Does the GVT actually work for mass gain in non-enhanced lifters?

Asked by: Tiffany Wilson

Will German Volume Training build mass?

German volume training (GVT) is an intense exercise program that builds the muscle mass and strength necessary for weightlifters to move beyond personal plateaus.

Does German Volume Training actually work?

So at best, German Volume Training provides no benefit, and at worst, the extra sets impair our size an strength gains. In both studies, the researchers concluded that muscle growth was maximized after 4–6 sets, at which point extra work stops yielding extra muscle growth.

How long should you do GVT for?

German Volume Training is an intense program, but give it your best shot for 4–6 weeks combined with plenty of food and rest, and you’re set to pump up your muscles and gain a ton of strength. For continued muscle and strength gains, however, you must increase the weights you are lifting.

Is GVT good for hypertrophy?

GVT is generally considered a hypertrophy program. Can it build strength — say, for a powerlifter? “It would be for a powerlifter who wants to move up a weight class and wants the weight they gain to be quality weight,” says Poliquin.

Did Arnold use German Volume Training?

Idols such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, and Dave Draper often had their success attributed to their exceedingly high training volume. Arnold himself attested that during his peak, he trained twice a day, spanning 70 to 80 total working sets.

Is GVT too much?

More than two per muscle group per week is likely to push you into a state of overtraining. Depending on your training split, this might mean 1-2 exercises of GVT per day. More than this really isn’t necessary, and will actually make it very challenging for you to recover from in time for your next session.

What percentage is German Volume Training?

around 60%

What is it? German Volume Training is a system that employs punishing amounts of reps to increase muscle hypertrophy and create lean mass. You generally perform one exercise per body part for 10 sets of 10 reps at a sub-maximal weight around 60% of your 1RM.

Is German Volume Training for cutting?

For those of you who don’t know, German Volume Training is 10 sets of 10 with 1 minute rest, using around 50-60% of your 1 rep max. It’s honestly brutal, and cutting the workout in half provides better results, as most people simply cannot recover from that much volume.

Is volume training for muscle growth?

Greater volumes provide a larger dose of training, and produce a greater stimulating effect on the muscle fibers to increase in size. Volume is measured in a number of ways by researchers, although none are really that satisfactory.

Is volume killing your gains?

To these guys too much training volume is literally killing your gains! High-intensity bodybuilders believe that you have to push yourself really, really hard on a smaller number of sets for optimal results. High-intensity bodybuilders usually only perform 1-10 sets per week for each body part.

Is volume better than intensity?

Intensity proponents claim that using heavy weights for low reps produces more tension on your muscles, which is ultimately what makes them grow bigger and stronger. Volume boosters contend that the total number of sets and reps you do is what drives muscle growth, not the weight on the bar.

Is 2 sets enough for hypertrophy?

The Minimum Volume Needed to Build Muscle. Doing 2–5 sets to failure per muscle group per week is often enough to stimulate at least some muscle growth. It’s not ideal, but it’s an efficient way of training that can still yield steady muscle growth.

What is hyper trophy?

Hypertrophy is an adaptive increase in the mass of a cell, tissue, or organ that does not result from cell proliferation, that is, hyperplasia.

What rep range is best for hypertrophy?

For hypertrophy (building muscle), the sweet spot is 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps. And if your objective is muscular endurance, shoot for 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps. In each case, the key is to use the heaviest resistance that will allow you to complete all of your reps and sets with good form.

How many reps is considered high volume?

How many reps is considered high volume? Often high volume is defined as more than 10 reps. Based on the exercise and weight you might do 12 or 15 reps.

Do legs respond better to higher reps?

Use Higher Reps



The rule of thumb for gaining size is to use a rep range of 8-12. With legs, however, I always found – and research backs me up – that higher reps produce the biggest gains. I experienced great results with squats, lunges, leg presses and leg extensions when doing sets of 15-20 reps.

Does volume drive hypertrophy?

It's not uncommon to hear that volume drives muscle hypertrophy. Specifically it's thought more volume could produce more muscle hypertrophy.

Is 30 sets for chest too much?

Be sure to keep your weekly training volume (the total of your working sets) for chest between 12-16 total reps. If you find out you are performing more than 20 sets per week, there is a very good chance you are doing TOO much and are actually diminishing your bodies ability to build new muscle mass.

How often train chest for maximum growth?

Training Frequency



You can work your chest up to three non-consecutive days a week. However, if you’re lifting heavy weights (enough that you can only complete six to eight repetitions), you’ll need at least two to three days of rest before you perform the exercises again.

How much volume is hypertrophy?

Amirthalingam and colleagues summarize that to maximize hypertrophic training effects, the researchers recommend a training volume of 4-6 sets per exercise that is performed. The researchers submit that it seems gains will plateau beyond this set range and may even regress due to overtraining.