuses on lifting heavy weights while doing low reps and long periods of rest. Here are the steps that you need to take to perform this type of training:
- Choose a weight that is 85-95% of your 1RM
- Perform a 1 rep with this weight
- Rest 30-45 seconds
- Repeat about 6-10 times
This is a great way of increasing your strength and can train you to lift heavier weights and continually exerting yoursel to lift heavy weight like this will help your body. It is usually done once a week since the heavy singles to a maximum effort would feel awkward and unstable.
The combination of these two programs is what the German Volume Training is all about and that is why it’s a perfect way to increase both muscles and strength. When you start of German volume training, you need to start with a weight that you can lift for 20 reps to failure.
This would translate to 60% of the maximum load any bodybuilder can lift. For beginners, it is advised to use a split-workout routine; this means that they will distribute two muscle groups per day for five days.
Rest Intervals:
Initially, most bodybuilders will question the effectiveness of this programme since the weight is not heavy enough for them to feel anything. This will soon change because the high volume and short rest times will result in muscle fatigue.
It is important to time your rest intervals because as your muscle starts to fatigue, you will be tempted to take longer breaks. Surprisingly, you will feel more strength around the eighth set because of a short-term neural adaption.
Tempo:
It is essential to have a proper tempo while performing exercises according to this program. For long-range movements like squats, you need to have a 4-0-2-0 tempo. This means you lower yourself in 4 seconds and immediately move up in 2 seconds and continue this cycle. For short range movements like biceps, it is advised to have a 3-0-2-0 tempo.
Overload Mechanism:
Once you can do ten sets of 10 reps comfortably, you need to increase the weight by 4% to 5%. Avoid using forced reps, negatives, or burns; the volume of the workout will take care of the hypertrophy. You can expect a painfully long recovery period. It is reported that after a session of quads and hamstrings, an average bodybuilder takes 4 to 5 days to recover fully.
Workout Routine:
What would be the point of the blog if we didn’t give you a workout routine to try out for yourself? This is a two-phase program, each phase lasting six weeks. In phase 2, you need to increase the weight by a higher percentage, bringing your RM to 80%.
